things that set my heart ablaze

Over the years, I’ve discovered a must-have list of biz rockin’ tools. Crack open a whiskey & check ’em out. 

From time to time, killer peeps reach out to ask questions about how I run my business. So I’ve squeezed on my faux leather biz pants and gotten to work to share the goods.

Here’s a list of killer tools I use, love and recommend. I believe in and have personal experience which each of these. Most, on a daily basis. Some feature affiliate though I’d be shoutin’ their praises even if they didn’t.

Got your bevvy ready? Let’s stage dive in.

Internal Team | CLICKUP

I’m a sucker for organisation – but as a pen and paper gal, sharing that with my team can be a little tricky.

It wasn’t until my backstage proofreader Brit recommended we give Clickup a go that I entertained the idea.

Now, I can’t imagine running Readcity’s virtual team without it.

I’m obsessed with the board view to track project progress, bloody love that you can assign tasks and even track time if you wanna.

I’m on the free plan and it does everything I need it to. Check out Clickup here.

Website Templates | EMMA TROY DESIGNS

While I have a swag of custom web designers to recommend if you need one…

You may be wanting to rock your copy with a copywriter, then DIY the web part.

If so, a killer Readcity Renegade, Emma Troy has a whole bunch of website templates to plug and play. 

I’ve personally used these templates with Readcity Renegades, and they’re super simple to use (either from scratch or to migrate your content over to). This very website is also designed using one of these templates.

Not only are these templates damn pretty, they’re also optimised for conversions. You can update the colours, fonts and images in just a few clicks.

And – TADA – a killer website for your brand to rock out on.

Choose your template here. Use code VIPReadcity for $100 off!

WINE SUBSCRIPTION | GOOD PAIR DAYS

I’m gonna come right out and say it. Wine’s a biz neccesity. After all, you’re gonna have a helluvalot of Champagne-poppin’ days (and maybe a coupla’ cryin’ into Shiraz ones too).

I’m obsessed with Good Pair Days. Take a killer quiz and have wines paired to your preferences. Score a freebie or discount when you sign up here. Or check out my interview with GPD’s Co-Founder, Banjo. Ripper bloke.

PAPERLESS NOTEBOOK | REMARKABLE

Paper’s so 2019. But if you’re like me, it’s a necessary evil. Because whether computers weren’t around when you were in school, or you’re on the cusp (like me) and learned ‘Touch Typing’* but mostly hand wrote… hand writing just feels more natural. I find that it gives me closer access to my ideas and creativity too.

Enter: Remarkable. With just cloud storage (no internet notifications) write in your sparklin’ words by hand. In all kinds of pens (my favourite’s calligraphy). Then? Live share onto other devices (I love using this during Zoom meetings to illustrate launch workflows). Export to PDF. Or to TYPED TEXT. This is a life-changer for command+F to chase down that epic idea you shared (but have no idea where you put).

I honestly have stacks of notebooks, and usually have 5 open at any one time. Now, I just take my Remarkable everywhere I go (thinner than an iPad) and if I want multiple pages open, have them on my screen. Did I mention the battery lasts 2 weeks?! Here’s $68AUD off.

*Srsly, who remembers this?! Bringing this up led me down a long web rabbit hole. Don’t ask me how, but I got bloody nostalgic about games and then shows from primary school. Did you forget about Funnybones?!

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE + ONBOARDING | DUBSADO

I never much got into automations until Dubsado winked at me.

Now, it’s my go to for creating a personalised onboarding experience for all potential and new Readcity Renegades.

I personally use Dubsado for:

Personalised enquiry forms embedded on my website
On-brand meeting requests/scheduling and reminders
Sending onboarding questionnaires
Proposals in just a few clicks
Client files and emails
Contracts
Score 20% off your first month or year when you give it a crack here. Or use code ‘readcity’ at checkout.

Graphics | canva

As a fellow fan of making tricky things simple, Canva’s my go-to for all DIY graphics.

I’ve used these across:

- Social posts
- Workshop slides
- Course content
- Video covers
- Emails
- Sneaky mocks in voice guides

My mind was blown when I upgraded to premium. Now I have cute brand assets like colours, backgrounds, custom fonts, graphics and logos ready to upload in just a few clicks.

If design isn’t exactly a strength of yours (I am hopeless) Canva is perfect for making visuals look fancy even if you don’t know what the hell you’re doing (like me. *Wipes sweat from brow*).

Do you have a go-to sweet suite of biz tools?

LEGALS | FOUNDD LEGAL