Life can be hectic, whether you are in business or running your household we all need tools to help us streamline tasks and maximize efficiency. As someone who runs multiple businesses it can be difficult to manage all of my to do lists, schedules, correspondence not to mention keeping my team in the loop and doing their jobs. I have had many of you ask how I keep it all in order so I want to share five business tools I use everyday.
1. Google Suite
I know you are probably thinking, DUH Madeleine, we have not been living under a rock. I just wanted to throw it out there that gmail does some pretty great things with filtering emails and other great organizational tools. I also wanted to mention it because all of my other tools work with gmail integrations for automation and efficiency. Google Drive is where we store all of our folders, photography, videos, and content. My personal and business schedules are both kept on google calendar.
2. Calendly
Calendly is a website that allows people to book time on your schedule without the back and forth of “How does this time work for you?” It integrates with my google calendar and I set parameters for when I am available and send the link to anyone who wants to get on my schedule for a conversation.
3. Slack
Slack is a collaboration hub, where the right people and the right information come together, helping everyone get work done. Everyone on the MHM team has a username on slack and we can communicate on certain projects, send files, and pretty much keep everyone in the loop on progress. Slack has great integrations like google drive, trello, and many others so all of our other tools work together! Slack eliminates the need for group texts or email chains. Everything is organized by person, project, and platform (social media or blog) and anyone can catch up or refer back to get up to speed.
4. Trello
Trello is our project management platform and where we keep our content calendar. Trello is sorted into Boards and Cards. Think of it like a giant felt board with pieces you can digitally move around. We have a board for all business information from branding colors and fonts to mission statements and logos. We also store the content calendar on a board in Trello with workflows for each platform, post, and collaboration with brands. Anyone can view what is next in the to-do list and I am able to track progress without micromanaging and disturbing workflow of team members.
5. Hubspot
Hubspot is my CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool of choice. It allows me to store all of my contacts and manage relationships with clients. I can set it up to only send emails during office hours and track whether my contact opens or clicks certain links. Hubspot reminds me to follow up with clients and I can even set up sequences to automatically. It essentially makes me look like I have my stuff together and keeps communication from falling through the cracks.
BONUS TOOL: TAILWIND
Tailwind is the tool I use to run my Pinterest and social media accounts. It is a great way to grow your following and keep things running on social media automatically! HIGHLY recommend.
