Tools We Use
We Use various tools from day to day
Productivity is best when you have a small stack of multifunctional tools that work in harmony with one another so that you can be as productive as you want to be.
It is often difficult to find a single tool that does everything you want.
We’ve had multiple tools for various tasks in our line of work, but over the years the tools we have been working on have improved dramatically. That means that our list of tools has dramatically reduced to less than 10.
Yes, you can get by on a smaller tech stack, no joke.
It makes sense to streamline, bring things into alignment and stay within budget.
What you’ll find below are links to various tools that we use.
There may be affiliate links sprinkled in there, so treat ALL of them like affiliate links.
Webhosting
We work with two different webhosting suppliers. The choice of provider depends on location.
For local clients in South Africa, we use Xneelo and for international clients, we use Hostgator. We use Hostgator because they have been around for a long time.
They have excellent services and the pricing is right.
Graphic Design
For most of the multimedia designs we do, from logos, to headers, blog banners, social media graphics and video creation, we use Canva.
The also have a nifty Video Editor and more recently made it a full Document Editing Suite.
Excellent value for money to be had and you can of course start using it for FREE and then upgrade as necessary when the time is right for you.
Content Management
We specialize in WordPress, obviously we use it because it’s only one of the most popular CMS in the world and it’s so easy to customize.
Some people might think otherwise, but, when you’ve been using it as long as we have, it’s second nature to work in WordPress everyday.
Copywriting
Google Workspace happens to be one of the best pieces of collaboration software.
We use the docs, hangout and storage drive for all our documentation. Google Extensions like Grammarly help us keep our content error free.
The suite of tools make Google Workspace an excellent choice for the price.
Cybersecurity
We all know that the internet is riddled with bots, hackers and everyone else trying to get their hands on our data.
We use Eset to protect our information, networks and devices from attack.
They have multiple products suited for home and business use.
Been with them for years and will never change security providers.
Technology
When it comes to technology suppliers, there’s one brand we rely on to provide quality technology at an affordable price.
From desktop to mobile devices, cameras, printers, projectors and more. HP has been our go to source for tech over the years.
Project Management
If you want a simple, free tool to manage your projects, or even your entire business, then Asana is our recommendation.
Use standard task lists, use kanban style boards, assign tasks, follow up, plan and schedule your to do’s.
Time Tracking
When you’re working for customers and need to track time so that you can bill per hour, tracking your time can be a drag. With Clockify, you set your hourly rate and capture your activity during the day.
Create Bills, setup customers, create reports, set tasks, manage projects.
Focus – Rescuetime
Distractions can really impact your productivity negatively.
We use apps to keep track of where we spend most of our time online and block access to distracting sites.
They give access to weekly and monthly reports.
Set your goals in the app and make sure you hit them with distraction free, focused work.
Automation
When you’re a small business owner, sometimes you wish you could clone yourself multiple times.
Automation is the next best thing you can do for your business and we use quite a few tools.
