Intro
So today we are going to look over some of the software that I use mainly for my business. Some of these are free and others I have purchased, to clarify this is not sponsored by any of the companies, nor will it be a review of the software but just to give you insight into what is being used.
SquareSpace
We will start with the website, I am using SquareSpace as the platform, for me it’s easy to use, price per year has been competitive and it allows me to update the website when I see fit and I don’t need to rely on an agency to make any updates for me.
Davinci Resolve
So seeing as I am running a content creation business the main editing software is Davinci resolve studio, I used the free version for a long time, but recently purchased the studio version after working on a wedding a little while back. For me this is fantastic, it offers everything I need in one location, and I’ve been really happy with the performance.
Frame.IO
Now demoing the content to the client, I have been using Frame.IO, for me this is a great way to show your video to the client without having to give them the actual file to review, and allows the client to comment or annotate the parts they like to change which will have the time stamp set, which makes it easier for myself and the customer to communicate effectively. Presently I am using the free plan, which means there are restrictions with storage, which I think is around 2GB and you can only have 2 projects on the go at any given time. What I have done is create one project which is my business name, and I have sub folders which are associated with my customers, and I manage it that way.
Google drive
Delivering the actual content, I am using google drive for now. I will probably move to Frame.IO in the future but Google Drive is cheaper, so I’m just sticking with this for now. Now you can do this with Frame.IO but to remove the file size restrictions you need to upgrade the plan.
Now I am using the google drive 200 GB plan, which is around £2.50, this is fine for what I am doing right now because I am only ever delivering the final product and not the full project. I have yet to be asked to deliver all the raw files.
CRM
For managing my clients I’m using Hubspot, I am using the free portion of this CRM, which allows me basic access to such items as managing contacts, sending emails which is connected to my business Gmail, create notes, tasks, and schedule meetings. All the basic things that you need to just help manage your clients.
Proposify
Now sending proposals to customers, I am using Proposify, So this I found through Flash film academy, and he mentions this a lot, so I thought I would take a look myself. Now this allows you to send proposal to customers, but you can add your services or packages. Now what I do is to have a pre-discussion with the client, I will send the proposal which has the items checked so they can review what we have talked about.
It also includes additional items that are either up sells or different services we provide that the client didn’t think about the time. The client can pick and choose what they want based on the budget they have, so it offers them great flexibility. In the proposal I also have my contract. This saves the hassle of doing this in two stints which allows me to streamline the process.
I’m in the early days of using this, and again using the free portion, so if this pans then I will look at the upgrade options.
Bokio
So to manage my financials, I am using Bokio, again using the free portion of this service, It allows me to register all my incomes, outgoings, and expenses, this is important because sometimes we forget just how much we invest into starting the business, we think that just because we have funds coming in that things are great, when you look at your actual financials, you can see if you are breaking even, if you are falling short or you are just spending more money than what actually comes in. You need to get into the habit of doing this as soon as you start your business.
Conclusion
And that’s it, this is not an in-depth review of any of these pieces of software, like I said earlier they just offer a little insight into what you guys may need to help get started. There are multiple different options for each of the topics we briefly touched upon but its important you know that there are options out there.
At the end of the day, you are trying to put in processes that allow you to streamline your work, and help your customer or client in the best and most consistent way. By doing this, it allows to look back at the customer journey and enables you to assess, what arrears could do with improving and make plans to put these improvements in place.