You don’t start a business because you love spreadsheets. Or because you can’t wait to spend your evenings writing invoices, chasing payments, or trying to figure out why your email campaign isn’t sending.
You start a business because you’re good at what you do. Coaching. Consulting. Designing. Selling. Fixing. Whatever your thing is. But somewhere along the way, all the other stuff creeps in. The admin. The tech. The “I’ll just Google it” approach that eats into your weekends. And before you know it, you’re winging it. Every week. Again.
The good news is you don’t have to. Let’s talk about some simple tools that can save you hours, help you land more clients, and make your business feel a bit less chaotic.
You already know where the time goes. You don’t even need us to list it. But let’s be honest. It’s helpful to see it written down sometimes.
You send an invoice. Then, two weeks later, you send a polite “just checking you saw this” email because it’s still unpaid.
You sit down to post something on social media. And stare at the blinking cursor, wondering what on earth to say that doesn’t sound like every other post out there.
You’re searching your inbox for that one client email. You know it came in. You know you saw it. But now it’s lost in a sea of other stuff.
You’re trying to remember whether you actually sent that proposal or whether it’s still sitting as a half-written draft.
And your client list? That lives in a mix of notes on your phone, a spreadsheet you last updated three months ago, and a few scribbles on the notepad next to your laptop.
It’s not because you’re disorganised. It’s because you’re trying to do everything. You’re the sales team. The finance team. The marketing team. The admin assistant. The tech support. Oh, and let’s not forget, you’re still delivering the actual work your clients are paying you for.
The problem isn’t that you’re not working hard enough. You’re doing too much manually.
And that’s where systems, the right simple tools, make all the difference. You don’t need to become a software expert. You just need a few things working quietly in the background so you’re not constantly playing catch-up.
You don’t need a fancy IT department or a big budget to use these tools other solo business owners are already using to save time, stay organised, and bring in more clients.
1. Canva – Because “I’m not a designer” isn’t an excuse anymore
You need visuals. For social posts, for your website, for proposals, for ads. But hiring a designer every time isn’t realistic.Canva is drag-and-drop simple. Pick a template, tweak it for your business, and you’ve got something that looks professional in minutes. Even if the last time you ‘designed’ something was a dodgy PowerPoint back in 2004.It’s honestly one of the fastest ways to make your business look bigger and more polished.
2. Trello (or Monday.com / Notion) – Your new brain
Running projects off your memory and sticky notes works fine until it doesn’t.Tools like Trello give you a simple, visual way to keep track of everything. Clients. Projects. Deadlines. To-do lists.You can see at a glance what’s done, what’s urgent, and what you forgot about last week.No more late-night “did I send that proposal?” panics. Everything’s in one place, and your brain will thank you.
3. Mailchimp – Because your email list is pure gold
Let’s be blunt. If you’re not building an email list, you’re leaving money on the table.Mailchimp helps you collect email addresses, send out newsletters, share updates, and promote offers, all without feeling like you need a marketing degree.It’s your way of staying in touch with people who’ve shown interest but aren’t ready to buy yet. And when they are? You’ll be right there in their inbox.
4. Stripe and GoCardless – Get paid without the awkwardness
Chasing payments is awkward. Stripe makes it less so.You send an invoice that looks sharp. Your client clicks and pays. The money lands where it’s supposed to, and your system keeps track of who’s paid and who hasn’t.Fewer “just following up on that invoice” emails. More money in your account, faster.
5. ChatGPT & Grammarly – The secret writing team you didn’t know you had
Writing takes time. Emails. Proposals. Blog posts. Web pages.ChatGPT helps you get started. Grammarly helps you polish it.They don’t replace your voice, but they take the heavy lifting out of staring at a blank screen.What used to take you hours now takes you half the time, and (with the right prompts) sounds more professional, too.
Let’s be completely honest here.
The issue isn’t that you don’t care. Or that you’re lazy. Far from it.
You’re already juggling ten things every day. Finding time to learn a bunch of new tools and figure out how they all connect feels like just another thing on the never-ending list.
And it’s easy to tell yourself:
“I’ll sort it out once I’m a bit more established.”
“I probably don’t need all this yet.”
“I’m not ‘techy’ enough for this stuff.”
“I’ll just make do with what I’ve got for now.”
Before you know it, months go by. You’re still manually chasing invoices. Still posting on social when you remember. Still trying to keep everything in your head.
It’s not your fault. Nobody sits you down when you go self-employed and says, “Here’s how to actually run the business bit.”
You’re brilliant at your actual work. That part’s not the problem. It’s the running a business part that feels heavy sometimes. And honestly? That’s completely normal.
What most people need isn’t more information. It’s a simple starting point. Someone to show you which tools make sense for your size, your business, and your clients. And how they can all work together without taking over your life.
Because you are big enough for this. If you’ve got even one client, you’ve got a business that deserves proper systems behind it.
This is exactly why we build training programmes. No lectures. No jargon. And not just theory, you forget the moment the course ends.
Just practical training designed for those who want to:
- Save time
- Win more clients
- And finally, they feel like they’re running their business, not being run by it.
You’ll learn by doing. Real tools. Real systems. Real confidence. And you don’t have to figure it out alone. We guide you through it, step by step to the outcome you want. The the future you want for the business, yourself and your loved ones.
You went self-employed for freedom. Flexibility. Control.
But none of that happens if you’re spending half your week wrestling admin, chasing payments, and wondering what on earth to post on LinkedIn.
The tools exist. The training’s ready. Now it’s your move.