We just read an amazing article courtesy of Neil Patel (named a top 10 marketer by Forbes), and immediately thought of all our colleagues in the Niche Nation.
In the article, Neil talks about “bootstrap companies” – companies that grow through the dedication of their founders, rather than through the cash flow from investors. These companies keep things lean and costs low, and focus on sales, cash flow, and profit. Sound familiar? Most specialty-topic publishers and event producers out there are definitely boostrappers!
When you’re a bootstrapper, expensive digital tools, no matter how helpful, are just not an option. Fortunately, Neil gathered an extensive list of free or affordable digital tools that can maximize your business and keep cash flow positive. Sounds good!
We chose our top four tools out of Neil’s list as a quick summary for you, but urge you to read the full blog on Neil’s website. The options and ideas are extensive, and could make a huge difference to your business this year.
Niche Media Events: Top Tools Favorites
- Project Management Tools: Trello
The power of a centralized, online list of projects to keep everyone on track beats random Excel sheets anytime. The free version offers 10 “boards” per team, unlimited “cards” (tasks), and 10MB per file attachment. - Website Creation Tools: WordPress
The granddaddy of them all, but still super powerful with robust plugins to fit nearly any business model. Typically a low learning curve as well. Their cheapest plan is $4 per month and includes free domain hosting for a year, no WordPress ads, and free email support. - Design Tools: Canva
We love Canva! Perfect for teams without professional design on tap. There is a free version, but for less than $15 per month you can access premium custom templates and fonts, background remover, and more. One of the best tools for fast social media image and graphics creation, and you can post directly to social channels if you link your accounts. - Team Communication Tools: Microsoft Teams
Instead of stacking up quick questions and project updates into your inbox, MS Teams easily lets team members use instant chat channels, hold video meetings, share their screens, and more. If you’re using Microsoft products already, you have Teams in your toolbox. (We might even like it more than Zoom.)
Neil’s full blog on bootstrapper tools is a must read. Keep it up out there!
Photo by Susan Holt Simpson on Unsplash
