My small business and blog wouldn’t be what it is (or was in relation to my bakery) without some extremely helpful people, tools, products, and services. But, it’s sometimes hard to know what to use, or where to turn for information because there’s so darn much of it. I’ve benefited from the sage advice of some trusted people, so I want to pay it forward and share some of the things that have made my days just a little bit easier. Here’s my guide to my favorite blogging and small business tools & resources.
While there are some affiliate links in this list, I share these only because I use them and love them. They’ve helped me, so I’d like to return the favor by recommending them. Thank goodness for these tools and resources!
SETTING UP A BLOG:
I use WordPress.org as my blogging platform for ultimate customization and Bluehost for hosting. There are lots of hosting companies out there, but I’ve used Bluehost for years (my bakery site, personal blogs, and now this blog), and have been happy with it.
ProprietersWeb – Jeremy over at ProprietersWeb has been my savior when it comes to navigating the nitty gritty of wordpress. Jeremy just happened to be on my team at Flour & Co and started this business as we closed. I love supporting him, and he has certainly made the technical part of my blogging world less frustrating. Sign up for Jeremy’s annual membership for individualized tech support, a super active facebook group, and other helpful resources.
StudioPress Themes for WordPress – I chose a wordpress theme from StudioPress. Their themes run on the Genesis Platform which was recommended to me by Jeremy and others with successful blogs. The benefits include SEO code, better security, customizable widgets, and update capabilities without affecting your blog. I had a hard time choosing a theme, but committed to restored316’s divine theme. I love it and it’s been easy to tailor to my needs (with a little help here and there from Jeremy!).
WP Tasty Recipe Plugin – if you’re using wordpress, you know the value of good plugins. As a blogger focused on baking, finding a solid recipe plugin was essential. I landed on WP Tasty and have loved it. It’s from the people behind Food Blogger Pro. They know their stuff and are continually working to make the plugin better (though no complaints – it’s already great). It’s optimized for SEO and looks professional and clean. Wouldn’t want to use anything else.
Nutrifox – ok – this is still on my to do list, but I hope to get to including nutritional info on my blog. I’m already signed up for Nutrifox by the WP Tasty peeps. They are on top of everything they do and are always coming from the blogger’s perspective, so it’s top notch…just need to get my act together.
BUSINESS TOOLS & SERVICES
Dropbox – I’ve used dropbox for years and find it’s the best way to organize my files, as well as have them available on any device. Also, it’s my go-to for saving photos from my phone. What would I do if I lost my phone and didn’t have Dropbox!? Luckily, I do and I LOVE it.
Google – the G-Suite of products/services has been my best friend for quite some time. For Flour & Co, I’ve always used Google for my company email. It’s a free to inexpensive way to have professional email addresses with all of the enhancements for properly supporting employee email addresses and mail boxes. I use Google analytics on my site, Google drive for file sharing and quick document/spreadsheet creation, Google Chrome, Google Alerts, Google Calendar, Google Voice…and the list goes on. They make my business run more smoothly for cents.
1password – ok, I wasn’t a believer at first and was coaxed by my husband to finally sign up. I’ve been using it for a couple years now and it really is quite marvelous. I used to use the same one password for everything (you can probably guess it), or I’d have passwords written down everywhere because my memory is terrible. Now I have *strong* passwords for all of my sites, even those that I seldom use. No memory needed. My information is more secure, and I can share all of my passwords with my husband (something we choose to do), so we can both access our shared accounts. Easy peasy.
Canva – I don’t have photoshop, nor do I have the skills to use it, so Canva has been amazing in creating professional looking graphics for signage, social media, and my blog. It’s so easy to use and the free version packs in lots of features, so you can do just about anything.
Picmonkey – This has been my answer to photo editing for a non-photographer/graphic designer. There are so many features, plus the usual light and color tweaks. It’s super easy to use, and my photos (which still need lots of work from a photo-taking perspective) look presentable or even good with the help of Picmonkey. The free version is good, but for the price of a fancy coffee a month, you can get a whole bunch more features, bells and whistles. I recommend forking over the cash for this great service.
Tailwind – I’m constantly hearing how important Pinterest is in social media strategies for bloggers. I can believe it. I really like using Pinterest personally, but it’s a total time suck when I get on there for blogging purposes. Enter Tailwind. It allows me to sit down for one block of time and schedule pins for the week…lickety-split in an hour or so. It pins them per their formula for the most active times on Pinterest. Of course, it tracks stats and reminds you when you are falling behind. Overall, worth the nominal fee to check something off my list.
BLOGGING & BUSINESS RESOURCES AND INSPIRATION:
Food Blogger Pro – Food Blogger Pro, the podcast, has been influential (to me) in this blogging world, and in understanding the business of blogging. I’ve gotten so much value just from the podcast alone (which is free), that I wanted to join their membership site if only to support the people and business behind the podcast. For a nominal annual fee, the membership site gives you unlimited resources including hundreds of video tutorials on things from setting up your blog to photography to social media insights. Plus, there’s an active forum, opportunities to connect with other bloggers, and more. They also send out helpful hints, monthly video updates, and they have special live classes on relevant topics that pop up here and there. If you are a blogger (not just of food), I’d highly suggest listening and signing up for the membership, even if just for a year while you get going. It’s really amazing content for little money. Plus, the people behind it (Lindsay & Bjork Ostrom of Pinch of Yum) are good people…you can just tell.
Pro Blogger Podcast – another blogging resource which is helpful in navigating the world of blogging, especially from a marketing standpoint.
How I Built This Podcast – every episode is inspirational and easy listening. Guy Raz is a wonderful story teller who portraits people who are living the American dream.
Masters of Scale Podcast – this well produced podcast is another continuing learning opportunity in the world of business. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Linkedin highlights the growth a business via their founders or key executives. What’s particularly interesting is that each episode hits on this lesson of scale from a different angle, and of course different kinds of businesses. Weird to even point it out, but I also really like how they promote their sponsors through stories as opposed to traditional advertisements. Innovative all around.
Angel Podcast- maybe it’s living in the Bay Area, but I find the world of investing in tech startups fascinating. It’s interesting to understand the market and how it functions, as well as how these startups are funded, and why this startup vs that one. Each episode is a business and investing lesson to some degree. The podcast is an accompaniment to the book “Angel” by Jason Calacanis.
That’s a wrap on my favorite blogging and small business tools & resources. It’s not an exhaustive list, but these are at the base of my business and make my job (whichever one that is) so much easier.
