Tools for entrepreneurs to get 2019 off to a great start

Gone are the days of needing a well-organized file cabinet, a stack of business cards, and pre-printed contracts to show how prepped you are for business success.

Today’s brands need to be organized, connected and producing no matter if they are in the office, working from home, have a team, doing it solo or working from the road. The best tools for savvy entrepreneurs blend functionality, connectivity, and are just as good on any device from the desktop to the laptop and of course our beloved mobile devices.

No matter if you need to send a contract, create a social media post, or keep your team working whether they are near or far — here are the must have tools for 2019 from the Season 2 cast of hit reality show Fix My Brand With Ali Craig, on Apple TV’s Brandpreneur Network.

Ali Craig
Fix My Brand with Ali Craig

Virtual teams, virtual clients, virtual products, and virtual marketing — the lack of tangibility makes it even more of a challenge to stay organized and productive especially for a growing brand that has to be just as profitable on the road as it is in the office. There have been many organization, productivity, schedules, and storage systems on the market for years, but I have always found their limitations (and fast). Meet Teamwork.

Task management, file organization, direct message feature similar to Slack, project calendars, and notebooks that take all of those post-it notes and puts all of your ideas in one neat place — Teamwork is a godsend and I have not found its limitation yet.

So say goodbye to missing files, workflows, contact information, dates, to-dos, and anything else that is falling through the cracks when it comes to your business. Teamwork helps me manage my 12 businesses, 20+ projects, and countless clients from eproduct lead to branding VIP.

Cassandra Shepard
Driven Girl

Who needs another email? Not me! And not my clients. So we use Voxer, the walkie-talkie app that allows you to simply press a button and send an instant, encrypted voice message that can be listened to in the moment or later when it’s convenient. The power of hearing someone’s voice and being able to keep projects moving forward in between meetings is a real game changer for those of us who work globally. 

Lisa Rehurek
RFP Success Company

We up-leveled our use of Insightly to help us manage leads, clients, referral partners, not to mention to help us better track our wins and our client’s wins. All our data is in one place, up-to-date, so we know where we are and what we’re working towards.

Sylvia Becker-Hill 
Becker-Hill Women’s Empowerment School

Shooting a lot of videos for different social-media platforms I found a ring light to clip onto my iPhone. It solved lighting issues I had struggled with for years! My face can be beautifully lit no matter how dark the place is I’m filming in.

Talmar Anderson
Boss Actions

I love Slack! It cuts through the email mass, can be turned off easier than texts and gives me context depending upon which group has a notifications alert.  If my Boss members have a question, I automatically get pinged where my own marketing team may have to wait until calendared time to get my attention.
 
 

Gina Bell
MoonRoot Spirit

LogoLicious and Wordswag are two Android apps that have helped me to grow my social media accounts. They are so easy to use and allow anything being shared to be labeled with my information. My logo is my new brand name and labeling my social media content is incredibly important to the growth of my online presence

Dr. Megan Todd
Generate Work That Matters

In 2018, I have learned so much about the power of collaboration, on taking risks, on what it means to be surrounded by strong and passionate people who are ready to  show up in both big and small ways to do what needs to be done to take their work into the world. I have Mz. Ali Craig brandpreneur extraordinaire to thank for many of these moments! In 2019, I am thrilled to expand and deepen the networks of collaborators, co-conspirators, people and businesses who are ready to show up, take action and make their visions into realities. Together we can transform the world into a more loving, just and equitable place for all beings.

Ali Craig is an international consultant, speaker, three-time best-selling author, television host, and brand strategist. Having worked with everyone from industry titans to underdogs, Ali has found that her passion lies in helping small brands take action to make large ideas doable and create an influential brand that shines. With 20 years of branding experience, Ali shares her knowledge across international stages, with national media audiences, and on her television show, Fix My Brand With Ali Craig.®