(This blog post has been updated since it was first posted. It contains affiliate links—if you click a link and make a purchase, I may get a small percentage of that, at no extra cost to you.)
So many people have asked me, "How do you do it, Amy? There is no way I could do what you do! It's too much!" that I have decided to let you in on my secrets. The biggest secret of all is:
I don't do it all.
Who possibly could? It's madness to work full time and have a full time business, too. Hiring my husband several years ago helped out tremendously. So that's the big thing--I don't do everything myself; there are two of us. I still have a ridiculous amount of things to do, however. How do I manage everything?
I use technology. Here are the 3 tools I use to run my business life:
1. My iPhone. I use this thing for my entire life. Most of the time I use the Siri feature to set reminders for myself. A least once per day, and up to 5 times per day, I tell Siri to remind me to: pack the soap orders when I get home; respond to that email about a thing; pick up groceries after work; mail the soap orders on the way home. I dictate text messages into it. It goes on and on. I remind myself to eat lunch, sometimes. When vending, I use it to take photos for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter promotions, as well as for blog posts. I also use it to take credit card payments when vending. If you don't have a smartphone of some sort, you should click here to get one yesterday. I have no idea how people live without them.
2. ConvertKit (Update: I used to say a different system, but I have since switched to ConvertKit and I ADORE IT OMG).
I love this newsletter interface! They make it super easy to compose newsletters that look professional and put-together. You can add logos, do drip campaigns, collect email addresses, create landing pages to collect email addresses, and all of it can be automated. I often pre-write emails and schedule them to be sent at a later date. Easy! You can click here to sign up with ConvertKit.
3. iPage. iPage really does make having a website easy, and I speak from experience. I had my soap website, soapcrone.com, built from scratch in the beginning. My friend who did it listened to me when I said I wanted to be able to update the site myself, as that is imperative for anyone who have inventory that might sell out. He built it for me, but it was never very easy or intuitive. I learned how to use it quickly, of course, but it was kind of bulky. And after a while, the design of it looked outdated.
The apps within iPage, which are drag-and-drop, make building a website an absolute breeze. So much has changed since that first website back in 2004! I can do everything I used to do, and much, much more. It's still important to me that I can update my website anytime--and I use this tool daily. Click here to get your own iPage account for your website.
4. Drug addiction. I drink a lot of coffee. Oh, I said 3 things. Let's forget this one was even put here, shall we?
Making sure things are happening fast and efficiently is very, very important. What are your favorite tools to increase your speed and productivity?
Are you getting ready to start your handmade business? Click here to get some help from Amy! She will show you how to turn your business legit, step-by-step. Yes, she will hold your hand as needed!