Welcome to Wear Wag Repeat Episode 36: 7 Tools to Run Your Pet Business on Autopilot. I’m so excited to share these with you. I’ve been getting so many questions, emails and DMs from fans and friends about how I do what I do. Well, here you go! Get ready to take some notes!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Keeping my shop, blog and podcast running can get really crazy! However, since I use a lot of automation for my businesses, I’m able to have more time time to play with my dogs! I know these 7 tools have helped me tremendously and I hope my recommendations help you out as well.

TOOL #1 – Trello

I started using Trello from the recommendation of Think Creative Collective’s Strategy Hour Podcast. It really has been amazing. I have one board for my editorial calendar for my blog, for my podcast, for my online store, and even for my email blasts. It gives me a running list of what I need to get done when I need to get it done.

TOOL #2 – Freshbooks

I’ve been using Freshbooks for around 2 years. My business has been very much based on invoicing for a long time. I wish I had known about using an invoice template earlier on though, as I think it would have made like just that little less stressful. You don’t think about it at first until you finally find a solution. Plus, doing things like this does make your business look a lot more professional, even if you run the business on your own.
I used to send 5-10 invoices every month.

Before getting Freshbooks I would create Word docs, save them as a PDF and them send them attached to an email. I would always procrastinate because it was such a pain! But Freshbooks make it super duper easy, as I can now use a invoice template to make it a lot easier. It also makes tax time way easier.

TOOL #3 – Planoly

Instagram is my favorite thing and I’m obsessed with it, obviously! Thanks to the new time tracker on there, I easily spend 1-2 hours on Instagram. #sorrynotsorry To keep my Instagram organized, I use Planoly. It is a tool you can use on your computer and on your phone to plan out your Instagram feed. You can easily drag and drop your photos to see in advance what your feed will look like. Learn how to use Planoly in my online course all about it!

TOOLS #4 – Acuity

Acuity Scheduling is a scheduling tool that I’ve used for over a year. It’s a tool that makes it really easy for people to make appointments with you. I use it for everything from Instagram coaching calls to scheduling podcast interviews. Clients and guests can choose a time that works for them from blocks of time I’ve already set aside. It’s really great because you can’t be double booked and people can’t choose times that don’t already work for you. Bonus hack- You can also use Acuity as the Call To Action link in your Instagram bio and instantly have 2 links in your bio!

TOOL #5 – Zapier

Zapier gives you premade connections between different tools. Combining a zapier hellosign with another online service is a great way to improve productivity and efficiency in many facets of the business world. For example, I link up my Acuity form for my podcast guests to a Google doc. On the Acuity side I ask guests for their business name, a short bio and a few questions they want to discuss on the show. Then I set up a Zap to send all that information from Acuity to go straight over to a Google doc. I probably save about 15 minutes each time a guest applies so it adds up pretty quickly when publishing 5 times a month.

TOOL #6 – Zoom

Zoom is for great for video calls. For my podcast I usually interview via Skype, but if someone can’t figure out their login info Zoom is my savior! I use the free version which gives you 40 minutes of time to chat. I actually like that limit because it forces me to stay on schedule. Sometimes having a limit like that can be really helpful.

TOOL #7 – Link In Instagram Bio

So this is more of a hack rather than a tool, but since I love Instagram I wanted to share how to be more strategic with your bio. Most people just link to their homepage with their link in bio. I would suggest using the last line of your bio text as a Call to Action to encourage clicks on the link. Things like “Click to Shop” or “Book an Appointment” so people know what you want them to do. Or maybe you want to setup a special landing page on your website that has your top 5 recommendations or a quick start guide to whatever it is that your business is about. I encourage you to be more strategic with your Instagram bio!

CHECK OUT THE SHOP!

The Wear Wag Repeat Shop is OPEN! to check it out and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @tmistick if you liked this episode or order anything from the shop.

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