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Today I’m talking all about the top 10 tools and services I have found to be must-haves for me as a new entrepreneur. I know some of you have asked me about how I record this podcast, who takes my pictures, my website and so much more. Today, I’m answering some of those questions.  There has definitely been a learning curve with running my own business but here are some of the tools that have helped to flatten the curve for me.  Hopefully, you are able to pick up a few tools for your own arsenal. Let’s dive right in. TOOL #1:  1WordPress I built my website, serwaaadjeipelle.com, using the WordPress platform. It’s very user-friendly and with the power builder feature, you can simply drag and drop modules to build your site. If you’re trying to get fancy, there are so many online resources and free plugins that non-technical people like myself can use build a beautiful site. Like with any new tool, it takes some getting used to. But I will say that it becomes pretty intuitive the more you use it. The other great thing about Word Press is they have a free version you can use while you’re setting up your site. As always, there’s a catch with free versions. With the free version, you won’t be able to use your own custom domain name or upload templates you purchase on other sites. Right now, my website is a digital hub for my consulting business, any free resources I offer, the challenges I run, my blog and this podcast. The second app and actually the next 4 are tools I use for my podcast. TOOL #2: Calendly This is an automated scheduling software I use to schedule meeting times. Instead of going back and forth on availability via email, I include a custom link on my initial email correspondence asking guests to select a time that works best for them. If you’ve ever set up time for a free virtual coffee chat with me, you would have done it via the Calendly link on my website’s About Me page or on my social media profiles. A nice feature of the app is that it allows me to block off my calendar. So if you’re big on batching, you can narrow down your availability to a specific day or even time of the week. As you’ll see with many of these apps, there are free versions and paid versions for additional features.  TOOL #3: Garage Band for podcast editing This is the software I use to edit the podcast. And it comes free Apple phones and computers. You’ll hear this referred to as a digital audio workstation (DAW). So if you don’t have a MAC, feel free to search for a windows alternative like Audacity. For the actual recording part, I use a: Blue Yeti USB Microphone Headphones Knox Pop Filter to soften the thudding from B and P Sounds as you speak TOOL #4: Zoom I use Zoom to record all my interviews. The great thing about this tool is that it gives you a separate audio track for each speaker as well as a video file which I use for the clips you see on social media. This is also the tool I use for client meetings. Unlike Skype, they don’t have to remember the log in info for an account. Each meeting has a unique link that I share with whoever I’m meeting with. Some other features include screen sharing and having multiple people on the line. TOOL #5: Blubrry This is the tool I use to launch and push my podcast to iTunes and google podcasts. It has a really intuitive free plugin on WordPress that allows you to release your podcast episodes as media attached to a blog post. And the blog post is the show notes we use for the podcast. TOOL #6: Fiverr This is a service where you can get almost anything created for five dollars by creatives all over the world. I used this site to create the logo for my site and am currently looking for someone to create some specific graphics for me. I used this service to create the logo you see on my website. Of course, 5 dollars will only get you very basic services. Depending on what you need to be created, prices go up but I find they are still reasonable.