These are our top 7 productivity tools for rocking your online business for entrepreneurs.

Being an entrepreneur usually starts with taking on several roles. From accounting to marketing, it all can get overwhelming. But, with the right systems in place you can stay focused and get the work done so you can get back to living the lifestyle you desire! We wanted to share with you 7 productivity tools we use in business. We talk about why we switched from one to another and our reasons why. Let’s get to it!

SiteGround – Web Hosting vs. GoDaddy (Various Prices)
Ever since we made the switch to SiteGround, we haven’t turned back. We’ve worked with several web hosting companies and eventually left the notoriously unhelpful GoDaddy. It’s crazy because the best part about SiteGround IS their customer service. I feel as though I am talking to a friend every time I reach out to them on the Chat Support and it is ALWAYS easy. They don’t leave you hanging, they walk you through it & they give you ideas on what will help if they can’t. It’s such a great experience!

Now, aside from great customer service, the products are great. For us, we use them for hosting all our clients websites, all of our own and have never had a problem. Of course, things can go wrong in the www, but I feel safe knowing I am in the hands of SiteGround.

Acuity Scheduling vs. Calendly
We began 2016 using Calendly and everything was fine. Since we have made the move to Acuity we haven’t looked back. Acuity integrates my several calendars, offers several appointment options, enough customization and is seamless. They confirm and remind others of appointments as well which is great. Totally love using them and it has helped us in setting appointments all year.

Asana vs. Basecamp
When I first implemented using Basecamp for all projects, it was great. I was introduced to it through working with others and once I started using it for my own clients, it was great. Honestly, the UI (user interface) of it wasn’t my thing. So, just like that we made the switch to Asana and it fits us so much better. I enjoy sharing tasks with clients and letting them see deadlines. We have separate projects for in-house that the client can’t see. I would say I miss that about Basecamp, because with a simple click of a checkbox you can hide a conversation from the client. Nothing shady going on, it just can get overwhelming to share all tasks with clients and other tasks we can figure out without involving the client.

G Suite vs. Web Host Email
One caveat I had with SiteGround initially was the email situation. I didn’t explore getting email from another provider…until I had to. Unfortunately my emails were getting sent back and I was missing out on opportunities and clients feedback. So, I looked into Gmail for Business. It was perfect! You do have to pay per email address, so chose them wisely, but space was no longer an issue. Again, of course, SiteGround helped me figure out all the back-end & never missed a beat through the transition. Now, I recommend this for all our clients. Google Apps for Business is a whole new world that is only growing. Google is now looking into offering hosting! We will see!

Use this referral code & get 20% off your first year of G Suite when you sign up using this promotion code: A34MMNTMUGD73CD

ConvertKit –
When you get serious about growing an email list, you make the switch from MailChimp to ConvertKit, like I did. The main thing I was looking for was automation and ability

CoSchedule –
Social media posts took a huge priority in our marketing strategy in 2016. Needing to wrangle all of them and have a set schedule in place for re-posting and posting on several accounts at one time became crucial. There are several tools out there to help you automate and schedule posts to several social media platforms, but always remember to choose wisely and show respect to the platform. No one likes to see messages simply being pushed out and not formatted for the platform they are viewing your posts on.

Hubstaff –
I started adding independent contractors to the team in 2016. I started searching for people on expected sites like Craigslist and some creative sites. But, once I landed on Upwork (previously O Desk), with suggestions from gurus like Tim Ferris, I felt like I hit the jackpot. However, Upwork was charging a lot off the top to me & the person I worked with. Not very cool in my book, but hey, that’s their business model. Once I started working with some amazing people, I offered to bring them over to Hubstaff. My experience with this one is fairly recent since we just made the switch. But now I can pay peeps via Paypal and ALSO have time tracking and screen shot capture of the work they are doing. Screen capture was one of the coolest parts of Upwork, but now it’s on Hubstaff. Love using this one!

What are some of your favorite tools to use in your business? Do you use any of these?

Monica Garrett