From the cuteheads 3rd birthday party styled shoot.

Have you ever thought about opening an online shop or blog that can be monetized, but have no idea where to start? When I first started cuteheads, I’ll be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. Over the years, I’ve developed a lot of skills I never thought I’d have, mostly out of the necessity of not wanting to pay someone to do simple tasks I knew I could do with a little practice. Those skills & the tools needed to do them have become invaluable to my business, and without them, running this little shop would be virtually impossible.

It’s really easy to get “Ooh, shiny!” Syndrome, where every new app and gadget seems like the next best thing that’s going to catapult you to success. But below, you’ll find my tried-and-true tools for making the most of running a very small business and you can decide which ones are important for you.

1. My DSLR. And Photoshop. Beautiful pictures sell clothes. I believe that your website and your social media profile should have beautiful images to attract the type of buyer your want, and I invest time and resources heavily into this category. I’m not the best photog in the world, but learning the basic skills of shooting in manual and editing in Photoshop has been a game changer for me.

2. My website & ecommerce platform. I’m a HUGE fan of Shopify. They offer amazing customer service, and they have a gigantic database of information for any small business topic you can imagine. I get a weekly digest of popular questions that have been asked in their forums. That’s a nice touch. Because Shopify is highly customizable, it helps to have a basic understanding of HTML so you can make small changes without the help of a web designer. More cost saving there.

3. My social media accounts. Social media is a double-edged sword, a necessary evil. Though I’ve made incredible connections through it and it’s helped my business in countless ways, I hate the obsession with it. Having x number of followers won’t make you happy, nor will it guarantee you any kind of success. There’s a saying, “it’s better to be profitable than popular” and while I love IG as much as the next shop girl, I am always looking for ways to be more profitable.

4. My super supportive Facebook group ladies. There aren’t many things I love about Facebook these days (a topic for another post), but since joining lots of small business and blogger private groups, I’ve learned so much about both and made lots of friends that do both. In these groups, you can ask questions, get advice and get promotional support for your new posts without being annoying. Seek out the groups that are right for you and it’ll make a big difference.

5. My iPhone. I think I run half my business from my iPhone. I’d seriously be lost without it. I’m typing this blog post from my kitchen as I make a cup of milk for my daughter. Multitasking at its finest.

6. Reliable childcare. I know there are people that “do it all,” take care of the kids, run the business, run the household, and never break a sweat. I am not that person. I have amazing help in a part-time nanny and my family. Both my family and my husband’s family live in our city and they help a lot. I would never want to give the impression that I do everything by myself, because I don’t. 

7. A comfortable, organized place to work. They say a cluttered space means a cluttered mind, and I really believe that. I actually don’t really have this right now, and it’s a problem. I have teamed up with a local interior designer to make this happen and we’re working on the results. I can’t wait to show you the before and after!

8. The ability to send an email and maintain a mailing list. Regardless of what you may have read, email is NOT dead. It’s an amazing tool for letting people who already love your brand know what’s new and exciting. On top of that, the ability to collect emails addresses in a creative way is critical too; I offer a “welcome” discount code when they sign up for the list, which triggers an automatic email. I also use mailchimp, because it’s so small business-friendly.

What are your small business and blogger must-have’s?