10 Budget-Friendly Tools to Use When Starting a Business

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So, you have an idea for an online business and you are ready to start turning this idea into an actual business. Over the years you have heard from tons of other people that starting a business is expensive, so you want to cut costs where possible. I was the same way.

If you are anything like me, you likely have no idea where to start or what tools to use. So, when I needed something to perform a certain way, I researched what apps out there did what I needed them to do and then I have tried a lot of different apps and websites on the market, both free and paid, while building this blog and an online store. I had no prior knowledge on how to build a website, or a business for that matter, but with a ton of reading, a lot of mistakes, and enough cuss words to make a sailor blush I learned how to build an online business by myself for next to nothing.

So, like I was saying, I tried a lot of different tools out there. These are the ones that I found to be the most user-friendly, budget-friendly, and actually did what I needed it to do.

Canva

Everyone is talking about how great Canva is so this probably seems very redundant, but honestly it is an awesome tool for individuals just getting started with design and marketing (great for personal projects too!) Canva was one of the biggest tools that helped me decide to follow this wild idea I have of becoming my own boss. If you are not familiar with Canva, it is an online design studio that you can do so much with. With hundreds of templates, the sky is the limit for how Canva can help you succeed. Here are just a few examples of what you can do with Canva:

If you are unsure how often you would use it, start with their free plan. Browse the template options that they have. Note that not all features are available on the free plan. If you decide you want to try out the Pro plan, it is relatively inexpensive and won’t break the bank. Canva is reasonably priced with no contracts so you can cancel at anytime.

Bonus feature: They have a Design School on their website for free to help you design your next project!

Envato

Envato has truly changed the game for online businesses. With millions of creative assets to choose from, it would be hard NOT to find what you were looking for at Envato. I have used their product PlaceIt extensively and feel like I have barely brushed the surface with its capabilities. PlaceIt is great for individuals that are wanting to start their own ecommerce store (or etsy shop) where you need a mockup created. It doesn’t stop there though. You can also create custom logos, animated YouTube intros, Twitch Overlays, ads, and t-shirt designs, and more. Their site is user-friendly and they are always adding cool, new features. You can use their free version or purchase it their pro plan for a low monthly fee.

Fun Fact: The current theme on this site is Fonix and was purchased through the Envato Market, also known as themeforest.

Quick note: If you decide to use someone else’s art for your business, check the commercial rights usage before purchasing. Most Creative Fabrica purchases come with commercial usage rights, but I’m not sure about others. Always do your own research and double check though!

Creative Fabrica

Creative Fabrica is my go-to when I am creating anything. With thousands of designers and millions of designs & fonts on their website, you can find anything you need. It doesn’t stop there either! They have everything from templates to crochet patterns, to WordPress and Notion themes.

They also offer courses at no cost to their members on topics such as SEO basics, crafting, and even how to start your own Etsy Shop.

Etsy

Etsy is another place where you can find great graphic design elements for a low cost. If I can’t find what I am looking for on Creative Fabrics, Etsy is my next stop. I regularly get graphics between $1-2 with commercial rights. Or if you need something personalized and can’t or don’t want to do it yourself, you can likely find someone on Etsy who has the product and will personalize it for you!

Hiring Freelancers

I have had a few different pieces for personal projects done by freelancers on Fiverr when I didn’t have the time to complete them myself. If your project requires a more personal or custom touch, hiring a freelance designer through Fiverr or Upwork can save you time and stress.

Shopify

Do you have no website experience but want to open an online store? Want freedom to customize your storefront to represent your brand? Need an “All-in-One” website builder equipped to handle every point of the sale? If you answered yes to any of those questions, check out Shopify. This plug and play builder streamlines building your store front. Their platform is very SEO friendly allowing you to easily rank on Google. I highly recommend this platform for entrepreneurs who are just starting out and have no experience in website building.

WordPress

WordPress is an open-source blogging platform, meaning anyone can use it and it will remain free with no hidden costs. However, it is not very beginner-friendly. Previously, I have only ever used simple plug-n-play website builders (think Weebly or Wix.) WordPress is much more complex. I dove in headfirst with this idea that I could figure it out quickly. I was so wrong. I’m not even going to pretend like this was easy cause it wasn’t. I can’t count the number of times I was ready to throw in the towel and hire someone to help. Regardless, I am very happy with my decision in the end because the options to customize my site are endless.
It is important to note that WordPress.com and WordPress.org are different. I recommend using the .org version and buying hosting through a host service like BlueHost or HostGator.

Notion

This is by far the best app that I have found for my notes. It works flawlessly across all of my devices and updates in real time. I have zero issues switching between devices. They have a large template database to help you get started with any project and you can use nearly all of the features for free! They do have paid plans starting at $8 a month that give you some extra benefits such as exporting as a PDF or having synchronized databases, but I have not run into anything I can’t do as of yet with their free plan as a solopreneur.

Notion also has the capability to collaborate on a team. However, there is a limit to the number of team members on their free plan. As a solopreneur, you likely wouldn’t need the additional team member spaces, but larger companies and organizations might. If you are a student or educator, you can get their Plus plan for free (limit 1 user) if you use your school email!

Journey Journal App

Journey is a great app if you are just getting started in journaling or need some fresh prompts to change things up! One of the big features that I enjoy about Journey is its Coaching plans. If you are just getting started with journaling, these plans can help you get into the rhythm of it. Designed to provoke deep thought, their plans help you see things in a different light. Most of their coaching plans are a part of their paid program, but they do have some available for free.

While Journey is more of a journaling app, it has built-in features allowing you to write blogs or articles for your website without ever leaving the app! Built with numerous integrations, you can send a post to be published directly to places like WordPress and Zapier. Not only that, the app comes equipped with geotagging and markdown editing so you can create either a memorable journey entry or a clear and organized blog post!

OneNote

Personally, OneNote is not my favorite for many reasons, however, it is easy to sync with all of your Microsoft Products. This can be very useful if you are using Microsoft Word or Outlook for other business practices and want to easily create a document or email from your notes.
One thing I do like about OneNote is they have one of the best voice-to-text applications that I have used. You can easily take a moment to think without having to turn your microphone back on when you are ready to start speaking again. For someone with ADHD, this is a huge benefit as I don’t have to risk forgetting my thought process while taking that moment to turn the listening mode back on.

If you can dream it, you can do it. -Walt Disney

This list is far from being an extensive list of all the neat tools that I have used, but it is the most beneficial one that I have found. Hopefully, it helps you get a step in the right direction.

Do you have one that you absolutely love? Tell us about it in the comments!

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