Five tech tools I use to create ease in my unbound business

I know that you have AMAZING gifts to share with the world, unbound one, but do you struggle with the tech-side of doing this?

If you do, you’re like many of the women in the unbound community who are frustrated and feeling left-behind when it comes to setting up the ‘behind-the-scenes’ systems in their businesses. 

Your very nature means that you see the big picture, you want to feel free, connected and creative (not tied to a desk trying to get your online booking system to work or setting up an email list).

Over ten years of being in business, I’ve experimented with MANY of the tech tools are out there. I’ve hired people to help me, consumed buckets of content to try and find the best way for me and done programs like B-School which have a big focus on setting up powerful behind-the-scenes systems.

After all that I’ve found some tools that I love using. They feel simple for me and work well together when they need to. Although as an unbound woman I can resist structure, having systems like this in place frees me up to live more fully from my gift AND it makes it easy for my community to connect with me.

I’m sharing them with you here to give you a starting point. You certainly don’t need all (or any!) of these tools in place to have a successful online business and I encourage you to try things out and see what works for you.

Here are my top five tech tools: 

(Note: I’ve included my personal referral links where I have them, so I may receive a small commission if you choose to start using one of the tools I’m sharing. Please know, I would recommend each of these regardless of that).

CRM System (Customer Relationship Management): Active Campaign

After years of using Mailchimp, I switched to AC for storing client and audience details, eg name, email address and what products/resources people have signed up for. I also use it to send emails to my clients and unbound community, including my weekly newsletter and any messages related to specific products and resources.

I find AC pretty intuitive to use and more flexible than Mailchimp.

The monthly fee depends on the number of contacts you have and starts at $9 per month. I use their Lite plan which is perfectly sufficient for what I need and easy to use, but if you need to go deeper, you can.

Find out more here.

Online Scheduling Tool: Calendly

I’ve tried different scheduling tools over the years, but settled on Calendly which works perfectly for me. I use this to schedule pretty much all my calls: client sessions, exploratory conversations with people who are interested in working with me, podcast interviews and connecting with potential co-creation partners.

Calendly syncs up with most online calendars (I use Google Calendar) so it will only book people in when you’re free and you can choose different availability options.

There’s a free account which you can use if you only want to schedule one type of call, but as I have a range of different call options, I use the Premium level which is $8 per month. (This also integrates with Zoom, so it will automatically set up a Zoom meeting when someone schedules a call).

Find out more here.

Online meetings and sessions: Zoom

I used to use Skype for online meetings and client sessions, but switched over to Zoom a few years ago, as it feels more stable and flexible for me.

I use Zoom for pretty much everything: 1:1 and group client calls, recording interviews and videos, exploratory calls, virtual coffee dates. Basically whenever I need to connect with someone virtually, it’s via Zoom.

You have the option to connect (and record) using audio-only or video and you can share your screen if necessary.

There’s a free plan (although with this, there’s a limit of 40 minutes for group meetings), but I use the Pro plan which is $14 per month. 

I sometimes add on the webinar option if I’m hosting a Masterclass. This is $40 per month for 100 attendees and you can add it and take it off at any time.

Find out more here.

Membership Site: MemberVault

Again, I’ve used various options over the years when it comes to hosting resources for my unbound community: directly on my website using a plug-in, Jigsawbox and Teachable. Then I found MemberVault and I felt like I’d come home!

This is a place where you can host all of your products and resources for clients and community members. When someone signs-up for one thing (either paid or free), they can explore your offerings and see everything you have available (rather than having to wait until you email them about it or share on social media).

You can ask reflective questions relating to each of your resources and connect more deeply with your community. It’s a wonderful way to create engagement and be of service.

Erin and Mike Kelly who have created MV are lovely and they have a wonderful sense of community. Their user Facebook group is a great place to share challenges and ask questions. 

Can you tell I love it? You can check out my account right here to see how it all works.

Unusually for a membership site, MV offer a free account, so you can try it out for yourself (this will be perfect for you if you have up to 50 members). I use the Base account and that costs $39 per month.

Find out more and start playing here.

Transcription/Captions Service: Rev

When I’m recording audios, videos or interviews, I very often get a transcription, as I know many people prefer to read content, rather than watch/listen. This also means that I can easily repurpose content (for example, converting a podcast interview into a blog post).

I also get captions for any videos I share on Facebook as a lot of people prefer (or have to) watch with the sound off. (Facebook will give you the option to generate captions automatically when you click on Edit Video, but these are not always that accurate!)

I use Rev for anything like this. You just upload your video or audio and they charge $1 per minute to transcribe it. (They now also have an automated service for a rough draft and that’s only 10c per minute). You usually get your files back within 24 hours and often sooner.

Click here to find out more here and get $10 off your first order. 

So, that’s the five main tech tools I’m using right now. What’s YOUR next step when it comes to creating more ease in your business? Comment below and let me know.

Bonus Tip: Even if don’t feel you’re ready to work with a Virtual Assistant on an ongoing basis, if you’re getting started with putting systems in place or working with a new tool, it can be a great idea to hire someone for a few hours to help set everything up and show you how to use things in the most effective way. Believe me, this can save you LOTS of time and energy at a relatively low cost.

If you want to reach more people with your magic in the most ease-ful and impactful way, check out my brand new conscious visibility mastermind for writers, coaches and healers: GLOW. You can see all the details and join us here.