This post is a follow up to the post we published yesterday, 10 blogs that every freelance writer should be reading.

Spyre Studios

One of my personal favorite design blogs, not only because I write for it on a regular basis but because it’s always pumping out awesome resources, freebies, tutorials & inspiration for designers. If you’re not subscribed to the RSS feed yet, you’re definitely missing out.

Favorite Posts

• How to create a sexy vertical sliding panel using jquery and css3
• 18 do’s and don’ts of usability on the web
• How to juggle multiple projects and clients without going crazy

Six Revisions

Another design blog that is only my daily “to read” list, Six Revisions has been a staple in the design community for years, supplying us with awesome tutorials, inspiration and freebies. Nothing but top notch articles from this site, so make sure you’re subscribed and keep an eye on it if you aren’t already.

Favorite Posts

• From nothing to something: The story of a self taught designer
• Anatomy of an effective product page design
• 6 essential things all freelancers should be doing

My Ink Blog

A design blog that regularly posts awesome content and also has monthly round ups of their favorite design related links from around the web, what more could you ask for? My Ink Blog is over 10,000 subscribers strong and for a very good reason – they post quality stuff!

Favorite Posts

• design a surreal ancient fantasy scene in Photoshop
• 100 Guerrilla marketing advertisements for your inspiration
• 5 things every freelance designer should do

Design Instruct

Run by the same guys who brought you Six Revisions, Design Instruct is a design blog that posts regular resources, freebies & super-duper-amazing tutorials.

Favorite Posts

• How to make a vibrant portfolio web design in Photoshop
• SleekSocial: Free icon pack
• Dealing with design critiques

1stwebdesigner

When people say quality over quantity, this is definitely a website that knows you can have quality and quantity. With regular updates (sometimes 2-3 posts a day), you’re going to get your feed readers flooded with awesomeness and you’ll love every minute of it.

Favorite Posts

• Design trends VS great design
• Improve your work flow: Photoshop cheat sheets and reference guides
• Top questions to help make designs that your clients will love

Line25

Building a solid reputation as an awesome blog where you can not only get inspiration & freebies, but also get tutorials on designing web layouts & then also turning those designed layouts into fully functional website (xhtml/css and/or WordPress themes), Line25 is a blog that would be on my ‘I can’t live without’ list.

Favorite Posts

• Create a clean modern website design in Photoshop
• 50 inspiring examples of minimalism in web design
• Create a dark navigation menu design with CSS

Vandelay Design

Another great blog for design inspiration, tutorials and awesome design resources, Vandelay Design has been around for years posting quality content for freelance designers to eat up. With their premier design section, they provide even more design resources which makes it one of the top ten design blogs on the web in my opinion.

Favorite Posts

• From leads to clients: Tips for increasing conversion rates
• Design Inspiration: Watercolor Effects
• Tutorial: Create an Adobe Illustrator Brush

Design M.ag

Another design blog run by the same people who put out Vandelay Design, you know they’re putting out awesome tutorials, freebies & design inspiration and resources. With their Photoshop brushes round ups, it’s a site that’ll be an endless source of resources for you.

Favorite Posts

• 500+ Texture Brushes: Creating Textures in Photoshop
• 40+ Inspirational non profit website designs
• 650 free Photoshop patterns

Speckyboy Design Magazine

Launching back in 2007, this is a website that’s been around for all of the trends and different changes in the design community and has consistently put out quality articles. If this list was in order of importance, this is a blog that’d be in the top three for me.

Favorite Posts

• Thoughts on why spec work is bad and why you shouldn’t do it
• 25 video tutorials for getting started in web design
• 50 free tools & apps for web designers and developers

Smashing Magazine

Quite possibly the godfather of design blogs, Smashing Magazine was (in my opinion) one of the big reasons why design blogs took off so well and was the leader in the industry, posting up tons of quality content on a regular basis and skyrocketing to the top of the heap. With books out and a network that’s growing every day, it’s definitely a blog you need to keep up with.

Favorite Posts

• Examining the design process: Clichés and idea generation
• Designing A Facebook Fan Page: Showcases, Tutorials, Resources
• Design and Build Email Newsletters Without Losing Your Mind (and Soul)

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Below you will find the list along with some information about each website and links to some of my favorite articles they’ve written – sort of a crash course overview of their awesomeness I hope you enjoy the list and find a few blogs that you don’t currently subscribe to.

Learn something new every day and you’ll always be smarter than you were the day before.

Write to Done

Started by the creator of Zen Habits, Leo Babauta built this blog into 20K+ subscribers and a wealth of knowledge for freelance writers to soak up.

Favorite Posts

• 31 ways to find inspiration for your writing
• Learn from the greats: 7 writing habits of amazing writers
• 10 steps to create the habit of writing

Copyblogger

A blog that I’m sure every writer under the sun is familiar with, Brian Clark has built a freelance writing blog that not only has over 130,000 subscribers but it also posts daily content that will have you rethinking pretty much everything you’ve ever written. Powerful stuff.

Favorite Posts

• Why No One Links to Your Best Posts (And What to Do About It)
• The 8 habits of highly effective bloggers
• 10 timeless persuasive writing techniques

Men With Pens

Started by James Chartrand, the pen name of the copywriter who started Men With Pens, it’s become a staple in the freelance writing industry, with tons of high quality information and in depth articles that don’t just skim the surface.

Favorite Posts

• Three ways writers evolve over time
• How to unblock your writing and create effortless words
• How to find your writing voice

Freelance Writing Jobs

Featured in our recent post about places to find freelance writing jobs, the Freelance Writing Jobs website is back on our lists again. Not only is it a great place to find work as a freelance writer, it’s also an awesome blog with tons of useful content for freelance writers to eat up.

Favorite Posts

• I’m a ghostwriter, get over it
• Be contract smart: 7 copyright terms to know
• Getting more work from your existing clients

Chris Brogan

The amount of writing Chris does on a daily basis is astounding. Article after article of high quality content on social media, business, etc. If I could only keep up with one blog, ever, this would be in the running as a blog I couldn’t live without reading.

Favorite Posts

• 40 ways to deliver killer blog content
• The writing practice
• You are in sales

Steve Pavlina

The tagline of this website fits perfectly – Personal Development for Smart People. It’s definitely a blog that’s geared towards people who don’t just skim articles but actually sit down and digest them, with a lot of the articles being between 2,000-4,000 words. However, Steve has an awesome writing style which makes it easy to read and it’s packed with amazing insight.

Favorite Posts

• How to discover your life purpose in about 20 minutes
• The law of attraction
• 33 rules to boost your productivity

Problogger

The go to source for everything blogging, Darren has built an empire out of his Problogger blog over the past five years. Writing every day for 5+ years, he’s built a loyal following – and a business. The knowledge you’ll pick up from the Problogger blog will not only help you if you’re blogging but it also translates well into advice for writing of any kind.

Favorite Posts

• Overcoming blogger fright
• 5 sales email myths that are costing you money
• 10 David Ogilvy quotes that could revolutionize your blogging

Daily Writing Tips

What’s in a name? Apparently with this blog, everything If you’d like to read daily writing tips, no matter what day it is, you’re in luck because Daily Writing Tips has been pumping out amazing content for almost four years straight and it doesn’t show any signs of stopping.

Favorite Posts

• Creative Writing 101
• 44 Resume writing tips
• 34 writing tips to write better

Writing White Papers

Michael Stelzner’s name should ring bells in most copywriter circles, and for good reason – he’s a genius with a pen. This is the blog he runs where he discusses white papers (some call them ebooks, I call them guides, etc) and he steadily streams awesome tips and tricks for being a better writer and marketer of your writing.

Favorite Posts

• Secret to writing success: visualize your reader
• 10 reasons to write your business book now
• Why the world is tuning out (and why you need to change)

Fuel Your Writing

As a part of the huge Fuel Network, Fuel Your Writing does a great job of providing you with regular reading material relating to all things writing. With everything from writing tips, tools and inspiration, you’re bound to find a lot of useful writing topics here.

Favorite Posts

• Don’t let the “B” word ruin your writing
• Power of words: The King’s Speech and Good Writing
• 10 ways to improve your writing

Got a candidate that we missed?

I know there’s freelance writers out there and maybe you blog and would like to have your blog featured in a list like this. Submit a comment below with some info about your blog (and a link), and who knows – maybe we’ll run a “top ten freelance writing blogs run by readers of Guerrilla Freelancing” post

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Invoicing Apps

• Invoice Machine – Online invoicing made beautiful
• Ronin – Online invoicing and time tracking
• FreshBooks – Online invoicing, time tracking & billing software
• Blinksale – The easiest way to send online invoices
• Billings – Professional time billing for anyone
• Invoicera – Online Billing and Invoicing Solution
• Ballpark – The better way to get paid
• Invoice Journal – We’re changing the way you send invoices
• MyClientBase – Free & Open Source invoice management
• Siwapp – Free online invoicing software

Project Management

• Basecamp – Projects manage themselves with Basecamp
• activeCollab – Project collaboration software
• ProjectPier – Easy (and free) online collaboration
• Collabtive – Open Source Collaboration
• FreelanceSuite – Freelance project management software
• Freedcamp – The free project management system
• Copper – The web’s best project management software
• GoPlan – The best way to collaborate with your peers
• OnStage – Online Workspace, Collaboration, & Project Management
• Wrike – Project management software

Time Tracking

• SlimTimer – Friends don’t let friends use timesheets
• Tick – Track Time – Hit Budgets
• Harvest – Simple online time tracking
• Klok – Free time tracking software
• RescueTime – When you’re serious about productivity
• Toggl – Time tracking that works
• Cashboard – Financial time tracking software
• yaTimer – Painless time tracking
• Fanurio – Time tracking software for freelancers
• OfficeTime – Time tracking software for Apple products

Legal

• My New Company – Incorporate your business online
• Legal Zoom – Online legal document services
• Creative Commons – Share, remix, reuse – legally
• Freelance Contract Templates – 5 free to use freelance contract templates
• Copyright – Everything you need to know about U.S. Copyright Laws
• Rocket Lawyer – Free legal document service
• Accountants Worldwide – Find a qualified, local CPA
• Find Law – Legal forms for small businesses
• BizFilings – LLC & Incorporation
• Incorporate – Incorporate or Form your LLC Today!

Stock Files

• iStockPhoto – Royalty free stock photos, illustrations & more
• VideoHive – After Effects Projects & Loops
• Template Monster – The world’s #1 website templates provider!
• stock.xchng – The leading free stock photography site
• Getty Images – 24.7 million stock & editorial images
• DesignMoo – Discover and share quality design resources
• GraphicRiver – Layered Photoshop, Vectors, Icons and Add-ons From $1
• ShutterStock – Subscription based royalty free stock photography
• Veer – Veer makes it easier to be creative
• DaFont – A large (very large) website dedicated to free fonts

Blogging Software

• WordPress – Blog tool & publishing platform
• Joomla – Free open source CMS
• Drupal – Come for the software, stay for the community
• SilverStripe – Open Source CMS / Framework
• Blogger – Hosted blogging solution
• CushyCMS – Free & simple CMS
• Frog CMS – Content Management Simplified
• Modx – Content Management System, Framework, Platform and More
• Contao – Accessible open source CMS
• ExpressionEngine – Publish Your Universe

Client Management

• Highrise – Know your contacts & leads by heart
• Salesforce CRM – Business CRM Solutions
• Zoho CRM – Build, Maintain & Strengthen your Customer Relationships
• Commence – CRM Software for Mid-Market and Small Enterprises
• Soffront – Soffront CRM drives 3X more ROI
• Landslide CRM – Finally, a CRM that was made for YOUR business
• Sugar CRM – Commercial Open Source CRM
• Prophet – CRM Solution for Outlook
• PMAM CRM – Free CRM Software
• Work ect – CRM + Project + Billing

Email & Newsletter

• Mailchimp – Email Marketing & Email List Manager
• Aweber – Email Marketing Software
• Campaign Monitor – Email marketing software for web designers
• ActiveCampaign – Email marketing that will improve your business
• Constant Contact – Email marketing solutions from Constant Contact
• Get Response – Email marketing software, autoresponder
• iContact – Trusted email marketing made simple
• Easy Contact – Easy Email Marketing Services & Solutions
• StreamSend – Email newsletter software
• Volumail – Email newsletter software

Job Boards

• Freelance Switch – One of the largest job boards online for freelancers
• Authentic Jobs – Full-time and freelance job opportunities for web, design, and creative professionals
• WordPress – The official WordPress job board
• 37 Signals – Tech Jobs: Design, Programming, Rails, Executive, and more
• WooThemes – The official WooThemes job board, perfect for WordPress jobs
• Smashing Jobs – Full time & freelance jobs from Smashing Magazine’s job board
• Krop – Design Jobs: Creative & Tech
• Problogger Jobs – Jobs for Bloggers
• Fresh Web Jobs – A job board for web pros
• All Dev Jobs – Design & Development Jobs

Miscellaneous

• Dropbox – The easiest way to store, sync, and, share files online
• Quote Roller – Awesome way to create and send proposals
• PayPal – The faster, safer way to send money, make an online payment, receive money or set up a merchant account.
• Dribbble – What are you working on?
• CSS Mania – Daily Design Inspiration
• Snipplr – Code snippets
• Moneybookers – The hassle free way to pay online
• e-Junkie – Streamline the sale of digital goods
• Forrst – A community for designers & developers
• Hostgator – Website hosting starting at 1 penny for the first month (jury – coupon code)
• Namecheap – Domain name registration
• Solvate – Talent you can trust

What did we miss?

See something missing from one of the lists? Drop a comment and let the world know that you’re smarter than me

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I’m sure every freelancer with a year or more under their belt can tell a horror story about how they’ve lost files, contacts or other important documents because they weren’t careful enough to back things up and make sure there was a security system in place for their business – myself included.

So in today’s article I want to discuss the many ways you can back up your freelance life – and why you should. We’ll be covering offline back ups, online back ups and back ups that are a mixture of technology and a bit of good old fashioned business sense. One of the main reasons I am writing this article is because of a recent issue I had, and a restless, sleepless night that followed, which caused me to jump into high gear and get things set up for myself and my business.

The peace of mind that comes with it is priceless, I assure you.

First, lets look at some offline backups

The first thing I want to discuss is the one item that caused me so much headache and worry – offline back ups of your files. You know, those important files like Photoshop designs for your clients, contracts, stock images you’ve spent months (or years) compiling, brushes, fonts and so on.

So, how can you back your files up and ensure that you’re safe, regardless of what happens?

External hard drives

Yes, I said drives with an S attached to the end of it. I recommend getting two, and here’s why. The first one you get can be the one you back up your files on every night. This one will be your main source of back up and will be somewhere close to your desk (I have mine sitting on my desk next to my speakers).

The second hard drive will be the one that you back up to weekly or even monthly if you want to, but you’re going to keep this one in a special place – inside of a fire proof safe. This way, if for some horrible reason your house catches on fire, you’re files are still safe. They’ve got water proof & fire proof safes you can purchase at places like Wal-Mart for pretty cheap (under $100) which is what I’d recommend doing.

As for the type of hard drive you need, this is the one I just bought recently (I still have to get my safe and second hard drive) – a WD My Book Essential 500GB – (no affiliate link). It’s awesome, easy to set up and use and is small, so it doesn’t clutter my work area at all. Of course, you’ll want to look around and see which one will be best for you, but I’ve heard a lot of positive reviews about this one.

Paper documents and filing cabinets

I’ve had a 2 section filing cabinet in my office for around a year now, and it’s been a junk drawer for the entire time. Last week, I emptied it out, bought the hanging folders with tabs for naming them and sectioned off 10-15 folders. By doing this, I’m able to save any sketches I create for client website designs, save documents and files that I’ve had to sign and also keep track of bills and other various items that come in paper format.

I also bought my filing cabinet from Wal-Mart (I’m from the country, what do you expect – we love this place) for about $40.00 and it’s been a great investment. You can get your filing cabinet from anywhere – IKEA, Office Max, or any stores in your local area. They’re inexpensive, but are great for keeping copies of all of your documents.

More back ups outside of your house

Do you have a friend or family member that you can trust? Why not get more back ups of your files (hard drives, paper documents, ect) and take them over to their house for safe keeping. You never can be too safe these days. If you don’t really want to entrust your friends or family with the files, you can always buy a storage container or a safe deposit box at a bank.

So where are all the online backups?

Now that you’ve (hopefully) taken care of the offline back ups, it’s time to look into backing things up online. Why do both? You can never be too safe, that’s why. You’ll be mad at yourself forever when your computer crashes and you lose 6-12 months worth of work and downloads. Trust me, it is not fun. Backing files up online can actually be pretty easy and there’s a couple ways you can do it.

Backup services

If you’re looking for a company that has an app for your computer that backs up the files for you automatically, this is the solution you’ll like the most. There are free solutions out there that can back up up to 2gb of files for you as well as paid options with much higher space. A couple of great companies to check out are found below.

• iDrive – 2GB for free / 150GB for $4.95 per month
• Spideroak – 2GB for free / $100+ GB for $10.00 per month

The beauty of these types of back up systems is that they have automatic back ups, so you’re able to set it for a time when you’re not on the computer (3-4am) and it will back up your files for you.

Your own hosting account

If you’ve got a good host and you’ve got a lot of extra space, this solution could be great for you. A simple way to back up your files here is to create a folder with a random name (something like 534dfdf56sdfg would work, as you can easily find it in your cpanel or ftp, but don’t need to link anyone to it or remember the exact name). Once you’ve created it, start uploading your folders if important items, just like you would if you were transferring them to an external hard drive or online storage service like we talked about above.

How do YOU back up your freelance life?

Now I turn it over to you, my kick ass readers (and 1,005 subscribers – we hit this milestone today – THANK YOU!) to see what you do in order to back up your freelance life. I know I can learn some things from you, so drop a comment and let me know what special ways you back up your freelance life.

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Job boards.

Job boards can be your bread and butter for freelance work, providing you with enough work to cover your next 2-3 months worth of expenses. They can allow you to get your foot in the door inside of actual businesses who are looking for work to be done, and they will allow you to spend the extra time you’re not spending trying to find work, doing the actual work. The freelance job boards can be a wonderful addition to your daily routines.

However, you have to remember that not all job boards are created equal. Some job boards will not have new leads posted every day. Some of them will allow bidding and some will be a sea of bottom feeding fish that only want to find someone to work for minimum wage. This is not where you want to end up and it’s definitely nowhere that I’d tell you to go.

You’re in luck though because I’ve narrowed it down to 10 active freelance job boards that will actually be of a benefit to check out. They’re all powerful for their own reasons, which are listed below the names and images, and any one of them would be a perfect place to visit on a daily basis, but I’d strongly suggest viewing them on all as much as possible – after all, too much work is never a bad thing (there’s a topic I will probably cover in an upcoming article).

Freelance Switch

The freelance switch job board is at the top of the list for a couple of reasons. Besides the fact that it’s run by one of the best freelance websites out today, it attracts the perfect types of clients for those of us who want to make a living out of freelancing and work with professional individuals and companies. They also allow companies to post jobs for free, but in order for you to submit your information to them, you are required to subscribe for $7.00 per month.

The main reason this is the perfect solution (in my opinion) for job boards is that it allows a ton of jobs to be posted (5-10 daily) by not charging them to post the job, and the $7.00 per month weeds out a lot of the offshore, $5.00 p/hour companies that plague places like eLance and other job bidding sites. The best part is that for $7.00 per month, you have the possibility to land thousands of dollars worth of jobs – I remember when I first signed up, I landed a $500 deal in the first week and knew that it was worth it ($7.00 investment = $493 profit). It’s definitely where you should be spending a few minutes per day if you’re serious about finding work.

Authentic Jobs

The Authentic Jobs website is one that you’ve likely seen listed in sidebars and footers across various sites, and for good reason – the Authentic Jobs website is one that should be on your “must do” list for the the day. It’s been a resource for freelancers to find jobs since 2005 and has attracted companies such as Apple, MSNBC, Comcast, Facebook, ESPN and more. You can easily change the view between, Interaction Design, Graphic Design, Development, Mobile and Management as well as freelance and full time positions. You can also search based on the type of job you’re looking for or the location in which you’re looking to be hired.

WordPress Jobs

For those of us who are wordpress workers (myself included), the wordpress job board is a great place to visit. It focuses solely on, you guessed it – wordpress work, so if you’re after some new WP gigs, you’re headed to the right place. The site breaks itself down into a few categories (design, development, blogging, maintenance, ect) so it’s easy to see which jobs will interest you the most.

The one drawback to this job board is that, at times, it does have some low paying gigs, but if you look out for the buzz-kill words, like – it should be quick, this is an easy job, I could have done it myself but I don’t have the time, ect. you’ll be able to avoid spending time dealing with someone via email who is just looking to take advantage of you.

37 Signals Gig Board

Besides being one of the biggest and brightest companies online for web based software, 37 signals also offers up a killer job board resource. It’s filled with around 100 or so jobs at any given time and features job listings from some of the biggest companies around the world – Apple, The New York Times, American Express and more. Breaking itself down into categories (design, development, misc, customer service/support and business exec/jobs) it allows you to easily find the type of job you’re looking for.

From full time gigs to free and paid internships, you can find just about anything listed here, and from companies who know and understand what it’s like to be hard working freelancer that doesn’t want to get hung out to dry and taken advantage of (if there’s one thing you realize while reading this article, I hope it is that – you don’t deserve to be taken advantage of because you’re just starting out as a freelancer. You get what pay you want, and ask for, and if they don’t like it, they won’t hire you – and that’s a good thing, I promise).

Krop

The Krop website features a live search box where you type in what you’re looking for and it shows up on the screen, which is a feature that I’ve liked since I first came across it. If you can’t see any results for what you’re looking for, it’s ok, just come back the next day and try again because this site is always flooded with awesome work to be grabbed. Another thing that I really like about the Krop website is that it has a creative database built right into their site so you can showcase your portfolio and resume right on the site – what better way than to get the attention of the company you’re writing about their job board listing than to actually have a resume page on the Krop website? It’s genius.

Smashing Jobs

I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that everyone has heard of Smashing Magazine, and for those who haven’t, it’s a website that features killer resources and articles for designers and developers. As the site grew and the fan base became more than just a small cult following (they’re at over 100K subscribers) they ventured into the job board market – and they’ve done an awesome job. The job board always has great listings for freelancers to check out and as the site itself isn’t as large as some of the others here (imagine that even being possible, with over 100K subscribers) there is a great chance that you’ll be able to land multiple jobs from it.

Coroflot

Similar to Krop, Coroflot allows you to set up a profile right on their website and also interact with the job board and it’s listings. The listings themselves are from some great companies and are constantly being updated with fresh leads. This job board actually breaks things down into over 10 categories which makes finding a job you’re interested in that much easier.

Problogger Jobs

For the writers who view the Guerrilla Freelancing website, this job board is for you. Darren Rowse is an industry leader for blogging and anyone involved with the web (yes, I said it – he’s THAT big) and when he put together the Problogger Job Board, he really did something wonderful for writers out there. This job board has a constant flow of new jobs and can easily be a resource where you can find 10-20 writing gigs per month. Turning those customers into repeat clients can mean the difference between months of steady work and a constant need to find new jobs – but the beauty of it is that with the majority of the clients you’ll find here, they’re looking (either openly, or just in their own minds) for someone reliable that they can funnel work to. Take a second and go be that person they’re looking for.

Fresh Web Jobs

Doesn’t the title say it all? If you’re looking for fresh web jobs, this is a site definitely worth checking out. I’ve personally landed a few gigs from here and each of the clients have been awesome. The site is set up so you can easily find what you’re looking for and easily contact the original poster. What more can you ask for? It’s definitely one job board that I’d subscribe to in order to keep up with the new listings because you’re sure to find a gem in there from time to time.

All Dev Jobs

I love the All Dev Jobs website because it’s built for designers, by designers (and developers of course). It’s owned and ran by Lift, which is a company that is ran by some of the coolest people to ever be found online and people who understand what freelancers needs are and what they want out of an awesome job board – and they provide it.

What do you think?

Are you finding some value in these job boards or do you have one in particular that you visit most often? Let’s chat about it in the comments section.

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Adobe Photoshop CS4

This is #1 on my list because without it, I would be lost when designing websites and images for blog posts (like the one used in this post), advertisements, ect. I’ve been a user of photoshop since the original CS release in 2003. It’s been a program that I’ve familiarized myself with and can honestly say that without it, I wouldn’t know where to turn (GIMP and other open source alternatives are available, but after using a program for 6 years, you become accustomed to it’s interface and use).

Notepad++

In the past I have been very vocal about coding in the regular notpad program that comes with your computers. I believe that when you’re coding, you shouldn’t use any programs that pre-build codes for you or try to tell you what codes are needed next. With Notepad++ it gives me the ability to hand code all of my work but it also colors the coding so it’s easier to see what’s what and makes editing files much easier. There are other programs that could replace Notepad++ but again, I’ve been using it for so long now that it’s become an essential part of my day.

Gmail for Business

I have been a slave to email for a long time now and from all of the different options I’ve come across, Gmail seems to be the very best. With the task lists, labels and other various features it gives you, gmail is perfect for my productivity and keeping up with everything I have to do. The Gmail for Business was set up for businesses to utilize gmail with their business email addresses. So for instance, when someone emails me at my blog design company email address, I can check it with gmails interface. It’s a great item in my toolbox and one I LOVE!

Filezilla

I’ve used a lot of different FTP programs in the past few years but one that I feel really comfortable with is Filezilla. It’s got a great interface and is perfect for what I need. I’ve uploaded millions of files over the years and filezilla is the program that does the majority of that for me. It’s free and high quality – what more could you ask for?

Paypal

Payments are made to me through paypal on a daily basis. With everything from article writing for other blogs, to the blog designs I create for my freelance design business, paypal is the hub of all of those payments. I also use it to purchase items online and offline – online items such as domains from Namecheap and Hosting from Hostgator, and offline like clothes, food, ect (I have the papal debit card). There are a lot of people who don’t like paypal for payments, but I have yet to explore other options, so for now, it’s the only payment option I accept.

Invoice Machine

Not all of my clients require invoices from me but when they do, Invoice Machine is the program I use to send them their invoices. It’s got an awesome interface and gives you three free invoices per month – more than enough to make enough money to upgrade to the $12 per month plan which allows you to send 30 invoices. The invoices are clean and can feature your company logo as well as integrate with paypal and basecamp. It’s a must have for me.

Moleskine Notebook(s)

There are a lot of different apps online that allow you to track time, track to do items and mind map, but I found that there’s nothing better than a couple moleskine notebooks for those things. I’ve got a small moleskine notebook that I keep track of my start/stop time for every project and then a larger notebook that I keep for to do lists, drawings, article ideas and other various thoughts (even the occasional grocery list). They’re relatively low cost and can be looked back on forever. Plus, to me there is nothing like the feeling of paper and pencils/pens – it’s old school and it works.

Whats in your toolbox?

Now it’s time to turn the attention to all of you wonderful people – whats in your toolbox? Similar items to mine or do you handle things a bit differently? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.

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Knowledge is power right? If thats true, I’m going to be pretty damn strong by the time I’m done  How about you? Do you want to be mentally strong, business savvy and successful at running your own business/blog/websites? If you do, you need to read these books.

Download them all now or bookmark this post and come back later to get whatever you don’t have time to download now. If you’d like to share these with your friends, please shoot them a link to my post. I’d greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

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12. Lets Talk: Social media for small businesses
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