My quest for self-sufficiency continues and thanks to a new friend in Australia, met through a supportive Facebook group we both are members of, I found what could be an amazing tool and hopefully this is just the beginning.
When it comes to technology and all the “things” I need to build my online business one thing is continually repeated: think about what you need and what you want to do with it. Ummm so… I have a few ideas, but I don’t really know yet! And, importantly, this early on, with no earnings, I am on a budget though knowing I have to invest to earn.
A few things I realized might be helpful:
- A hosting site. The reason I purchased it- you’re reading my blog right now!
- A way for people to connect with me, enter Calendly which allows me to set up blocks of time people can book with me (right from my blog’s homepage!) and offers me the flexibility of how we connect (I offer them the opportunity to enter a phone number or request a Zoom call). The reason I purchased it: connect with others looking to grow and learn so we can collaborate! Future in mind: if I continue down the road of consultation opportunities, it is a ready-to-go booking system. BTW it works- I met Kay from Australia this way and have used it to schedule time with several others.
- Affiliate marketing options: ways for me to earn, at no cost to the buyer, commission on my recommendations. You see links on my site and in this blog. Amazon was a quick no-brainer but is so limited on the commission. I knew I had to learn more to make this a viable way to earn.
- Legal disclaimers: I created them using online generators like this one but I also registered to receive information on keeping things legal through a couple resources I found online through searches/ads that popped onto my screen. Additionally, I got the affiliate disclaimer content from Amazon itself and other blogs I’ve followed.
- Ways to invoice: I started with a free trial on Freshbooks, and now have a completely FREE account with Skynova. Two goals: have a consistent looking invoice with my “Daphne Reznik LLC” logo and track invoices sent/money received.
- Track everything in the world: I found Evernote. This gives me the ability to organize everything from screenshots to notes to ideas in folders and search for entries by keyword. OMG. Mind blown on how this has changed my life!
- Linktr.ee to put all the ways to connect with and follow me all on one link (side note: this is a huge help for Instagram, which allows only one URL on your profile- thanks Joyce from https://mosaicstarfish.com/.)
And the big one: my all-in-one I just started! GrooveFunnels. Click the link for way more info but essentially, I can do everything from creating landing pages to building an online course and setting up transactions to booking clients and building my affiliate marketing. Bonus: some of the best tutorials online I’ve seen. They are offering the basic membership for free, and that was what I intended to sign up for. However, I couldn’t resist the lifetime membership for just under $1400 which is for their highest level. When I broke it down (thanks again Joyce), the cost of Kajabi alone is $150/month for the cheapest plan (hosting and course creation included) and my purchase not only included that but so many other things that, purchasing multiple individual platforms and programs, would have monthly or annual fees. With a 30-day refund, I felt safe with this purchase but now know, 9 days in, I won’t be requesting it.
Of course, I will not discount the free webinars, downloadable guides and online courses offered by others who have stepped forward into entrepreneurship. I’ve gotten incredible information so far and know it’s likely I will be purchasing more in-depth info later but for now I’ve gotten a great start on learning everything from building my business Instagram account and learning how to collaborate on Pinterest boards with others that can bring value to FreeAt50 followers to writing style and grammar.
In the end, what is the most valuable tool in the toolkit? People. Collaborators. Colleagues in my new professional reality. So my final resource for this (beyond my current network of course!) is Facebook. The groups I’ve joined such as Newbies and Expert Bloggers Unite, Blogging Well With Pinterest, The Doers Way For Female Entrepreneurs and now Groove Digital Official, have been extremely active, and have given me the best learning platform I’ve used so far. It is seriously amazing, these groups you can find on Facebook. I hope that my Facebook group provides the valuable insight needed for any of you to continue on your path!
Love that you gave other platforms and connections to find help and support!
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I loved this post! My goal is to monetize my blog and utilize my affiliate marketing by the end of December and the points in your blog posts are so helpful! I’ll bookmark for me to easily access it later 🙂
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Awesome! I am hoping to be right there with you- and hoping GrooveFunnels will make it easier. Hit me up anytime to share ideas and learnings.
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Hey Daphne! One thing I see missing from your toolkit but when you’re ready for it I would get around to this one… is setting up your email client. I use MailChimp. It’s free if you have under 1000 subscribers (with some limited functionality). After that, you have to pay a monthly fee. There’s also SendInBlue, which I’ve used before as well. Something to think about as you grow!
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Thanks! That comes with GrooveFunnels 🙂
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This means I do not need to pay for Mailchimp 🙂
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This is a great help, I just clicked through some of the links in your post and gained more knowledge. I still have to sort out many things on my blog; this is a good starting point. Thank you for writing this article!
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You are so welcome! BTW please sign up for GrooveFunnels 1) it is free for life right now, but offers an upgrade. BUT it is FREE. 2) they have an amazing FB group!
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will do, thanks!
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I love this and need it so bad!!!! Thank you!
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I cannot stress the value I am just finding in the education with GrooveFunnels- absolutely sign up for free at least!
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Thanks! I too am setting all the things up slowly I need for my blog to be successful. Great ideas here. Something I know I need to do better at is planning out my next year. I am looking for resources for that if you have any ideas.
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Not yet- I am super new to it all! Writing from the heart, sharing what I can and learning the technology. Maybe soon I will have something on calendar strategy!
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Interested to hear how you like Groove Funnels!
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Thx! Use my my link per message below (I accidentally posted separately instead of as a reply).
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Thx! Use my link for the free version (lifetime) and check it out. They don’t even take your credit card for that level and you can use it for a lot. Once beta ends it will start around $99/month.
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Yesss, I recently got put onto LinkTree and it is a life savor. I have never heard of GrooveFunnel so I will definitely check that out, thank you xxx
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Excellent! GrooveFunnels will be amazong. It is free right now as they are in Beta a few more weeks!
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“amazing” – iphone fail!
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This is a great list of resources to help build up your blog. It does take time to learn what you need but this list is a really good start and I’m sure over time you may discover other ones to add or that some of these you may use less. I hadn’t heard of GrooveFunnels before, I will have to check them out and see if it’s something I should add.
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Thx! YES- GrooveFunnels is free right now so just do it. Worst case scenario you just choose not to do any of the programs in it. Best case, you cancel/don’t purchase other subscriptions. I will switch over Calendly most likely as an example.
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This is an interesting blogging tool kit and guide! You’ve listed a comprehensive set of helpful tools.
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I know I will discover more but I am feeling pretty good with what I have set up!
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There is SO much that goes into blogging. Frazzled is such an accurate description. The deeper I get the more layers peel back.
Nathalia | NathaliaFit – Fitness & Wellness Blog
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Right!? The more I learn…
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I also used linktre. Is an amazing tool. I also signed up in a lot of Facebook groups. I’m not using just 5, but they are helpful ❤️
I will have a deeper look into the links you mentioned. Made me curious 🤔
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There is really so much out there right? A lot to think about and test.
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This is so helpful, I am new to blogging so really appreciate posts like this for growing my knowledge!
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Frazzled is a great word! New to blogging and every time I solve one issue, 3 more pop up that I would have never even thought of haha but I’m learning new stuff everyday at the very least. When I get overwhelmed or discouraged, I just think of what my blog looked like in sept and how much more I have on it today. Great post with great resources and very positive! 🙂
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Great post! I need to check out Evernote. I have heard of it, but never looked into it.
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I love it!
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