12 Resources For Running Your Company on a Budget

If you're just starting your online business, whether it be selling crochet scarves on Etsy or running a blog (which, yes, can be turned into a business), you might feel overwhelmed with everything you have to do. And that Pinterest article you read basically screamed at you for not understanding analytics and engagement rates and what your niche is and your brand? Like, of clothing? But it's okay, take a deep breath and remember the internet is a scary and big place, but you're surrounded by thousands of people in the same boat as you.

While I can't even hope to cover every aspect of online businesses (branding, marketing, advertising, social media management... I could go on all day), I'm hopeful that this list will help you get started somewhere. Because the hardest part of starting is actually starting.

PHOTO EDITING

Humans are visual. Most people would pick an attractive image over a wall of text any day. Thankfully, we've come a long way since the days where your only photo editing option was Photoshop. There's thousands of free resources for any kind of photo editing you can image. From simple filters to perfect your IG theme to websites allowing you to create infographics all on one site; if you need it, chances are it exists.

* = Paid features optional

˜ = Available on desktop and in the app store

APPS:
• VSCO Cam :: Free*, available for iPhone and Android

• Polarr :: Free*, available for iPhone and Android

WEBSITES:

• Canva :: Free*˜

• Piktochart :: Free*˜

• Pixlr :: Free˜

• Info.gram :: Free*

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Chances are, you have social media accounts. I'm also willing to bet that sometimes you also feel lost in a sea of random numbers and analytics. While it's important to be able to understand the data behind your social media accounts, you don't have to understand it all in a day. There's so many free products created to help people like you manage and understand the data behind your accounts. Let them take over (at least for now). I'll only be linking websites because I feel it's easiest to get the full feeling for these products when you're not staring at a tiny screen.

* = Paid features optional

º = Paid membership required

WEBSITES:

• Hootsuite* :: The only tool that allows you to manage over 30 social media platforms in one place. If you're not using Hootsuite... how have you been keeping your head above the ever rising tide that is social media management?

• TweetReach :: This site allows you to easily view how many people your Tweet "reached." It's important to know how many people you engage with daily so you don't feel as if you're staring into a black void.

• Iconosquareº :: Free for 14 days with paid membership after. If your biggest platform is Instagram, Iconosquare is for you. They have analytics on anything you need from hashtags to your competition's daily counts. 

EVERYTHING ELSE 

Could I be more vague? Possibly. But could the world of free resources be so rapidly expanding that this guide will require an update in 3 months? Definitely. Running a company is so much more than pretty pictures and tweet engagement, but understanding how to do those things with the free resources out there will save you time, money, and sanity, all invaluable resources when you're a small business. 

• AllTop :: This website gathers some of the internet's most popular sites and their top viewed stories. If you want a site that shows you Mashable, LifeHacker, and CNN's top stories on one page, AllTop is for you. It's an excellent site to see what people are interested in now. 

• FreedCamp :: A free content and project management system. I'm a firm believer in the best way to stay organized is to let other people keep me organized and FreedCamp helps me with that.

• HelloSign :: Contracts are scary. The idea of actually writing law-binding contracts for others to sign is scary. Hellosign is not scary. It lets you virtually create contracts for clients to sign with ease. 

10 things I forgot to bring to college :: plus a free printable packing list!

1). A small tool kit. If something from your dorm room breaks, you're going to probably just have maintenance fix it. But if something you brought into your room breaks, they're going to just stare at you if you ask them to fix it. 
        My roommate and I had a fan running basically 24/7 because they had the heat on until April, and the courtyard in front of our window was always full of geese. So the fan blades got dirty. Really dirty. And I didn't have a screwdriver to take the front off so I could clean it, which really sucked. And another time I was helping my roommate fix her laptop and we had to take the battery out to replace it. The problem was the battery was behind a cover, fixed in place with 6 tiny screws. 

2). Batteries. For your remote (if you bring a tv- which I don't really recommend), your computer mouse, or whatever. You'll probably need a new battery at the worst possible time. 

3). Extension cords and surge protectors. Some dorms don't allow one or both of these items, so check your hall's rules before bringing one. My hall did allow it thankfully, because there was a total of 3 outlets in the entire room. One was used for our printer and fan, the other two were for our mini fridges and laptops.

4). A long charging cable for my phone. Not only were there very few outlets, but they were also close to the floor. I'm about 5'6" and the top of my bed reached my chest, so my tiny cable was no match against that bed. 

5). A very small purse or wristlet. When I was going to the dining hall, I didn't want to carry my giant purses when all I needed was my ID, keys, and money. You probably also won't want to carry a purse to class every day, but you also don't want your keys and ID laying loose in your bookbag.

6). A rug. Halfway through the year, my roommate ended up buying a rug. The cold tile floors were ugly, scratched, and, despite numerous cleanings, always looked dirty. The rug made the room feel more like a part of a house instead of part of a dorm.

7). Toilet brush. This is obviously not needed if you have a community bathroom (my condolences), but if you have a private or semi-private bathroom, you're going to want to keep it clean. Especially if, like me, you have two suitemates who don't know what it means to clean a shared space. Sorry. Passive-aggressive blogging over.

8). Rain stuff. Now, I didn't personally forget any of this, but so many people did. Before I left for school I spent $40 (knocked down from $200, of course) on a really nice raincoat. I brought two umbrellas and made sure I had shoes I didn't mind getting wet. If anything, bring an umbrella. Don't let rain be the reason you skip class, because you're paying a lot of money to be there.

9). Warm clothes. Please don't be me and not bring a winter jacket. Maybe I was naive because I had never experienced Michigan winters before. Or maybe it was that in high school the farthest distance I had to go was from the parking lot to the entrance. Whatever it was, I regret the choice to not bring a coat. I ended up having to get one halfway through the semester because my pullovers couldn't handle it.

10). And finally... the knowledge that it's okay to be scared. I moved to a city over 80 miles away in another state. My planned roommate (that I had met and become friends with) had to switch colleges last minute and I didn't meet my new roommate until a week after I moved in. I didn't have a car, a job, or any sense of familiarity. And for a while I was too proud to admit I was scared because gosh dangit, I had been dreaming about going to college since I was in the 3rd grade. When my friends and I played house, I'd be the lawyer/fashion designer who was also still going to school. Did it make sense? Heck no. Did it make me look forward to college? Heck yes. 

        I went home a total of 4 times my freshmen year and 3 of those were mandatory, 'campus and dorms are closed, ged'outta here' visits. The first time was mid September because honestly? I was afraid to be alone. Most of my HS friends stayed back home and I felt left out and forgotten.

        It took me until the end of my first semester to admit to myself I had been scared. EMU (my lovely school) is a suitecase school. Nearly all the students are from the area, so they go home each weekend. So I'd sit in my room and be alone, afraid to go out but also too scared to stay in with my thoughts. When I admitted I was scared, I felt better. I stopped being afraid to go get lunch on campus - by myself. I started doing things for me and by myself and it wasn't awkward or weird. 

The most important thing to takeaway from this is that you're going to forget things, but you're also going to find so much more. You're going to learn about yourself and others. You're going to find new hobbies and favorite foods and whether or not college (that college or any college) is right for you. And it's okay if the answer is 'no, it's not.' You're there to learn and if that means learning that you'd be happier doing x, y, or z, don't be afraid to follow that.

As promised, here is the free packing checklist. I probably forgot things, of course, but that's why I left some blank lines! Feel free to print this out, just don't claim it as your own or redistribute - in print or online. 

DOWNLOAD LINKS:

pdf

word file

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