Hello and welcome to June!
Does the year not feel like it’s flying past, I mean this time last year I was patiently awaiting the arrival of my son. I can now truly appreciate when other parents tell me to enjoy it as it goes so fast, but I do hope they meant the excitement of watching them grow not the sleepless nights!
Anyway, stepping away from the proud mum hat, lets get back to business, shall we?
May felt like a long game of musical chairs with the bank holidays taking centre stage, with a sprinkling of royal celebrations in between. But now we are on to the long days of summer and hopefully some warm weather to accompany this.
So as we enter June, I wanted to discuss some options for smarter working in your business to help reduce time ‘faffing’ about, and to bring more productivity. I have selected some of my favourite programs used in my business and with client work, that I know could benefit your business if you don’t already use them.
Here are some of my preferred programs:
LastPass
LastPass is a password manager that takes care to remembering details for your everyday use, this includes passwords and card details for purchasing online. Utilizing its secure vault all your passwords can be contained safely without having to go and buy a little book to hide in your desk and potentially misplace. Another key feature is the share passwords, or access, for my line of work you can give me access without revealing your password which makes it safer and easier to control.
It’s free to use, but if you want access to more than one platform there is a monthly cost.
Trello
A project management tool that provides efficiency and is simple to use. Offering its users a visual breakdown of projects, tasks, and actions, you can move around and update when needed with your project team. For those who like to move items off their lists Trello is a good one for this as you can move the task to completed items whilst doing a celebratory dance!
Trello is free to use unless you want some of the added features.
Evernote
Evernote is a useful tool for creating notes, lists and even saving the chat from your networking. Offering a variety of functions from to do lists, memos, voice notes, and sharing documents Evernote is an easy and useful tool for working with teams or clients. Available on different platforms it gives you an easy way to drop notes and messages when you are on the go. A favourite for sharing quick notes and thoughts between yourself and clients, it feels like a scrap book but smarter and with more tech options.
Free to use but if you want to use some features there is a cost.
Canva
Canva in my opinion is like Lego, there are so many things you can create and the templates to start from are endless. Whether you want to create a business card, brochure, social media post or presentation the options just keep going. Available on the computer or phone, the ease of creating something to suit your brand or graphic needs is super easy and can be shared with the team. With the premium version you can also plan your social media posts if you prefer to be scheduled in, rather than remembering to post them. Whatever your need Canva has you covered with its easy use and constant improvement for offers, definitely a business must-have for graphics.
I love PDF
I Love PDF is an online tool that allows you to a carry out a range of tasks with pdf files, whether you need it a document splitting, merging, converting into an editable version I love PDF can do this for you. Another benefit is it’s free to use so you can keep it on your tabs ready to go.
Pandadoc
There are plenty of e-signature options available and it’s often a case personal preference as to which one you use. My preferred option is Pandadoc as it easy to do and doesn’t make it seem confusing like a few I have looked at. With PandaDoc, users can create customizable templates, collect electronic signatures, and receive real-time notifications when a document is opened, viewed, or signed. Another benefit I like is the option to send a link for signing, rather than an email if your completing something quickly. The option for sending an email is there but depending on the task I have used the link a few times as we needed to complete a form in a short amount of time.
You can have a free account, but if you want access to templates etc then there is a cost.
WhatsApp is a popular messaging service for both personal and business, the beauty of App allows you to send info over quickly and without a cost. Photos, videos, and voice notes are popular amongst my clients, as it saves time on calls and zoom meetings if they need a task done quickly.
Google Drive
Another preferred favourite, the Google Drive is a cloud-based storage and collaboration platform that allows users to store and share files online. You can create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations using Google’s suite of productivity tools. With efficient sharing and collaboration features its great for a client project or daily use when documents need to be used but kept securely. Working with other google programmes such as calendar, Gmail, and documents it’s easy to flip between for your work.
Toggl
Within my line of work, I have to clock what time is spent on client work. My preferred programme for this is Toggl a time tracking software that helps individuals and teams keep track of their work hours and boost productivity. It’s really easy to use and allows you and the team to clock against clients, projects and tasks which can all be checked with the reporting option for billing at the end of the month. Toggl is available on various platforms such as desktop, mobile, and web, making it accessible for remote working, or travelling.
Toggl is free to use.
Chatsonic
So now we come to the one programme which has been hot on the trending topics, Chatsonic is an AI writing assistant built by Writesonic. Compared to the well-known Chat GPT, Chatsonic is slightly more up to date with Its information. Although I know it caused a lot of concern amongst business owners it’s an interesting programme if you want assistance with content ideas etc. I don’t think it will ever replace copywriters or VA’s but it’s a good tool to have in the background if you do have some writer’s block.
Chatsonic is free to use, my advice is just to be careful with what you provide information wise.
So that’s a few of the programs I use within my business, what programs do you use to help save time in your business let me know as I would love to know more?
Or do you have a certain programme you would like a review on, let me know.
Let them eat cake!
June is a busy month as my household has all its birthdays in June, which makes it easier to remember!
So this weekend, it’s my birthday and I will be stepping away from the laptop to spend time with my family and enjoy some cake. What a difference a year can make as last year, I wasn’t sure if I would be celebrating as a mum to be or a new mum, but I can safely say my birthday is still my own unlike my husbands!
What did you do for your child’s birthday, drop me some suggestions.
Work News
For those who follow me on LinkedIn, you may have seen my recent announcement regarding a role I have taken on. I have been a supporting VA associate of PS-Assist for quite some time and from this, a friendship has occurred with the owner Phil Siddons. I have always seen the benefit and collaboration of similar businesses to be a good thing and enjoy meeting new VA’s when I go networking; I really don’t have time to view every VA in the room as a threat as we are all different.
My friendship with Phil has allowed me to bounce ideas, have another VA to talk to and also pass on any opportunities that may not suit me. From this relationship, Phil has asked me to take up the mantle of Business Development Manager and look after the daily running of PS-Assist as she personally deals with a new client that will take up her time. To say it is an honour to be asked to support another company is amazing and I will do my best to look after the company and team that Phil has created. This does not mean the Team B is going away, as I have my own plans to grow and carry on supporting the amazing clients have so stay tuned for more info.
I shall wrap my news for now, and crack on with present hunting for the rest of the family as I like to be organised. If you want to know more about Team B or PS-Assist, please get in touch as the services we offer are extensive.
Have a great June, and I shall see you in July!
Take Care
Rachel