Most Recommended
THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO SUCCEED AS A CREATIVE WARRIOR
Welcome to the Resource Page specifically designed for Creative Warriors. A curated list of the best tools, programs, and resources that you need to be productive, increase your creativity, and prepare for your success.
The Resources are separated into three sections-Create, Serve, Be Prosperous
In Create are all the tools you need to increase creativity, develop your skill set, and build a successful business.
In Serve are the many resources you need to set up your business for maximum service to your clients.
In Be Prosperous are unique resources to increase your well-being and attract the abundance you deserve.
All these companies have been carefully reviewed and approved to assure they are some of the most beneficial tools available for Creative Warriors. Most are used in my business every day! Take a look around and choose what will serve you best.
Because I only work in integrity, an important disclosure:
The links below are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase any of these products and services, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no cost to you, and in fact, often includes a special deal. I recommend these companies because I want to save you time by offering trustworthy resources and not because of the small commission that will be earned. My recommendation is sincere.
CREATE:
All the tools you need to increase creativity and develop your skill set.
99Designs is a great creative resource for logos, eBooks, design elements, book covers, etc. You post a project and various designers bid on the job. You choose a designer who then provides several choices. Then, you can ask friends to vote on which design they like best. It’s a terrific process, there are some super talented designers and all at an affordable price.
Grammarly is like having an editor sitting beside you whenever you’re writing anything online. Whether it’s a blog, Facebook post, landing page, or anything else online! It will point out the grammatical error and tell you how to fix it. This increases productivity, saves you effort, and supports you in presenting yourself in the most professional manner possible which is very important!
SERVE:
The services you need to set up your business for maximum customer service
The base of any good business is your database and ability to communicate with your clients. Constant Contact offers just that. Constant Contact is an ideal entry level to building your email list, sending out email blasts, and setting up automated marketing funnels. It’s affordable and the functionality has grown tremendously. In my very direct opinion, you’re not “in” business unless you have a system to build an email list and market to clients and prospective clients. Constant Contact is a great system for small businesses.
BlueHost is continually at the top of the list when it comes to server reliability. They also have servers that are specifically for WordPress sites which is very important since most sites are WordPress today. The problem with many hosts is WordPress is very quirky and there can be issues with servers that are not specific for WordPress sites. This is very important. The price is very reasonable, they often run crazy good deals, support is excellent, and all around, the best choice I’ve come across to host your website, blog, etc. You can also buy all your domains here. Believe me. I have hundreds.
LeadPages allows you to create amazing online marketing pages. Pages to promote your products, services, and to give away free content for opt-ins. LeadPages is the leader in the industry. There are hundreds of templates available and they even provide statistic as to which style templates are converting best. With the volume of online marketing, what consumers respond to changes rapidly so this is very important! Very easy to use, drop-and-go templates.
You’ve probably heard the expression, “work ON your business more than IN your business.” Nothing could be more true and yet so many Creative Warriors waste so much time not having systems in place in their business. I have investigated them all and hands down, 17hats is the best business management system available. If I can stress one thing to change your business, get 17hats so that you can devote your time and energy towards creating your highest value work. It’s affordable, user-friendly, and the support is terrific. Sign up today using promo code jeffreyshaw and GET 20% OFF!
Sally Hogshead’s
Fascination Advantage Assessment
There aren’t too many things that I want to insist everyone take advantage of. Sally Hogshead’s Fascination Advantage Assessment is one of them. I can hardly think of a reason you SHOULDN’T take advantage of this opportunity. In just a few minutes you answer some questions and receive in return an extensive report on what the world finds fascinating about you. When it comes to business and branding, nothing is more important than this! You can think you have the greatest “widget” in the world, but if the world doesn’t think it’s great, it won’t sell. Similarly, the more you can understand what the world finds fascinating about you, the more you can leverage that to be compelling to prospective customers. The report is also a fantastic resource for marketing words and phrases you can use. Just do this!
Ontraport is literally the backbone of my business as it will be for you. Ontraport is a full service CRM (customer relationship management). This is for the business that is really ready to step it up in customer communication and email marketing. It’s not cheap but when your business gets big enough to need full management of your marketing and email database, I believe Ontraport is the best option. There are email templates, incredible automations for email sequences, and the ability to tag and segment your database for personalized communication with your clients. When you’re ready to be a hot shot service provider and marketer, this is the one!
Screenflow is an app to capture and record whatever is on your Mac screen. It’s crazy how many things I have found I can do with Screenflow! I actually record every Creative Warriors podcast using Screenflow. We don’t use the screen capture being audio, but the audio and video are on separate tracks. Being so reliable and easy to edit makes it perfect, even for the podcast. To say nothing of the fact that you can capture videos on your screen and drop videos in from your iPhone, etc and edit in Screenflow very easily. Screenflow is one of my favorite productivity tools and use it practically everyday. Very adaptable for many uses.
There are so many apps and programs out there for hosting webinars. Not one of them seems to have everything. But Stealth Seminar is probably the most unique. You can do live webinars, pre-recorded, and what they call hybrid which is a blend of pre-recorded and live on Google Hangout. Don’t discount the idea of pre-recorded webinars! The advantage is stability. With many systems you can get hundreds of people on a webinar and the systems crashes or the connection is bad. To me, that’s like throwing a disastrous party. With pre-recorded webinars, you deliver your best content and are assured of a professional delivery. This is Stealth Seminar’s strength. And the customer service is off the charts!
Acuity Scheduling is hands down one of my favorite business tools. I have tried so many online schedulers and none fulfill my needs like this one. Even if you don’t want clients making appointments online on their own, I would still recommend Acuity because of it’s automation. You can set up multiple calendars with available times for different types of appointments. You can set up intake forms with questions that you need people to fill out. All your appointments can be confirmed automatically via email and text. It integrates with Google calendar and others. Just perfect whether you allow people to make appointments on their own or you use it as your base to make appointments. Did you know that about 50% of books are listened to by audio? Wow, has that changed! Audible has an incredible library and in my opinion is the best platform out there for listening to books. You can get your first book for free and keep it whether you sign up or not! Great way to get more done and absorb the information you need by listening to books on-the-go.
BE PROSPEROUS:
Unique services to increase your well-being and attract the prosperity you want.
Did you know that about 50% of books are listened to by audio? Wow, has that changed! Audible has an incredible library and in my opinion is the best platform out there for listening to books. You can get your first book for free and keep it whether you sign up or not! Great way to get more done and absorb the information you need by listening to books on-the-go.
Being a Creative Warrior, building a business around your talent or skill, if your business wouldn’t exist without you, it is imperative that you take care of yourself. Salty Bath has become my obsession for self-care. To be honest, I don’t think I took a bath since childhood until I came across Salty Bath. Now it’s a weekly tradition that I look forward to all week. I call it self-care Sundays. It’s a monthly subscription that comes with bath salts, mineral oil, a mantra card and even a surprise each month. We categorize this under Be Prosperous for a reason. Because we believe the path to prosperity begins with you and your self-care. And nothing makes you be grateful for the prosperity you create than a little indulgence that you deserve. This is affordable, you deserve it, and also makes a great gift.
