If You Like THAT, You’ll Love THIS: The Essential Business Resources You Need To Know About
Recently rediscovering the Pure Moods album took me down memory lane of 1990s nostalgia and inspired me to apply one of the most notorious marketing campaigns of that era to modern day business.
First, if you missed the cultural phenomenon that was Pure Moods, allow me to set the scene for you…
The year is 1997. The TV is on as you’re lounging on your inflatable armchair filled with confetti (naturally). Suddenly, the energy in the room shifts as chanting emits from the television and a deep voice invites you to “Imagine a world where music carries you away…”
Across the screen you see a montage of a unicorn, ocean waves, a newlywed couple. You’re mesmerized and find yourself agreeing with the narrator that—yes, Pure Moods is the perfect soundtrack for YOUR way of life.
(If you’d like a laugh, have a read of Pitchfork’s review of Pure Moods. It’s pure gold. “No claims were made over precisely what sort of mood Pure Moods would put you in… its essence is safe, formless, and mostly meaningless, like a piece of art hung in a bathroom.”)
Whatever *that* mood is, I’m just as into it today as I was then…
Rewatching the Pure Moods infomercial stirred up the dust in my subconscious and I was reminded of another quintessentially 90s craze: those imitation perfumes (in the ever-so-classy aerosol can) that boldly claim: “If you like [designer perfume] then you’ll love [vaguely related generic name]!”
(You know the ones?)
Which got me thinking… In over 12 years of business, I’ve used a TON of different tools—marketing, accounting, design, video, project management, you name it. Many I liked until I found something better that I LOVED.
So I decided to tap into that cheesy 90s marketing brilliance and share my favorite business resources in a similar way…
Take it from a Virgo with high standards + a low tolerance for BS and consider this your need-to-know-about business resource essentials.
Plus, I prioritize business tools that offer premium free plans (aka “freemium”) because let’s be real: every little bit helps when you’re a solopreneur!
Note: Some of the links shared below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase, I may receive an affiliate commission at no cost to you—and may even give you a discount or offer as well! Rest assured that I ONLY recommend products and services that I personally use and truly believe in.
If you like LOOM for SCREEN RECORDINGS but wish they were MORE generous with their free plan… then you’ll love DESCRIPT
I used to love Loom for recording screen presentations, until they changed the time limit to 5 minutes on their free plan. Enter: Descript. They don’t limit screen recordings on their starter plan—which makes it worth switching alone! But on top of that, they also provide extraordinary audio and video editing tools… Polish your podcast recordings, transcribe audio and video, and best of all, edit your video/audio like a word doc. (Which makes it SO easy to cut out all those “um’s” and that too-long ramble you later regret. Or is that just me?)
If you like SQUARESPACE and wish it were THAT EASY to create and send BRANDED, BEAUTIFUL EMAILS, then you’ll love FLODESK
Basically, Flodesk is the Squarespace of emails. They figured out how to make emails easy-on-the-eyes AND easy to use. With a drag-and-drop interface, simple automation setup, and state of the art design features, Flodesk up-levels your email game. Plus, they’re the only email marketing platform I know about that lets you upload custom fonts, which means your brand can look its best—even in email. (And that makes my designer heart VERY happy!)
If you like UNSPLASH for stock photos but wish you could find PROFESSIONAL IMAGES tailored to YOUR BRAND, then you’ll love HAUTE STOCK
Haute Stock provides an expertly curated library of modern visual assets (photos, videos and design templates) to elevate your brand. Even better, they offer membership bonuses like ‘Couture Curation’ to tailor images to your brand so that you can show up with a consistent look and feel WITHOUT dropping $$$ on a professional photo shoot.
If you like QUICKBOOKS or WAVE for managing your small business FINANCES but want something SEAMLESS for $0/MONTH, then you’ll love FOUND
Found is “small business banking made for the self-employed.” They’ve (brilliantly!) combined business banking with bookkeeping. Meaning you get automated expense tracking, tax estimates and autosaving, virtual cards, and invoicing directly in your business bank account. All fee-free, with no minimums.
Open an account and get $20 when you spend $100 in the first month.
These are just a few of my favorite business resources…
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