Over the years, I’ve experimented with a lot of tools to organize and streamline my business and work with clients. The ones listed here are my favorites (or ones that come highly recommended by friends).
In the spirit of full disclosure, some products mentioned on this page may be affiliate links, which means if you click on them to purchase I may receive a small commission or other compensation. You will not pay more for buying a product through this link. In fact, sometimes I’m able to offer special promotions to readers. I’m disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations regarding endorsements. Thanks for your support!
Marlys
Before I break the tools down by category, I have to mention my go-to source for discovering new software tools: AppSumo. In fact, many of the tools listed below I purchased during their “no-brainer” lifetime deal offers.
Organizing & Productivity
- TidyCal – Calendar booking tool
- Trello – Manage projects & tasks
- Slack – Manage projects & teams
- Plutio – Manage projects, tasks, invoices, and more (my personal favorite!)
- pCloud – File storage and sharing service (try it out with a generous free plan)
- Evernote – Organize all your notes in one place
- ClickUp – Free project, doc, & time management
- AirTable – Part spreadsheet, part database (good for teams)
- OneTab – Too many browser tabs open? This free plugin organizes & archives them for you.
Note: If you’d like to have a free PDF chart that shows a comparison of Project Management Tools, simply click here to request it.
Conferencing
- Free Conference Call – Audio and video conferencing, plus screen sharing; also international dial-in numbers
- Free Conference Calling – Host calls of up to 1000 with the option to record
- GoBrunch – Tired of doing meetings in a boring tool? Here’s a fun alternative! You can even set up an “always-on” conference room for remote staff to gather at a moment’s notice.
- StreamYard – This is the streaming tool I use to broadcast our weekly Virtual Lunch. (My referral link gets you a $10 credit.)
- You may notice a current popular option is not listed here. That’s because I don’t recommend it, especially in light of previous security issues. If your organization insists you use it, here are important tips for how to improve the safety and security of Zoom calls.
Time Management
- RescueTime – Track your time spent automatically; free & paid plans
- Forest – Stay focused, plant a tree
CRM System
- SuiteDash – I’ve tried a lot of CRM systems over the years, and this is the most all-around solution I’ve found so far. It also serves as a client portal where you can share files, track billable time, send proposals or contracts and more.
- HubSpot – Their free version includes basic tools for sales and marketing, but if you want more you’ll need to upgrade to their paid plan.
Webinars & Virtual Summits
- WebinarJam – If you’ve been on any of my webinars, you’ve seen this in action!
- WebinarNinja – Another great webinar option
- HeySummit – Virtual summit management tool (speakers, sponsors, marketing & more)
- Eventee – While this started as a basic event app, it’s now evolved into a virtual event hub with session interaction, sponsor tools, matchmaking and more. And if you have a small event (less than 100 attendees), you can try it out for free.
- Airmeet – A great option if you want your virtual event to combine education sessions, small-group discussions, and exhibits. But it’s the networking ‘tables’ that are my favorite feature! (They also have a free option for public events with less than 100 attendees.)
- LOVO Studio – Create AI voiceovers or text-to-speech with dozens of realistic-sounding voices in multiple accents & languages.
- HappyScribe – Create transcripts and/or subtitles for your conference sessions & events, using either AI or professional transcribers. (It’s what I use for Trade Show Insights episode transcripts.)
- Virtual Event Success Kit – Take advantage of this collection of robust planning tools I created just for you!
Note: If you would like help setting up your virtual events, I can work with you as a virtual event concierge, moderator, or emcee. Please contact me for details.
