There’s a ton of software tools out there. Choosing the right ones for your business can change the game.
Over the years, I’ve worked hard testing dozens of online business platforms to find the ones that can be real game-changers for your side hustle. Here are the critical few I currently use.
Disclaimer
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING
I’m a proud affiliate for some of these products and services, meaning if you click a link to make a purchase, I can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
These recommendations are based on my own research with these companies and their products, and if I recommend them it’s because they are genuinely helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I may receive.
Please don’t spend any money on these products unless you believe they will help you achieve your goals.
You can read my affiliate disclosure in my privacy policy.
Before I jump straight into the software list I want you to know change can be difficult. If you are using something that you already like and it is working then stay with it.
If you’re starting out, to avoid headaches while still allowing for growth these are my recommendations.
Domain and Hosting
My recommendations for you is to begin with Bluehost for your domain purchase and hosting.
They have an easy to use backend which will make installing WordPress as simple as one click and they are have excellent customer service support in case you have questions or need assistance.
Website and Page Builders
I use WordPress and a few different themes. I recommend you start off with a free theme from Kadence.
Self hosted WordPress is a must for my blogging and passive income business model. Inside of your Bluehost hosting account you should find within the control panel the options you need to install WordPress. (Here are instructions on how to set up and install WordPress with Bluehost).
The themes I use are minimalistic to stay on brand and also to allow me to get most from my ad network ad placements.
For sales and opt-in pages I use Clickfunnels and Sendfox.
Design and Content Creation
My goto software for designing content is Canva
I have the paid version and it’s worth every penny. This app makes designing simple.
I use bought Canva templates that I found from Creative Market.
With these templates I made a few tweaks to match my branding and now my design process runs quick and efficient.
For videos and LIVE streaming, I make the majority of that content from my Mac Mini using OBS.
On my Laptop PC I use a software called vMix. I live stream from that application as well and it’s convenient to take along with me and it also doubles up as my screen recording software.
On my Mac mini I use OBS for my recording and live streaming.
(When I am done recording I export those files to my Google Drive. Then I begin my video editing process by importing those files onto my MacBook Pro or Mac Mini)
On the video editing side I sometimes use Final Cut but found that with the content I create that using Screenflow works just as well and much I like it’s simplicity. If you are using a PC I would recommend Camtasia for screen recording and Filmora for video editing.
Note: I used Adobe Creative Cloud at first and then Affinity Designer but came back to Canva. If you are using Photoshop, Illustrator or the likes and are comfortable with it then no need to change.
Miscellaneous But Important To My Business and Optional To You If You Want to go Beyond Just Blogging
Sendfox by App Sumo
This is my email marketing platform. Very inexpensive compared to what I was using before and does everything I need.
I started with Aweber then moved over to Active Campaign. Both are good but when I decided to downsize I felt Active Campaign was overkill.
Not to mention at that time I had well over 25,000 contacts and I was paying around $260 a month.
So researching and asking questions about what I needed in an email provider a friend referred Sendfox. I made the switch and never looked back.
Zoom
Due to my business model I have a monthly video call with my audience and opt’ed for the paid version of zoom. This is optional for sure.
Stripe
For payment processing I use Stripe. It’s what I use in conjunction with Clickfunnels and my Shopify store.
Cloud Storage
I pay for Google Drive and use this everyday but for specific documents that I want a bunch of people to have access to I use Dropbox.
There you have it. These are the tools I use in my blogging business.
If you want to mimic my journey you will see these tools are more than enough to help you build and grow your blog.