Tools I can’t live without in my business
By Kayleigh wouldn’t be able to run without a few key tools that I really really credit for its success. I am a true believer in paying for tools that overall benefit your business. I used to be like “NO WAY am I paying £60 a year for a scheduler” - but now I really fully realise how much easier these things make my business life. These are the tools I invest in to make By Kayleigh and KayleighKMUA the best they can be.
1) Asana
I am going to say, without a doubt, I could not run my business without this programme and honestly, I don’t know how I survived without it. And that is saying something! Asana is a work management software. I use this for my day to day running of my business, every day I log on and Asana will remind me of my tasks for the day. It takes about 1hour to set up properly, but it’s the best hour ever spent. You create “teams” (or in my words, to-do lists) and based on that, you can create a board or to do list for that team. It will then remind you on a daily basis of your tasks. My teams are things like “Etsy Orders” or “Launches”. I love the goal tracker. I put my yearly finance goals and Asana makes me update them monthly, keeping me SUPER on track. And sometimes - if you are super lucky, when you check off a task a unicorn will appear! For real!
2) Planoly/Meta Business Suite
I schedule all my socials, using Planoly. I pay for the paid programme, because I have multiple accounts that I like to schedule, but generally you can use the free one. Planoly schedules all my posts at the exact time I want them to go out and thus, keeps me super consistent on Instagram. I actually couldn't operate without this level of automation, it saves me unbelievable time and energy on Instagram so for me, this is so worth paying for. You can also see your grid and move around the posts to fit your specific aesthetic, the main reason I love Planoly so much over other schedulers. Plus this is a Instagram approved app, meaning you won’t get shadow banned for using third party software. (Since writing this, I have stopped using Planoly, mainly because of the expense to my business, and have switched over to Meta Business Suite. which works just as well, but is free! If you are looking for a more aesthetic and user friendly experience, go for Planoly!)
3) Squarespace
Squarespace is the very platform this website is built on. I have used a lot of website builders in the past and whilst I like Wix, I do love Squarespace just a tad more. Squarespace not only looks slicker, but it looks beautiful on mobile which is where Wix falls short. Squarespace has amazing functions for email newsletters (again trumping Wix) and has a pretty nifty appointment software, meaning you can take appointments online. Overall I think Squarespace is the place to start building a website, if you’re in it for the long haul. Definitely worth paying for. I also use this to host my membership, the Level Up Club. The capabilities on here are endless and seamless and they are always adding new features.
4) Calendly
Calendly is how I schedule a lot of my calls, mentoring, one on ones and trials. Put simply you integrate Calendly with your calendar, be it Google or Apple. You then add your availability rules (for me, I take calls from 12-5 when my brain is working more, or my trials, are just on Fridays). Once set up, you send a simple link to your clients, and they can book in via your availability. It syncs with your calendar, so the booking or call is placed into your calendar in real time, and also stops things like double booking or bookings happening around your placed “rules”. I have things set up like text reminders, and appointment reminders, but Calendly also do a pretty nifty free version.
5) Studio Ninja
I could not rave about SN more, this is my bridal booking system. It syncs to your contact form so the second you get a lead, they are placed into your booking system and your workflow. You can do amazing things like contract them, invoice them, quote them, and send them automated reminders at the click of a button. Honestly, this simple system alone saves me hours of bridal admin a week, and now it costs me simple seconds. It’s a little long to set up, but you can hire a VA to do that for you, which is what I did. Again, this stops things like double booking, late payments or even things like unsigned contracts, because SN keeps you up to speed on them all. truly, if you are looking to come out of your business admin, simplify it, automate it, and create an amazing system for your brides, THIS is a must get.
So those are my 5 must have tools and systems, but I have many more up my sleeve that help me in my business, from Chat GPT, to Stripe, to Canva. The list is endless, but these are definitely my top 5!