Introduction
Introduction
Being an ecommerce entrepreneur, you need the best of the best when it comes to your business, no matter what that is. The best products, the best quality, the best service, the best website, the best performance and the best reviews. Nobody has time for mediocrity, and we won’t stand for it either.
Welcome to the most highly curated list of apps and service recommendations that exists. All of these resources are the leaders in their field, and they make us the leader in our own. Without these apps and services we would be just another ecommerce business. With them, we’re an efficient, powerful, high performing and innovative company.
Each of these apps and services are the best of the best. We use them daily to help our business run better, and it’s not just us. Thousands of other ecommerce businesses are using these apps and services to connect with their customers, optimize conversations, provide better service and create a better user experience.
We talk with the founders, have lunch with their employees, they know what we want from their apps and services and we keep them updated on their performance. These resources work for our business, and they’ll work for yours.
So what is your ecommerce company missing? What tools do you need to be more efficient? Take a look at the list down below and start running yourself a better business.
Store setup
Fastmail
When it comes to email you have a few choices. The most popular choice is Google Apps for Business which will allow you to host your domain email (name@yourdomain.com) using the classic and familiar Gmail email dashboard. However, we are big fans of Fastmail. Fastmail does only email and calendar, and they do it extremely well. Their spam filters are just as good as Google’s, the interface is cleaner, we find emails are easier to manage with folders as opposed to Google’s Tag system, and everything just feels lighter and better.
WPX Hosting
If you decide to go with a self-hosted ecommerce platform like Wordpress/WooCommerce, you’ll need a solid and reliable hosting provider.
Top marks go to WPX Hosting for their blazing fast hosting speed and next-level customer support (they reply to all support tickets within 3 minutes!).
With plans starting at $24/month, WPX Hosting is a step above those cheap shared hosting providers because you’ll be better off with white-glove support, reliable uptime and speed.
Shopify
It’s rare to find a platform that can service both start-up entrepreneurs earning their first hundred and seasoned veterans going onto their tenth million, but that’s exactly what Shopify is able to do. This platform is practical for new ecommerce owners to set up their first shop on and it’s powerful and scalable enough to support high performing stores.
Not only is Shopify an easy to use platform but it’s also compatible with many different kinds of apps that you can use to make your store run more efficiently. Because Shopify is the leading ecommerce shopping cart platform, ecommerce apps are always developed for Shopify first, so you can be sure that you have access to the most current tools that exist for ecommerce businesses. Ninety percent of the time, Shopify will be the right platform choice for every ecommerce business, so consider using Shopify as your ecommerce business platform today to build, launch and grow your business.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a great platform for fast-growing, high volume businesses and is designed to help you sell more, more efficiently. They power some of the world’s most successful brands and boast that their software grows ecommerce businesses, offers an exceptional shopping experience and improves the overall performance of retailers’ stores.
BigCommerce is useful for both small businesses, enterprises and brick and mortar business that are moving online as it’s designed to be easy to navigate with no knowledge of coding required to set up an online store. It’s definitely worth looking into BigCommerce, especially for established ecommerce businesses that are looking to grow and scale even more.
Sharetribe
If you’re looking to create your own marketplace (like eBay or Amazon but for a specific niche) as opposed to your own online store, then look no further than Sharetribe.
Sharetribe lets you easily create a niche marketplace that others can sell their products on and you take a cut of all sales. Join Sharetribe and become the next Amazon for your niche.
Cratejoy
Start selling with a service that not only provides customers with a marketplace for hundreds of subscription services but also subscribes to every business that its marketplace offers so customers know they’re shopping from a trusted and verified service. Cratejoy is suitable whether you’re just starting out or already have 100,000 subscribers, so make use of their customizable subscription options so you can sell on your own terms to meet your and your customer’s needs.
With a user-friendly experience you’re able to design your own ecommerce store with no knowledge of coding required and your subscribers will easily be able to manage their own accounts and preferences from their own account. Make use of Cratejoy to offer a flexible subscription service and be part of a vetted, industry-leading marketplace that will support whatever your business model is with ease.
Namecheap
Well known for their commitment to customer service, security, performance and reliability, Namecheap is a highly recommended web hosting service for individuals, businesses and resellers. With a modern interface their website is easy to navigate and user friendly so you know you’re receiving the highest quality service.
Not only do they provide affordable access to domains, they also offer the products and services that will help you make the most of your domains. Name cheap is an ideal service for people who want a trusted domain registrar where privacy and security is paramount and customer experience is at the forefront.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo prides itself on creating a specifically targeted, personalized experience that is more engaging for your customers that will ultimately increase your business’ revenue. Klaviyo creates in-depth customer profiles that you can use to reach out to your customers in a way that directly speaks to them and their needs. You can integrate Klaviyo with all popular shopping cart platforms so you can accurately track your return on investment, and it makes creating beautiful and responsive emails a simple process.
Klaviyo knows your customers well so every email that it sends is sure to be a personalized experience that presents your customers with relevant content and product recommendations so they feel understood and recognized within your brand. Enhance your customer’s user experience with Klaviyo today and see your customers coming back for more.
Mailchimp
One of the most well known and most easily integrable email marketing tools, Mailchimp is free up to your first 2,000 email subscribers and enables you to create well put together marketing emails to send to your subscribers. Email captures are one of the most effective ways to optimize sales conversions for your business and Mailchimp with all its tools and resources can help you make highly effective emails that will grab your customer’s attention.
Create from pre-designed templates, manage your subscribers into categories, deliver emails how you want to, track the analytics and more, Mailchimp are experts in what they do and make the process easy for you from beginning to end. Mailchimp is where you want to start if you’re new to email capture and automated emails, and they’re who you want to grow with as your business scales and you bring in more customers.
Pixc
An online photo editing service, Pixc removes the distracting and unappealing backgrounds of your product photos to make them look professional, crisp and clean at a very affordable price. This service is perfect for entrepreneurs who have the ability to take their own product photos but may not necessarily have the budget for expensive backdrops or photo editing software. Let Pixc do the leg work for you and reap the results of quality product photos that will entice your customers.
BOLD Apps
Shopify’s #1 app development partner, Bold’s apps are designed to increase your sales or help you save time running your store so you can focus on growing it. They offer social media, customer service and sales-related apps such as subscription membership apps, sales motivator apps, returns management apps and many others. Integrating any of Bold’s apps will add unique features to your Shopify store so you can interact with your customers in new ways or make life easier for yourself.
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Ecommerce Platforms - Comprehensive
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Shopify
It’s rare to find a platform that can service both start-up entrepreneurs earning their first hundred and seasoned veterans going onto their tenth million, but that’s exactly what Shopify is able to do. This platform is practical for new ecommerce owners to set up their first shop on and it’s powerful and scalable enough to support high performing stores.
Not only is Shopify an easy to use platform but it’s also compatible with many different kinds of apps that you can use to make your store run more efficiently. Because Shopify is the leading ecommerce shopping cart platform, ecommerce apps are always developed for Shopify first, so you can be sure that you have access to the most current tools that exist for ecommerce businesses. Ninety percent of the time, Shopify will be the right platform choice for every ecommerce business, so consider using Shopify as your ecommerce business platform today to build, launch and grow your business.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a great platform for fast-growing, high volume businesses and is designed to help you sell more, more efficiently. They power some of the world’s most successful brands and boast that their software grows ecommerce businesses, offers an exceptional shopping experience and improves the overall performance of retailers’ stores.
BigCommerce is useful for both small businesses, enterprises and brick and mortar business that are moving online as it’s designed to be easy to navigate with no knowledge of coding required to set up an online store. It’s definitely worth looking into BigCommerce, especially for established ecommerce businesses that are looking to grow and scale even more.
Sharetribe
If you’re looking to create your own marketplace (like eBay or Amazon but for a specific niche) as opposed to your own online store, then look no further than Sharetribe.
Sharetribe lets you easily create a niche marketplace that others can sell their products on and you take a cut of all sales. Join Sharetribe and become the next Amazon for your niche.
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Ecommerce Platforms - Specialty
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Cratejoy
Start selling with a service that not only provides customers with a marketplace for hundreds of subscription services but also subscribes to every business that its marketplace offers so customers know they’re shopping from a trusted and verified service. Cratejoy is suitable whether you’re just starting out or already have 100,000 subscribers, so make use of their customizable subscription options so you can sell on your own terms to meet your and your customer’s needs.
With a user-friendly experience you’re able to design your own ecommerce store with no knowledge of coding required and your subscribers will easily be able to manage their own accounts and preferences from their own account. Make use of Cratejoy to offer a flexible subscription service and be part of a vetted, industry-leading marketplace that will support whatever your business model is with ease.
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Domain Registration
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Namecheap
Well known for their commitment to customer service, security, performance and reliability, Namecheap is a highly recommended web hosting service for individuals, businesses and resellers. With a modern interface their website is easy to navigate and user friendly so you know you’re receiving the highest quality service.
Not only do they provide affordable access to domains, they also offer the products and services that will help you make the most of your domains. Name cheap is an ideal service for people who want a trusted domain registrar where privacy and security is paramount and customer experience is at the forefront.
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Web Hosting
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WPX Hosting
If you decide to go with a self-hosted ecommerce platform like Wordpress/WooCommerce, you’ll need a solid and reliable hosting provider.
Top marks go to WPX Hosting for their blazing fast hosting speed and next-level customer support (they reply to all support tickets within 3 minutes!).
With plans starting at $24/month, WPX Hosting is a step above those cheap shared hosting providers because you’ll be better off with white-glove support, reliable uptime and speed.
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Email Hosting
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Fastmail
When it comes to email you have a few choices. The most popular choice is Google Apps for Business which will allow you to host your domain email (name@yourdomain.com) using the classic and familiar Gmail email dashboard. However, we are big fans of Fastmail. Fastmail does only email and calendar, and they do it extremely well. Their spam filters are just as good as Google’s, the interface is cleaner, we find emails are easier to manage with folders as opposed to Google’s Tag system, and everything just feels lighter and better.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo prides itself on creating a specifically targeted, personalized experience that is more engaging for your customers that will ultimately increase your business’ revenue. Klaviyo creates in-depth customer profiles that you can use to reach out to your customers in a way that directly speaks to them and their needs. You can integrate Klaviyo with all popular shopping cart platforms so you can accurately track your return on investment, and it makes creating beautiful and responsive emails a simple process.
Klaviyo knows your customers well so every email that it sends is sure to be a personalized experience that presents your customers with relevant content and product recommendations so they feel understood and recognized within your brand. Enhance your customer’s user experience with Klaviyo today and see your customers coming back for more.
Mailchimp
One of the most well known and most easily integrable email marketing tools, Mailchimp is free up to your first 2,000 email subscribers and enables you to create well put together marketing emails to send to your subscribers. Email captures are one of the most effective ways to optimize sales conversions for your business and Mailchimp with all its tools and resources can help you make highly effective emails that will grab your customer’s attention.
Create from pre-designed templates, manage your subscribers into categories, deliver emails how you want to, track the analytics and more, Mailchimp are experts in what they do and make the process easy for you from beginning to end. Mailchimp is where you want to start if you’re new to email capture and automated emails, and they’re who you want to grow with as your business scales and you bring in more customers.
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Themes & Graphics
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Pixc
An online photo editing service, Pixc removes the distracting and unappealing backgrounds of your product photos to make them look professional, crisp and clean at a very affordable price. This service is perfect for entrepreneurs who have the ability to take their own product photos but may not necessarily have the budget for expensive backdrops or photo editing software. Let Pixc do the leg work for you and reap the results of quality product photos that will entice your customers.
BOLD Apps
Shopify’s #1 app development partner, Bold’s apps are designed to increase your sales or help you save time running your store so you can focus on growing it. They offer social media, customer service and sales-related apps such as subscription membership apps, sales motivator apps, returns management apps and many others. Integrating any of Bold’s apps will add unique features to your Shopify store so you can interact with your customers in new ways or make life easier for yourself.
Tailor Brands
Design a logo on the spot using their fun and interactive logo making service. Using a series of tools and adjustments you’ll be able to create a logo you love that will look professional and accurately represent your business. Perfect for the entrepreneur on a budget who simply cannot afford to hire a graphic designer to design a logo for their company. This service does just that plus it offers presentation, printing and branding services to meet all of your potential business-related needs.
Creative Market
Creative Market provides you with top-notch graphic design content that you can use to enhance your website and social media platforms. Most of the design content you must purchase, although some of it is free, and they offer everything from photos, graphics, templates, themes, fonts and more. Everything they offer is highly customizable for your own needs so use Creative Market today to save money on hiring your own graphic designer and make use of their talented pool of designers to get exactly what you want for your business’ website and social media, when you need it.
Out of the Sandbox
Out of the Sandbox specializes in developing beautiful storefronts to use for your Shopify store. Pick one of their aesthetically pleasing, intuitive and user-friendly Shopify storefront themes to create a stunning website that suits your business’ unique style.
Packaging
Refine Packaging
Create beautiful branded packaging for your online store with Refine Packaging. They offer high-quality shipping boxes and packaging that can be difficult to find elsewhere. Including mailer boxes, eyelash boxes, bakery boxes, corrugated boxes, pillow boxes, pyramid boxes, soap boxes, cigarette boxes and more — they can customize packaging to suit any business’ needs.
Packlane
Branded packaging is increasingly becoming the most utilized form of a memorable unboxing experience for customers, so let your customer’s last touchpoint be a lasting one with custom packing boxes from Packlane. With your choice of box sizes, small minimum orders and state of the art printing, branded packaging is a no-brainer when you see the customizable magic you can create with Packlane. Perfect for startups and small business, or any company wanting to wow their customers with exceptional packaging, get creative with Packlane today.
Sticker Giant
For any and all of your sticker needs, consider this the mecca for creating personalized branded packaging. Stickers are a great way to custom brand your packaging if you aren’t able to get pre-printed packing boxes and it adds a thoughtful touch to what may have otherwise been a plain box. Alternatively, supply stickers as a freebie for your customers so they can represent your logo anywhere they like.
Uline
Uline is the best and most comprehensive starting point for all your product packaging needs whether it be bags, boxes, bubble wrap, custom products, tags, labels, or tape, Uline is the leading distributor of shipping and packaging materials in North America. Known for reliability and quality, Uline is a one-stop-shop for any packaging your business may require. Start with Uline now and their service will be able to support your business as it scales and grows throughout time.
Pakible
Create custom packing boxes to take your branded packaging to the next level. Pakible can keep your packaging minimal and understated or feel free to add designs and colors all over the box. No matter how you want your shipping packages to represent your brand, Pakible has the ability to make it for you.
Shipping & Fullfilment
Printful
If you’re looking to fully automate your business with no stock or inventory to manage, dropshipping is the way to go and Printful can help you drop ship your own t-shirts, sweaters, leggings, totes, posters, mugs and more. Tried, tested and true, Printful is the obvious answer for anyone looking to start their own t-shirt business, make their artwork into sellable prints or are just looking to create fun and quirky mugs, it’s easy to use and can be integrated into Shopify and Bigcommerce so all you have to do it set it up and step back and relax.
The best part is Printful works on a case by case basis so you don’t need to purchase any stock upfront or prepay for any orders. When a customer orders, Printful prints, and you pay as you go. Use Printful today to easily integrate products with little to no startup cost and start providing quality products with your own designs that represent your brand and work with your ecommerce platform.
Think Logistics
If you’re based in Canada and looking for a quality shipping and fulfillment warehousing service, look no further than Think Logistics. In their warehouses they’re using top of the line technology- aka, robots- to make the picking and packing process more efficient and error free than almost anywhere else in North America.
They pride themselves on their ability to be low cost, scalable for your business and have rapid order processing. Their app easily integrates with Shopify so if you’re a Canadian based Shopify user, Think Logistics is a highly recommendable shipping and fulfillment warehouse for your business.
Pacific Customs Broker
If you plan on importing products from another country (like China), you’ll need a reliable customs broker. A customs broker acts on your behalf to help you bring your good into the country (USA, Canada). They will complete the necessary paperwork and obtain all the licenses for you. Pacific Customs Broker is both a Canadian Customs Broker and a US Customs Broker with a high level of expertise directed to both one time non-commercial goods importers and to high volume goods importers.
If you need any information about obtaining clearances for ports, clearances for modes of transport, pre and post entry compliance expertise, trade compliance consulting and more, Pacific Customs Broker is the agency to direct all your questions.
Fulfillrite
Based in New Jersey, Fulfillrite is a great choice for small to medium sized businesses who are interested in working with a family owned shipping and fulfillment service that is passionate about helping entrepreneurs. They specialize in fulfillment for many types of ecommerce products such as apparel, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, books, technology, electronics and more so they’re bound to have a shipping and fulfillment solution for your business.
They pride their service on being fast, simple and easy with no long term contracts, seamless platform integration, real-time inventory tracking and worldwide shipping so you can be sure you’re receiving the best service possible. Consider Fulfillrite today to take care of all your shipping and fulfillment needs and take advantage of their highly recommended service for your business.
Fulfillment.com
Fulfillment.com (FDC) is a shipping and fulfillment service with warehouses worldwide that pride themselves on fast and easy shipping and seamless logistics management. They understand that running an ecommerce business means you have a lot on your plate at one time, so they are there to take care of the inventory management, shipping and fulfillment processes so you can run your business and they’ll take care of the rest.
If you’re interested in making inventory management, packaging, returns, reporting, and other aspects of logistics easier for your business, use FDC and one or any of their international warehouses to take care of your shipping and fulfillment service today.
Shipwire
With over 154 locations in over 45 countries, Shipwire is an obvious choice for your business’ shipping and fulfillment needs. Providing your products internationally is a breeze with Shipwire’s shipping and fulfillment software service, plus they have no minimums and they’re easy to integrate with Shopify.
With Shipwire you can sell through multiple platforms and marketplaces through an automated process so your business operations can run as smoothly and hassle-free as possible and your customers get the fastest and least expensive service possible. Start servicing your international customers today with Shipwire’s worldwide service and provide the best service to your customers with a more seamless fulfillment process for your business.
ShipStation
If you run a higher volume store and are churning out a few hundred packages or more a month, ShipStation is likely the answer to all your shipping and fulfillment problems. ShipStation is compatible with all of your online selling channels, you can manage and ship right from your phone, it’s integrated with all the major shipping carriers and you can automate pretty much everything.
ShipStation makes shipping easier for you, so check them out today if you want a more streamlined and efficient shipping process for your business.
ShippingEasy
ShippingEasy is another great option for simple shipping at the beginner level, and it’s free if you’re shipping under 50 orders per month. ShippingEasy is compatible with all major shopping cart platforms and marketplaces making it easy to integrate into your ecommerce business’ routine. It also has multi-channel capabilities which means that no matter how many shopping cart platforms and marketplaces you sell on, ShippingEasy can keep track of it all in one place for you. With tracking and multi-carrier capabilities, it’s effective and efficient for what you need it for and label printing, product weighing, and return labels are a breeze.
Use ShippingEasy today to help you take care of the shipping process so getting your products to your customers is as easy as it can be.
Shippo
Shippo is the simplest and most beginner-friendly shipping label app to use for your store. By using Shippo you have access to tools like address validation, multi-carrier support, API tracking, batch label creation, discounts and international shipping, plus it’s easily integratable with your store which means orders automatically import. There are no monthly fees with Shippo, each label just costs the price of postage plus five cents so you won’t be overcharged excess fees and can get your package from one place to the next with as little hassle as possible. If you’re new to shipping, Shippo is a great place to start as it’s free, easy to set up, integratable with your store, simple to use and low cost.
Examine China
This online database provides you with reports that include detailed information about Chinese companies with the intention of preventing scams and fraud. With the ability to search their database by names of companies you’re able to get an inside look at what is a secure business to work with and what is not.
Check in with this database to help you complete your due diligence when looking to work with companies based in China. Before placing an order with any supplier in China, make your first purchase a report with Examine China.
Maker’s Row
Maker’s Row is an all-American database of trusted manufacturers and factories who are looking to work with customers just like you. With companies able to produce anything from clothing and shoes to furniture and fake flowers, there’s a manufacturer on their database of thousands around the United States that will be able to create your own unique product. Use the Maker’s Row messaging tool to contact the manufacturers so you can take the guesswork out of contacting factories knowing you have the correct contact information and the proper factory representative’s names.
Maker’s Row informational blog is the best place to gain insight into the world of manufacturing if you’re new and unsure of where to start as they have many tools, tips, and resources for anyone new to working with manufacturers and factories. This is the go-to place if you don’t know where to start when it comes to finding and working with a manufacturing company.
Marketing
KWFinder
KWFinder is a unique tool that is not only super powerful, but it’s so simple to use. A rare find, this tool is the best starting point to help you uncover golden keyword opportunities.
Some of KWFinder’s features include:
- Easily uncover long-tail keywords
- Search volume of keywords
- SEO difficulty to rank for each keyword
To be clear, in a very easy to use, intuitive interface, it shows you the best keywords to go after and tells you exactly how hard it will be to rank for them.
This tool gets our highest marks.
Sumo
Sumo is a comprehensive suite of marketing tools to help you grow your business that includes everything from multiple types of email captures as well as analytics to easily understand exactly how people are interacting with your store.
Ultimately, Sumo gives you everything you need to grow your traffic, subscribers and conversions, all in one efficient and organized app. The best part is that it’s insanely customizable while also being simple to understand and implement.
SEMrush
SEMrush is a tool used to research competitors’ keywords. It shows organic and advertisement keywords that are used for any site or domain which you can apply to your own store. Target your competitor’s keywords and start integrating them into your own site to redirect some of their traffic to your store.
Picreel
Picreel is a conversion rate optimization software that enables you to create exit-intent pop-ups to use on your website for an inexpensive purchase price. Turn abandoning visitors into customers with customizable pop-ups that you can tailor-make to your own website to do everything from email capturing, customer surveying, special promotion offers, and increase your sales overall. If you haven’t already implemented the use of exit-intent pop-ups already, try Picreel today on your store and see how much it improves customer engagement and sales conversions.
Edgar
Edgar is a convenient social media management tool that cycles through a library of content you’ve created to keep your social media posts consistent and constant. Build up your library as much as you want and integrate your social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn so you never run out of fresh content and you don’t need to keep scheduling content to post as it runs out. As you gather more content add it to your ongoing library and it will post as your library cycles through your predetermined schedule.
With Edgar’s easy to use interface you’re able to easily manage your library and posts and make any adjustments on the go as you need to. Get Edgar today so you can build your social media library and develop a consistent posting schedule so you’re always engaging your audience and never forgetting to post.
Business Administration
The Company Corporation (USA)
If you’re looking for advice and procedures on how to incorporate your business in the USA, this is the resource for you. Easier than traipsing through the incorporation process alone, this service makes it easier to manage the paperwork process required to turn your business into a legal entity by serving as a registered agent, helping businesses apply for the right tax information and many other services.
Their formation services are available in every state and they offer coaching services that can put any business in touch with a knowledgeable specialist to help sort out any challenges that may occur. There’s a lot to consider when incorporating your business, so use this service to save the hassles and make sure your business is on track for success.
Corporation Centre (Canada)
If you’re looking to incorporate your business in Canada, this website provides business owners, start-ups and entrepreneurs with advice, suggestions, and help for incorporating your business. With plenty of information and FAQ’s addressed on their website, plus dependable customer service and additional resources typically required by small business owners, Corporation Centre is the one-stop-shop for anything and everything related to incorporation in Canada. If you’re unsure about where to incorporate, the associated costs or how to do it, check out their website to get all the answers you need and help from the experts along your way.
Incorporations.IO
If you’re unsure about where to register your business, this service can help you decide based on your personal circumstances. Not only can they give you the information and tools to best advise you on where to incorporate, they can actually help you along the way with the paperwork so you can get back to running your business as quickly as possible. Get your first consultation for free to figure out exactly how they can help you on your way to incorporating your business in the best place for you.
TelSec Mail Forwarding & Virtual Offices (USA/Canada)
Reduce your operating expenses while still reaping the benefits of having your own office space with TelSec’s office space rentals and virtual office services. For a small fee you get access to a professional office environment, mail forwarding system and personalized customer service, all without having to hire, train and manage your own staff. Make this centrally located Toronto address your own today and gain the benefits of your own professional office without any capital investment or purchasing and serving equipment.
Mailbox Forwarding (USA)
With this convenient mailbox forwarding system, you can manage your paper mail just as easily as you do your email with a hassle-free virtual address. This service is particularly beneficial because not only will your mail be sent to a street box address where the company’s staff will scan the envelop for you to view online, but from there you can request the contents to be scanned so you can view them, the item be shredded and recycled or otherwise forwarded to your address. Use this affordable and confidential service today to manage your mail in a convenient way online so you can handle your business’s mail efficiently and hassle-free.
Hushed Disposable Phone Numbers
Keep your personal phone number private and use Hushed disposable phone number to manage your customer and business-related calls and text messages. As one of the most used second phone number apps that’s available, Hushed is a recognized and recommended app for entrepreneurs and business owners alike. Get as many phone numbers as you like and enjoy the several safety and security features without having to switch your SIM card or change network providers.
Hushed is perfect for every entrepreneur and business owner who wants to securely manage their phone calls without the hassle of setting up a second phone. It’s easy and affordable with Hushed, so start your free trial with them today.
Bench Accounting
Bench is a personalized bookkeeping service that collects your financial data and turns it into financial reports for you. Let Bench do the data entries and number crunching so you can focus on the aspects of your business that you excel at. They can even schedule personal calls with you to go over your data and reports so you can be sure you know what’s going on with your finances at all times. For US-based business’ only, Bench gives you really great apps to upload all your financials and then pairs you with a real bookkeeper that provides you tax-ready financial statements. They take (almost) all the pain out of accounting.
Quickbooks Online
Quickbooks has a lot of convenient features for online businesses including bank syncing technology, expense tracking and the ability to send professional invoices. Not only that but you can pay your employees, connect directly to PayPal, access your financial reports and manage and pay bills for one seamlessly integrated business finance operations system.
Quickbooks is really a one stop online shop for every service that can help your business manage its finances, so take advantage of their several pricing packages today and get your business organized.
Check out the Quickbooks Shopify App or the Bigcommerce Quickbooks App
Neat
Another very easy way to manage manage receipts and invoices for your accounting systems, Neat can digitally capture, unlock, backup, and unleash your business data from anywhere, anytime you need it. Snap photos of your receipts, scan and email in documents, digitally organize your business contacts, easily send information to programs like Excel, TurboTax, QuickBooks and more, and see just how easily you can make your business’ bookkeeping. Managing your finances won’t be a mess of papers when you use Neat, so stay on top of your expenses and reporting now so tax season can be less taxing.
Shoeboxed
Using Shoeboxed you’re able to organize your receipts and other expenses so you’ll be ready to go when it comes to preparing your taxes. Besides receipt organization, they also offer business card management, expense reports, mileage tracking, and other services to keep you organized and most importantly-paperless. You’re able to access their services from anywhere and you can send your receipts and reports from anywhere too, so you can keep yourself organized on the go and have less to deal with later.
VyprVPN
The best part about this downloadable app for your computer is that it just works. With a simple on/off switch you’re able to encrypt your data and work securely from any location without the worry of compromising yours or your customer’s sensitive data.
VyprVPN has an easy to use interface with compatible apps for every device and a fast connection to support any business, so you know you’re getting the best tool out there to protect your business’s communications. Use it also as a tool to bypass geo-restrictions so you can access any business tools you need no matter what your location is. VyprVPN is the most reputable and trusted provider on the market, so protect your business and consumer data and get set up easily and affordably with this trusted service today.
Physical Tools
The Five Minute Journal
Described as a toothbrush for the mind, the Five Minute Journal is a tool to keep you mindful, grateful and on track not only with your business but your daily life as well. Called the Five Minute Journal for a reason, all it takes is a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes in the evening to start and finish your day, and what an impact it can have. Many successful entrepreneurs swear by this tool so grab yourself the paper copy or the app version today and be on your way to a positive mindset.
Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR Camera
There are lots of choices for cameras these days but ultimately, your best chance at producing compelling product photos for your ecommerce website will come from a DSLR camera. Smartphone cameras are getting better and better but if you’re looking to take your product photos to the professional level, a Canon camera is the place to start. Canons are tried, tested and true and this particular series of cameras is great for beginner photographers to intermediates and advanced alike.
Square Perfect 30-Inch Light Tent for Product Photography
If you’re doing your own product photography, you’ll need a good backdrop to take ultra clean photos. This light tent filters the light to prevent shadows and reflections and it eliminates reflections on metallic objects. Use this to take perfect product photos of small items to create seamless product photos for your ecommerce website. It folds up nicely as well for easy storage.
Ozeri Touch Professional Digital Scale
In order to print your own labels you’ll need to weigh your orders. With nearly 1,500 reviews and an average 4 1/2 stars, this inexpensive but effective scale should be all you need.
DYMO LabelWriter 4XL Thermal Label Printer
If you’re not drop shipping or at the stage of using a fulfillment warehouse, then you need to find a way to ship your orders efficiently. This is the most popular label printer and works with all postage/label printing apps so you can pack, print, and ship your orders fast.
Black Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover (5 x 8.25)
There’s something about putting pen to paper that no computer, tablet, stylus or note taking app can match. This classic, minimal notebook is one of the best selling Moleskine notebooks and is a perfect place to jot down business ideas, thoughts and inspirations. Carry this lightweight and sleek book with you throughout the day or take it with you to your local watering hole to pencil in that perfect idea whenever it comes to you. Nobody wants to miss a Eureka! moment.
Productivity Tools
Help Scout
Your email inbox won’t cut it when it comes to support tickets after a while. Things get cluttered, you forget who you replied to and who you still need to answer. Customer support gets mixed with other business activities and before you know it, everything is a complete mess and you’re completely lost.
Fix this before it becomes an issue and sign up to Help Scout. Help Scout is a customer support/ticket management app that helps you easily manage all customer support issues in an easy to understand interface, similar to email, but better.
Best of all, Help Scout is completely free for one inbox. Everyone should be using Help Scout, right from the beginning.
Slack
Slack is essentially like mission control for your online business. Use this tool to collaborate and communicate with your virtual assistants and your contract workers. Create specific channels in your chat room to discuss different topics and share files related to specific tasks. Connect other tools like Shopify, or HelpScout to get a real time feed of your sales and support tickets all in one spot. Share what you like with your team so they have all the information from your business that they need to do their jobs better.
UpDown
Updown.io is a dead-simple and inexpensive tool to monitor all your online businesses and watch for errors and downtime. For as little as a few dollars per month, this tool will constantly ping your site to make sure it’s up and running. You’ll be surprised to see how often your site might be down without you even knowing about it.
This tool also easily integrates with Slack so you can get real-time notices as to what’s happening with your stores, as soon as it happens.
Dropbox
Dropbox is an online storage system that you can sync across all your computers and devices so you have all the documents, photos, and videos you need wherever you need them. Just for signing up you get 2GB for free, and you’re able to keep your files for yourself or share them with your employees and team, even if they don’t have Dropbox.
Dropbox is great for teams because everyone can edit a shared file without the hassle of emailing big projects back and forth. If your entire business is online, like many entrepreneurs, make Dropbox a part of your workflow, never lose a file again and let this file managing service work for you.
Evernote
Want to organize your life? Evernote is designed to manage everything from work notes, to-do lists, recipe collections, and travel plans in one convenient and organized place. You’re able to use this service extensively, even the free version, and most people won’t need anything more than the free version. Use Evernote as a place for all your ideas, projects, thoughts, links, and everything else in between so you can get organized without the effort.
Dashlane
Never forget another password with the help of Dashlane. With this free service, you can keep all your passwords in one easily accessible place, get them whenever you need them and you can even auto-save them so Dashlane can enter them when you need them. No need to waste your time entering and re-entering passwords to no avail, Dashlane makes it so easy you can sit back and relax. If you haven’t tried a password managing service before, do yourself a favor and get Dashlane.
AppSumo
AppSumo is the place to get free or extremely discounted access to the best services for entrepreneurs that exists. Sign up to their email list and wait for the best app offers to come into your inbox about once a month. Using AppSumo will expose you to awesome tools and resources you can use to better your business that you may otherwise not have known about, and be able to use them for a lot less of the cost. If you’re interested in using innovative apps to help your business be better at what it does then AppSumo is definitely for you.
Jungle Scout
This no guess approach to selling products online will give you insider data into what products are currently selling on Amazon without any tedious research and time-consuming searches. This is a great resource for ecommerce entrepreneurs searching for the perfect product to sell online as it provides real data so you can identify what potential product opportunities exist.
If you’re interested in finding trending products to sell online or products that have withstood the test of time, use Jungle Scout’s tracking and organization system to your advantage so you can take the guesswork out of the equation. Using basic search parameters like ideal price, margin, and levels of competition you can easily come up with a verifiable list of trending products to sell online.
Continued Learning
Skillshare
Whether you’re looking to advance your knowledge in your current skill set or are wanting to learn something entirely new, Skillshare provides instructive and interactive video lessons to help you up your game whether it’s in business, design, cooking or creativity. With marketing lessons by Seth Godin, SEO workshops, photoshop courses for beginners or tips and tricks on running a fashion business, there’s quite literally a video lesson for any aspect of your business you may want to improve. Turn your typical Netflix watching hours into productive Skillshare watching hours and help your business grow.
CreativeLive
CreativeLive brings in world-leading experts to discuss topics such as photography, video, design, business, audio, music, crafting and software training, so you can watch the live workshops and participate in accessible, dynamic education. The classes are free to watch live, you only pay if you buy the video recordings after, and you can interact with their instructors in real-time.
If you’re looking to build skills and abilities within yourself that can be useful for running your own business, CreativeLive has courses that can help you with product photography, using Adobe Photoshop, Facebook marketing and talks from well known successful entrepreneurs just to name a few. Stay inspired with CreativeLive and keep learning in various areas that will enhance your business and personal development.
Udemy
With over 1,800 plus business-relevant courses taught by industry experts, Udemy has an extensive collection of content to help your business go through every phase of building, launching and growing. No matter what you or your business requires, whether it be improving computer programming skills, expanding your Photoshop skills, or even learning how to manage a team, there are courses for that and more on Udemy.
Use it for yourself, members of your team or even your whole team, learning new skills will always be beneficial for your business. Try Udemy today and enjoy its vast library of fresh, relevant and industry-leading content to take your business or team to the next level.
SEO Review Tools
If you’re looking to improve your current SEO efforts, look no further than SEO Review Tools and the host of resources available on this website that can help you out with your SEO. With everything from website authority checkers, an SEO keyword suggestion tool, duplicate content checkers, and an internal link analyzer, there are many tools available to you to help you with your content and SEO strategy.
Use these simple, effective and free SEO tools available on SEO Review Tools to make the most out of what SEO can do for your business.
