My Favorite Things

The all-in-one female-owned FG Funnels includes a CRM, landing page builder, calendar scheduling tool, email management, membership area with video hosting, and more. FG Funnels is a powerhouse platform that has replaced multiple digital platforms/services while saving me money. I LOVE it!

I host all of my websites on WordPress. With my background at Facebook and current focus on Facebook marketing, WordPress makes installing the Facebook Pixel easy and effective. WordPress is robust, customizable, and the best option for most business owners with goals to grow and scale.

Confession time: I am a bit of a domain hoarder. I have so many ideas and want domains on hand – just in case. I buy all of my domains through GoDaddy. I have been very impressed with their customer service and tech support. I also love that they also have a discount program for domain collectors like me!

I use Microsoft 365 for my business email addresses, which use my domain names. I love how easily everything syncs across my devices – so I can answer emails on the go from my phone, or from the comfort of my laptop. My favorite feature is that you can use aliases to create multiple email addresses that all deliver to one account.

The first lesson in eCommerce marketing I learned while working at Facebook is that Shopify is by far the best platform for selling products. Their integration with the Facebook Pixel can't be beat and it truly allows for the best in remarketing. When I decided to add eCommerce to my brand, I didn't think twice about Shopify!

MailChimp is an email service provider that includes a free plan for entrepreneurs who are just starting to build their email lists. Once your list grows past their free allowance, you can stay with MailChimp on a paid plan, or you may be ready for something more robust, like FG Funnels.

Calendly is a Black-owned business that'll save you a ton of time when it comes to scheduling appointments. There is no more back-and-forth scheduling! My clients & friends schedule through Calendly based on their availability and it integrates automatically with my Google Calendar.

Dubsado is a woman-owned CRM platform that helped me tremendously with client organization. Dubsado allows for the creation of lead forms, managing leads/jobs/tasks, creating contracts, obtain digital signatures, invoicing, and automations.

Leadpages is a powerful landing page builder that also offers other marketing tools like popups and alert bars. Leadpages “drag-and-drop” platform comes with easily customizable templates and they offer a variety of affordable membership plans depending on your specific needs.

Zoom is like skype but way more user friendly. All of my phone calls take place on Zoom. They have both free & paid options. The free option limits you to 40min phone calls with more than 2 people. I currently use/recommend the paid version because it allows groups of 3+ and unlimited call time.

Zapier is a nifty tool that allows you to integrate various platforms together. I use it frequently when I run Facebook Lead Ads, to “zap” the leads from Facebook into my FG Funnels account. It integrates with most major platforms – definitely check out all of the possibilities! I've found that I need the paid version in order to integrate many of the tools I use and to accommodate the number of automations I require.

I use Canva for most of my graphic design needs. It's a great platform for DIY'ers. Canva offers a variety of free and premium (paid, but only $1, so affordable!) photos and graphic design elements. There are customizable templates to choose from too. I use/recommend the “pro” paid version because all premium elements are included – among other perks.

Trello is a project management tool that I use for organizing not only my business – but my personal life as well! I upgraded to the paid version in order to take advantage of premium automations and form-fields within the cards. I use Trello to plan my week, my content calendar, my grocery lists, and more!

BigVu is a teleprompter app with a web-component. You can write a script on your computer and upload it to BigVu, then send it. to your phone via their app. The app will open the camera to record, and the script displays on the half of the screen closest to the camera so you maintain eye contact during the recording. It's genius! You will need the paid version to get rid of the BigVu watermark.

AppSumo is a tech-deals website. Deals are often low-cost one-time investments with “lifetime” access – a great way to access tech tools at deeply discounted rates. I often rely on ratings & reviews to help with buying decisions, and their refund policy is great if I ever regret a purchase. I have upgraded to their “plus” membership for the discounts alone.

HappyScribe allows for easy video captioning and transcription, so that people who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (or just people who choose to watch without sound) can consume your video content. I've tried different software in the past and this is one of the most accurate for such a reasonable price. I like that I can review the transcription in 2x speed, and the editing interface is easy to use.

Run The World is the digital platform I use for my virtual summits, as well as events within the FamilyPreneur® Business Accelerator. The platform is similar to zoom, but with features that specifically cater to live events like speed-networking, panels, round table discussions, and fun features like music, yoga, and more.

ThriveCart handles the sales/shopping cart for my digital programs, and my affiliate management. FG Funnels does have a built-in cart but I love the affiliate management piece offered by ThriveCart, which allows me to pay affiliates a portion of sales they refer my way. Though it's a rather sizable upfront investment, I do like that there are no recurring payments.

I am not sure when I stopped reading books – but now I almost exclusively listen to books through Audible. I listen in the car, on walks, sitting by the fire – and we listen to books as a family just as often as I listen to books solo. I love that you get book credits monthly plus access to Audible originals. Well worth the subscription in our house!

Camtasia is what I use for video editing. It's pretty intuitive, and there are plenty of tutorials on line to help you learn what all the different features do. You have control over recording via your camera, mic, and screen right within the app – and Camtasia offers a variety of effects, transitions, and animations to make your videos as fancy as you'd like.

Sometimes after editing videos, the files are pretty darn big, which makes them nearly impossible to upload from the RV. Handbrake is a free and easy to use tool that reduces your file size – once you set it up the first time, you can set a “preset” and then subsequent uses are easy-peasy.

I still use zoom for video calls – but when it comes to recording my podcast and/or virtual summit sessions, I turn to Riverside.fm. From a user perspective it's just as easy as zoom, and the audio/video quality is far superior!

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