Are you ready to take your side hustle to the next level? Whether you’re an experienced freelancer or a newbie, there are certain tools and resources that can help you take your side hustle from barely surviving to thriving. It doesn’t matter if you’re a web designer, a freelance writer, or a virtual assistant; there is no shortage of helpful tools for launching and growing your chosen side hustle. Let’s take a look at 8 of the best tools for taking your side hustle from good to great.
To start with, I’ve divided most of these tools into three main categories; tools you’ll need for idea generation and brainstorming, tools you’ll need to monitor the productivity of you and your team members, and tools you’ll need to help with content generation.
Tools for Idea Generation & Brainstorming – When it comes to starting a side hustle, the key is having a great idea. Whether it’s an app, a service, or something totally different, having the right idea can be the difference between success and failure. Before launching any side hustle, it’s important to have an idea of what kind of business you want.
Whether it’s selling crafts on Etsy or doing freelance work as a web designer, having an idea and focus helps guide your efforts and keep you motivated. To help you come up with ideas, here are some tools that can help you brainstorm and generate new ideas: MindMup, Imagination Cubes, IdeaFlip, and Aha!.
Tools for Productivity – Now that you have your idea down on paper (or computer), it’s time to turn it into reality. A side hustle requires an investment of time and energy, so it’s important to keep track of how much time you’re spending on various tasks. Time tracking tools allow you to monitor the progress of yourself and your team and manage their workload efficiently.
To do this, you need tools that will help keep you organized and productive. Here are some of our favorites: Trello, Asana, Todoist, Google Calendar, Evernote, and Pocket, Hootsuite (Schedule social media content).
Tools for Creating Content – Content creation is key when it comes to running a successful side hustle. Whether it’s creating content for social media or writing blog posts or articles for your website, these tools can help make things easier: Canva, Adobe Spark Post App (for creating visuals), WordPress (for blogging), Hootsuite (for managing social media accounts), PayPal (Secure online payments), Dropbox (Store side hustle documents in the cloud).
Tools for Promoting your Side Hustle – Setting up social media accounts can be a great way to promote your side hustle and reach a wider audience. Choose the networks that are most applicable to your side hustle and use them to market your services, share helpful content, and engage with potential customers. Having a website for your side hustle is also an essential tool for promoting your business online and reaching more customers.
With a website, you can display information about what you offer, showcase past projects, and create a portfolio of work that prospective clients can view. Some of our favorites include; Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, MailChimp (Send newsletters, promotions, and more to readers).
Now let’s discuss the benefits of these tools and the advantages they bring to your side hustle;
- Slack – Slack is an amazing communication platform that allows you to keep in touch with clients, colleagues, and other professionals in the field. You can create different channels for different topics, share files, and even set up automated messages so that you don’t have to manually respond every time someone has a question or comment.
- Trello – Trello is a project management tool that helps you stay organized with all of your projects. You can create lists and cards to keep track of tasks, assign them to team members (or yourself!), and move them along as they get completed. It’s also great for collaborating with others on projects since it allows multiple users to access the same boards and lists.
- Zoom – Zoom is a video-conferencing tool that makes it easier than ever to connect with clients around the world in real time. You can use Zoom for virtual meetings, interviews, webinars, presentations, and more—all without leaving your home office! Plus, it integrates seamlessly with other popular business applications like Slack and Trello so everything can be done from one place.
- Wave Accounting – Wave Accounting is an easy-to-use accounting software designed specifically for small businesses (or side hustles). With Wave Accounting you can easily manage expenses, track invoices, handle payroll tasks such as tax filing, and more—all from one place! Plus, it comes with support from knowledgeable experts who are available 24/7 if something goes wrong or if you have any questions about how best to use its features.
- Evernote – Evernote is an incredibly powerful note-taking app that will help keep all of your ideas organized in one place. You can store notes on anything from personal tasks like grocery lists to professional ones like client briefs or website copy ideas—and easily access them anywhere using any device!
- Google Analytics & Google Search Console – If you want potential customers to find your website online then these two tools are essential! Google Analytics tracks website performance while Google Search Console lets webmasters submit their content directly into Google search results—so anyone looking for what you have to offer will be able to find it quickly and easily!
Other popular tools include Hootsuite (social media management), MailChimp (email marketing), Canva (graphic design), Dropbox (file sharing), Asana (project management), FreshBooks (accounting software) QuickBooks Online (accounting software), WordPress (website builder) Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (graphic design suite), etc… The list goes on!
There are so many helpful tools out there tailored specifically for entrepreneurs looking to grow their side hustles—so make sure you do some research about the ones that would suit your needs best before making any purchases or committing to long-term contracts!
Starting a side hustle can be intimidating but with the right tools at hand, it doesn’t have to be daunting. With the right idea generation tools like MindMup and Aha!, productivity tools like Asana and Trello; as well as content creation tools like Canva and WordPress; there’s no limit to how successful your side hustle can be!
