October is National Women’s Small Business Month and November is National Entrepreneurship Month. Entrepreneur, marketing consultant, small business advocate and host of the “Dear FoundHer…” podcast, Lindsay Pinchuk brought tips for building a business to Studio 512.
“There are two questions I’m often asked by entrepreneurs: ‘What do I need to run my business?’ and ‘How do I manage my time?’ So today we’re going to talk about both!”
Lindsay’s 5 (almost) free tools that every entrepreneur needs:
1. Social Media Handles: “Social media provides a free platform to get the word out about your business. Instagram functions as your business card these days, and using one other platform at least helps to repurpose and make the most of your content.”
2. Trello: “Trello is a visual tool for organizing your work and tasks into boards. It’s like having a whiteboard with sticky notes, but in a digital format. Each card on the board represents a task, and you can move them around, add checklists, labels, and due dates. Trello helps keep you on task.”
3. Google Workspace: “Google Workspace offers a suite of cloud-based productivity tools including Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, and more. While there are premium versions, the basic versions are free and offer a lot of functionality.”
4. Canva: “I couldn’t run my business without Canva. It’s like having access to a graphic designer at all times, plus it is how I am efficient at creating content for social media. Canva is a user-friendly graphic design tool that comes with a plethora of templates for social media posts, presentations, flyers, and more. It’s great for entrepreneurs who don’t have a background in design, but need to create professional-looking graphics.”
5. Mailchimp or Flodesk: “Every business should have an email service provider to collect emails. I love Flodesk for its ease of use; plans start at $19/month. Mailchimp offers a free plan for email marketing which allows entrepreneurs to send emails to a certain number of subscribers. It’s a great tool for building an email list and engaging with your audience.”
Lindsay’s 5 steps to managing your time as an entrepreneur:
1. Time Block. “Put everything on your calendar.”
2. Protect Your Calendar. “Don’t let people infringe on your appointments, even if you can move them.”
3. Ask for help. “Your team isn’t only your work team! Your team is made up of anyone who helps you: a housekeeper, Instacart, childcare. The question to ask yourself is ‘What resources can I utilize to make my life easier?'”
4. Set boundaries. “I mean it. Set boundaries with your clients and with your family.”
5. Learn how to say no. “The power of no goes a long way. When you learn how and when to say it, it frees up your time and offers opportunities for growth.”
For more from Lindsay Pinchuk, follow her on Instagram @lindsaypinchuk and catch her weekly podcast, “Dear FoundHer…” wherever you listen to podcasts.
