Something for the girls who get that they have to get it. The girls that chase the bag while making their own path. It’s not always easy to find all the cheat codes and resources that make your success story a bit sweeter. Who really wants to struggle to get to where they need to be? NOBODY. It’s just inevitable a lot of the time, especially when you are a minority woman.
Let’s spread some start-up resources. Comment below some resources and/or platforms you use that are crucial to starting up in your industry. I’ll get us started. Below are a couple of resources that you can use to
Financial Resources
Follow the money by utilizing tools that help you manage your money better.
IFundWomen - this platform is phenomenal in regards to financing your business. Whether you need to cover startup fees, fund an international move, or simply get new equipment - you can crowdfund here! Crowdfunding can be fruitful when you go about it in a smart and strategic fashion. They have a lot of video coaching and blog posts and walkthroughs that make crowdfunding easy. They also send out grants like 3x a week!
WaveApps - When I bring up WaveApps I get taken back to 2017 when I first started my photography services. It was so easy to send people invoices and collect their information to reach out later. I saw how much money was coming in and out of my account along with how much of that was from my freelancing vs my day job. I love that you get a lot of real time updates and assistance from staff as needed. If you’re freelancing online or in person, vending products even, use Wave it’s so convenient and easy to use.
The Penny Hoarder - Check out this site to learn about investing, saving, getting out of debt, building credit, buying homes, etc. All of the money management related information you could ever need is here.
E-commerce Success Resources
Start reading through NOW The website that will give you the what’s what about creating copy, how to track analytics, make business plans, sales funnels, you name it. Keep your pen and paper out as you go through this one!
Strategy Documentation Tips - tracking success
In case of an emergency you should be able to easily access and secure all of your important information.
Google's G Suite - It’s Microsoft Office but with a cloud thats attached to the most used search engine with a business promoting features. Keep your business plan engagement strategies and other information and content here.
Bonus points for also using Google Business which gives you a step by step walk through of how to get your business recognized and optimized through google searches!
Notion - If you don’t want to use google office I suggest Notion next. I love that they have templates that are their own trendy version of Microsoft office along with other templates designated to students, business owners, lifestyle planners/professionals, and more. It’s visually attractive and that makes working more pleasurable. Here's a youtube video showing you how to use notion.
Zenpen - Great for taking quick notes without any distractions. If you use the same browser on the same computer you will be able to retrieve your notes no matter how many days you return. Even if you shut your computer down multiple times.
Motivational Resources
Follow content creators that can give you a real life perspective, transparency, and longterm resources. I’m a visual learner and I like to watch a lot of videos. I can digest long worded documents and read but why not support local creators and engage with community? Heres some content creator platforms I like:
Her Aesthetic - This team is a one-stop-shop for success and on the rare occasion I am actually scrolling through instagram, there is no page that captures my attention and motivates me to powerhouse through my day like the @heraestheticc account. They offer branding consulting, graphic design, public relations, and social media management. I love a start up jawn, spreading the ins and out of the industry while offering immediate assistance and results!
Erin On Demand - Highly accredited in her field and her Erin has so much rich information to use when you are in the online ecommerce side of things while keeping it fun, personable, and lifestyle influencing. I enjoyed using the methods she teaches for consistency and productivity.
Cherishing Flo Media - I just found her on twitter and no lie, I read through her blog for about 30-45 minutes. I was locked in and inspired. It’s nice to see someone on a similar journey to the one that I am on and I will be continuing to stay posted - my favorite post explored depression and entrepreneurship. These two words don’t often go hand in hand and the online content can sometimes be filled with toxic positivity. This post here provides a new perspective on the mental health of entrepreneurs.
And that's a wrap. I posted this on twitter but there are definitely a couple of additional resources in here that I love a lot and a more in depth explanation.
Make sure to leave a comment [yes you must hit the login/sign up button to do so] sharing some resources you know of and swear by. Also, plug your businesses and online platforms so we can show love to one another.