The second to last section in the book is titled Tools. It’s an overview of essential resources for thriving and productivity.

The latest available tools are meant to supercharge our creativity as well as save us valuable time with endless possibilities of automating basic tasks that often seem very alluring to be done manually, and slowly.

From accounting software to project management apps, and from design programs to AI platforms, we'll cover the must-have tools for every creative entrepreneur. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this episode will equip you with the right information and show you the right direction where to start looking for that competitive advantage. ~

Welcome to five minute magic from Creativity For Sale Podcast. A quick fire episode, sharing tips and tricks from the pages of the book of the same title. 

Every week I'll be sharing one or two ideas that can give you. And actionable take away for your creative career, your business, or just the food for thought for the weekend ahead. These are taken from the audio book, and you can find the full version in the show notes . 

Creativity For Sale: How to start and grow a life-changing creative career and business by Radim Malinic - Out now.

Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/8r2eSAQ
Signed books https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/ (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)

November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

Radim Malinic: [00:00:00] Hello, and welcome to five minute magic from creativity for sale podcast. A quick fire episode, sharing tips and tricks from the pages of the book of the same title. [00:00:10] Yes. Creativity for sale. Every week I'll be sharing one or two ideas that can give you. And actually we'll take away for your creative career, your business, or just the food for [00:00:20] thought for the weekend ahead. These tapes are taken from the audio book, and you can find a link to the full version in the show 

Radim Malinic: notes. 

Radim: the second to last [00:00:30] section in the book is titled Tools. It's an overview of essential resources for thriving and productivity. The latest available tools are meant to supercharge our creativity, as well as [00:00:40] saving us valuable time. We have endless possibilities of automating basic tasks that often seems very alluring to be done manually and slowly.

Radim: From [00:00:50] accounting software to project management apps, from design programs to AI platforms, we'll cover the must have tools for every creative entrepreneur that are you. Whether you are [00:01:00] seasoned pro, whether you are a seasoned pro or just starting out, this episode will equip you with the right information and show you the right direction where to start looking for that [00:01:10] competitive advantage.

 You've won the client and you're making money. Rinse and repeat. [00:01:20] Surely it's that simple, right? Well, in some ways it can be that simple. And in other ways, it's most certainly not. When you've [00:01:30] only got one or two clients and it's just you doing the work, then it can be relatively easy to manage everything.

But as soon as your operation starts [00:01:40] increasing in size or complexity, then it really helps if you have tools to keep things running smoothly. And it's far easier to put those tools in place when your [00:01:50] business is simple than when you're on the back foot further down the line. Business tools. Bad news first.

[00:02:00] Creative people are often pretty bad at running their operation using tools and time saving products. Good news next. Those who do get good [00:02:10] at this find their business life much easier. There are plenty of apps and tools to help you run your business and make you look like a professional from [00:02:20] day one.

Yes, you'll need to spend a bit of time playing around with these tools, especially if you're not tech savvy. But it's worth it because they will save a [00:02:30] lot more time later. Time you can spend on being creative. Accounting. Most [00:02:40] creatives find the finance and accounting side of things a yawn fest. Some creatives can't even get their head around balance sheets and the like, let alone [00:02:50] figure out their yearly tax return.

That's why it's worth using a bookkeeping and accounting tool to keep your accounts in check. There are free [00:03:00] and paid versions of accounting software and which you choose really depends on your needs, but all of them take a lot of the headache outta accounting [00:03:10] if you still don't feel keen or confident.

Getting an actual accountant is a must tools free agent. [00:03:20] Zero, QuickBooks, Sage, Time Management. Many creatives also find [00:03:30] project management a challenge and our creative exciting way of working doesn't run smoothly with being organized and methodical. That's why [00:03:40] time, task and project management apps are an absolute necessity for creatives, especially as your client base and team grows.[00:03:50] 

Again, some of these tools are free while others are paid for. And many have both free and paid versions, depending on the complexity of your [00:04:00] requirements. You might start out with a free tool, then eventually pay for something more bespoke when you need it. Tools. [00:04:10] Asana. Slack. Monday. Hive. Trello. Miro, Client Management.[00:04:20] 

As well as managing the project itself, there are aspects of working with clients that are easily solved by tech, such as document [00:04:30] signing programs to ensure the client has signed the contract, calendar apps to schedule meetings and calls, pipeline tracking tools to keep an eye on your leads, [00:04:40] and screen capture software so you can record videos for your clients.

Tools, DocuSign, Adobe Sign, Calendly.[00:04:50] 

Google Meet, Zoom, Pipe Drive, HubSpot, [00:05:00] Loom, Frame. io, Personal Management. The wonder of tech isn't just in [00:05:10] what it can do for your business, but what it can do for you personally. There are apps to store your notes and harness your creativity. Apps to block [00:05:20] social media to help you focus, and apps to track your time so you know how long things take and how productive you are.

Tools. [00:05:30] Notion. Evernote. Plus many more. Social media. [00:05:40] While social media can feel like a nightmare, there are many tools that will help you run it without losing your time and your mind. Some enable you [00:05:50] to schedule posts in advance, track your analytics better, or even plan digital campaigns. Tools, [00:06:00] Later.

com, ContentCal, Meta Business Suite, HootSuite, Automation [00:06:10] Tools. And finally, once your tech setup is expanding, there are tools that help you with other tools, such as automating certain [00:06:20] actions and connecting various technologies together, so you can eliminate a lot of unnecessary admin tasks. Tools, [00:06:30] Zapier, I F T T T.

Make. Now you've got your brand new shiny business tools, you might find it a [00:06:40] bit overwhelming trying to use them all in your business. I totally understand this. But bear in mind that tools are just instruments and they're here to [00:06:50] make your life more harmonious. Many of these tools are here to solve the problem of time versus admin, not to make your life more difficult.[00:07:00] 

So, if you find that a tool isn't helpful, then scrap it and try something else. There's plenty out there for everyone. [00:07:10] Creative tools. As a creative professional, there are many tools and software programs that will make your creative [00:07:20] life easier, and many that are simply a necessity to do the work your clients require.

Which of these you need really depends on the specific type of work [00:07:30] you do. And indeed, these are not the only tools available, nor the ones that might stay popular, or even stay around forever. But [00:07:40] there will always be more tools available for these tasks. So pick the ones that work for you. Photography and Design, [00:07:50] Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, Affinity, Krita, Procreate, Inkspace, [00:08:00] 3D Apps, Blender, Spline, Cinema 4D, Redshift, Houdini, Web UI [00:08:10] Design, Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD.

Envision, Website Builders, Squarespace, [00:08:20] Wix, WordPress, Editor X, Framer, Webflow, Bootstrap, Online Stores, [00:08:30] Shopify, WooCommerce, Big Cartel, Squarespace, Magento, Weebly, SEO and PPC, [00:08:40] SEMrush, Spotify, the H Email Marketing, MailChimp, Klaviyo Converter [00:08:50] Kit, ortho Email Mail Alight Flow Buffer Podcast production, [00:09:00] Riverside fm.

Simplecast, Acast, Squadcast, Zencaster, Music and Audio Production, [00:09:10] Adobe Audition, Ableton, Soundcloud, Audacity. Ultimately, creative tools are here to help you improve at your [00:09:20] craft and deliver a better outcome to your clients. While the learning curve might sometimes be steep, they should help you do a better job.[00:09:30] 

As a professional, you should be on an endless quest to learn more and improve. Whether it's new creative software or a new technique. [00:09:40] And if you're stuck with a technical issue, it goes without saying that YouTube tutorials are a good place to start. People [00:09:50] tools. Did I just call people tools? Um, yes, I did.

What I mean by that is other people are [00:10:00] often very good ways to learn and improve yourself. While it's not as simple as just teaching. Downloading some software or installing an app. You should [00:10:10] always surround yourself with wiser people. Whether it's joining a community of fellow creatives or getting yourself a business mentor.

If [00:10:20] that's not possible, consider courses or coaching programs to give you a view into other worlds. Tools, meetup [00:10:30] groups, networking events. mentors, coaches, accountability bodies, training courses, coaching [00:10:40] programs, podcasts, TED talks. You get the picture, right? Sometimes these tools will cost money and other times [00:10:50] hours.

Either way, investment in your progress will always be money well spent.