Over the years we’ve tried just about every software or service out there on the Internet designed to make building your home business easier. Below are a list of the ones we feel we just couldn’t live without and building our business would have been drastically more difficult without them.
For the record, we don’t believe there’s any such thing as a 5 star product as they can all be improved slightly in one way or another, but some of these get pretty darn close and we hope this selection helps you in your decisions of what to use in building your perfect home business.
*Full disclosure* Some of the product links on this page may be affiliate links which means that if you click it and go on to make a purchase we may receive a small commission from the vendor. This doesn’t cost you any more for your product and you don’t have to do anything, we just wanted to be upfront and let you know 😊
Kartra
Kartra is an awesome ‘all in one’ system that delivers powerful tools without the huge learning curve.
We freakin’ LOVE this system. Everything that your business needs is all handled under one roof and everything works seamlessly.
Created BY marketers FOR marketers, it’s a masterpiece and we wish we’d had it sooner.
What We Like
✅ Everything In One Place
Does away with the need for multiple services to be able to run pretty much your entire business.
✅ Ability To Share Campaigns
A recent update means you’re able to share campaigns with your team which make your results highly duplicatable.
✅ Kartra Makes You Do Things The Right Way
Marketers have a habit of not finishing things! Kartra knows this and won’t actually allow you to launch a product until you’ve put all the pieces into place… lifesaver!
✅ Product Support Is Outstanding
There’s an amazing Facebook support group as well as a TON of off the shelf campaigns available to buy in the marketplace that will help banish the tech gremlins from your business for good.
What Could Be Improved
❌ Membership Area Still Lacking Some Functionality
Don’t get us wrong, these are wants more than needs but the addition of rewards at the completion of levels or the ability to poll our audience would be great additions.
That said, Kartra is very new and the team are adding new features all the time so who knows.
❌ It’s Not A Typical E-Commerce Solution
If running an online shop is your thing with lots of smaller products, you’ll still need somewhere to host that.features all the time so who knows.
❌ They Didn’t Build It Ten Years Ago!
We’re kidding of course… but if we’d had this when we were starting out… the mind boggles at where we could be.
Post Planner
Post Planner allows you to pre-schedule posts onto your social media profiles so you can have posts go live while you’re busy doing other things. This can be really useful for blocking your time to get your social media post created during a specific time and then staggering their publication on your social media platforms.
So if you don’t want to get up early to publish that post, you don’t have to.
What We Like
✅ Pre-made Images & Articles To Share
Post Planner comes loaded with pre-made templates, quotes and articles for you to share with your audience making short work of putting your content together.
✅ Posts Can Be Repeated
You can schedule posts to repeat at certain intervals, so for example you have prompts that you post weekly into your group you can schedule those to go out automatically on the day.
✅ You Can Use It Cross-Platform
It’s not just for Facebook, you can use it cross platform on other platforms such as Twitter and Pinterest.
✅ Nice & Simple To Use
Setting up your scheduled posts couldn’t be simpler with the easy to use layout.
What Could Be Improved
❌ Needs Updating If Facebook Changes
Every now and then Facebook will have a wobble and when it does it’s gonna mean you’ll have to refresh your Post Planer posts.
❌ Can’t Do Instagram
At the time of writing you won’t be able to use Post Planner with Instagram, although there are other programs that do work exclusively with Instagram.
Aweber
Aweber is a robust, easy to use email platform that makes sending out amazing emails as easy as pie.
They’ve managed to take what can be a difficult process and make it easy to manage with easy integration of campaigns and sequences.
We’ve now switched over to Kartra for our emails because it integrates everything together but we’ve been avid users of Aweber for years and can recommend it wholeheartedly.
What We Like
✅ Simple To Set Up
The initial draw of Aweber is the simple interface and the simple step-by-step setup process.
✅ It Integrates With Everything
If you’re using third party services for things like landing pages etc, they’re almost guaranteed to integrate with Aweber with no issues.
✅ Delivery Rates Are Excellent
Some services can struggle a bit with getting your emails to actually land in your prospects inbox. Aweber has a great standing and a high deliverability rate.
✅ There’s a TON Of Support
Because Aweber have been one of the main players in the industry for a while, there’s a bunch of support and ‘how to’ resources out there to help you get the best out of it.
What Could Be Improved
❌ A Landing Page Builder Would Be Nice
Something that we feel is missing from Aweber is a decent landing page builder to host your forms on.
You can put a form on a page and generate a unique URL but boring looking is an understatement.
❌ Not As Advanced As Some
Don’t get us wrong, Aweber does what it’s supposed to extremely well… send emails. However if you’re looking for more advanced tagging features and adaptive behaviour based systems you may need to look at something like Kartra instead.
Siteground
Siteground offers state of the art hosting for WordPress.org based websites. They’re one of the few that are recommended by WordPress themselves. They’re a little more expensive than the shared hosting that many use but if you take your WordPress site seriously then it’s worth getting the best hosting.
This site that your on right now is hosted by Siteground, and so is our blog https://tribegeeks.com. That’s how much we trust these guys.
What We Like
✅ Built For WordPress
This is not a one-size-fits-all hosting package. It’s designed and optimised to make your WordPress site run like a champ.
✅ Solid Download Speeds
Speed is important when running a website and Siteground have stripped out any unnecessary code that could potentially slow your site down when it comes to loading and running.
✅ Easy WordPress Installation & Site Migration
If you already have a site, the guys at Siteground will move it over for you. If you’re setting up a new site you’ll be up and running in a couple of clicks.
✅ WordPress Recommended
There are only three hosting services that WordPress have enough confidence in to recommend. Siteground are one of the three… enough said.
What Could Be Improved
We Really Can’t Think Of Anything 😊
Camtasia
Our go-to screen recorder that allows us to capture our computer screens to do demo videos and presentations. This software is used almost every day at Harradine HQ. Not only that but it comes with an awesome video editing suite too.
If you’re looking to create a course or do any kind of video walkthrough demonstrations then this software will be tough to beat.
What We Like
✅ Solid & Robust
Some screen recorders have a tendency to get in the way a bit and crash. Not so with Camtasia.
It runs unobtrusively in the background just doing its job.
✅ Really Useful Tools
For zooming in on parts of the screen, adding nice touches to your presentations and generally looking very professional not much can touch Camtasia.
✅ So Easy To Use
Beautiful in its simplicity, the learning curve is much shallower than most. You’ll be making cool videos in time.
✅ Available For Mac & PC
A nice touch that both platforms are catered for.
What Could Be Improved
❌ Easier Integration To Record Phone Screens
It needs an extra download at the time of writing this to be able to record the screen on iPhones and the like. Not a big deal but easier integration would be nice.
❌ Adding Some Effects Can Be a Bit Tricky
We’re being really picky here but some of the effects call for the video to be expanded in order for you to be able to go in and edit them. If you’re doing lots of them it can get a bit arduous.
Namecheap
We’ve been trusting Namecheap with our domain registrations for years.
They’re really easy to use and have great support when needed. There are others out there but we prefer to have our domains hosted away from our website hosts.
The platform is nice and easy to use (sometimes a little too easy, which means you can get carried away with buying domains!).
What We Like
✅ Nice Simple Interface
Everything’s easy to find and it’s very intuitive to make the changes that you need to without fuss.
✅ Plenty Of Versatility
Everything you’ll ever need to do with a domain is baked right in.
What Could Be Improved
❌ Not Much
It’s not the most complicated service but what it does it does well.
Audible
Learning stuff can be really time consuming when you have to sit and read every page of a long book.
If you’re not a strong reader then audible is the perfect solution as you can be getting on with other things and have the book read to you… often by the author themselves.
It’s a fantastic way to consume content on the go and really connect with the material.
What We Like
✅ Easy To Consume
Can you consume an entire book in a week? How about a day? You can with Audible.
✅ Free Credits For A New Book Monthly
Every month you’ll get credits that you can use towards getting a new book to listen to.
✅ First Month Free
When you sign up you’ll get your first month absolutely free.
✅ Huge Catalogue
There are literally thousands of books to choose from covering just about every subject you could think of.
What Could Be Improved
❌ Can’t Spend Credits In The App
Just a minor irritation but in order to redeem your credits, it seems you have to log into your account through the website and can’t do it through the app.
Trello
If you’re not using Trello in your business then you’re seriously missing a pretty big step. It’s one of those softwares that you can’t believe is actually free.
Once you start using it you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.
Invaluable for getting yourself and your team organised as well as setting reminders and getting feedback from clients. The uses are endless.
What We Like
✅ It’s Free!
Yep! Totally free for everything you’re ever likely to need for a task management tool like this.
✅ Very Intuitive To Use
Some systems make the whole experience difficult by making it too complicated. Trello is easy to use right out of the gate.
✅ Can Be Shared With Your Team
Split tasks across your team and track their progress. add notes on the fly and watch Trello sync with everyone on the project.
✅ Syncs Perfectly Between Mobile & Desktop
No matter if you’re in the office or on the go you’re always connected to what’s happening with your projects.
What Could Be Improved
❌ Nothing Of Note
We’d feel mean criticising Trello even if it was a paid for service… the fact that it’s free means it’s practically perfect.
Webinarjam
Webinars can be one of the most effective ways to sell your product or service to your clients, but hosting them can be a nightmare as most platforms just make it too difficult.
Webinarjam is different.
First of all it actually works! (unlike some) And it makes running successful webinars so easy even we can do it.
What We Like
✅ Integration With Kartra
Because this software comes from the same stable as Kartra it’s easy to integrate the whole sales process together and make it work.
✅
Tons Of In Broadcast Options
We can take polls, create sales buttons, run videos, show slides and so much more right from inside the platform while on a webinar. It’s so flexible it could do ballet 😊
✅ Comprehensive Analytics
Want to find out who left your webinar before the end? Who saw your sales message? Who missed it altogether? All possible in the analytics pane.
✅ Simple Setup & Practice Modes
Need a practice run? We often do! You can do a dummy run inside Webinarjam to make sure you’re ready for the main event…awesome!
What Could Be Improved
❌ Not Much
There’s a bit of a setup process but hey… we’re running a webinar here so there’s bound to be.
Webinarjam makes the process as easy as it’s possible to be without sacrificing functionality.
Everwebinar
This is the sister product to Webinarjam but it’s designed to run what’s known as evergreen webinars, in other words they’re pre-recorded and when someone registers for one they’re played as if they’re live.
It’s a really slick process and can be a massive time saver… a great way to automate your business.
What We Like
✅ Awesome For Complete Automation
The holy grail of many marketers as you really can make money while you sleep. This will allow a totally hands off approach.
✅ Easy To Set Up
Just like Webinarjam, the setup process is nice and easy. You can tell it was made by marketers for marketers.
✅ The Most Reliable Platform For This Service
There’s nothing worse that having tis all set up and your webinar platform doesn’t work. Many we’ve tried aren’t reliable.
Fortunately Everwebinar is 😊
What Could Be Improved
❌ Could Be Open To Abuse (Not The Systems Fault)
We’re not fans of fooling our audience and we’re not sure that running a webinar and pretending to be live when you’re not is the best way to go, so this needs to be used with caution.
Automated webinars are awesome, just don’t pretend to be live when you’re not.
Teachable
Teachable is an amazing platform for hosting your courses and training products. This was what we used to build our memberships before we moved over to Kartra. It was a tough decision at the time because there’s so much that Teachable does right.
If you want a great place to host your training courses with a really professional look and a buying platform built in then Teachable could be for you.
What We Like
✅ Has a Feature Packed Free Platform
If you don’t need all the bells and whistles then you can happily get away with the free platform. Doesn’t get much better than that!
✅ Looks Great
Teachable has a lovely simple interface that’s easy on the eye and looks really nice to navigate.
✅ Easy To Use
Everything is intuitive and nicely laid out so you can get started with what matters straight away… uploading your content.
✅ Tons Of Support & Training
There are regular training webinars on how to use the platform and how to get the best from it so you’ll never be lost on what to do.
What Could Be Improved
❌ To Remove VAT You Need The Pro Version
If you’re not VAT registered and you want to remove it from the price you’ll need to be on the pro plan as Teachable make you add Stripe in order to do it.
❌ Lots Of Design Areas To Make It Look Slick
Each module has a sale page as well as a thumbnail which all need graphics made for them to look nice. It can be a lot of work designing it all and not the most effective use of your time.
Zapier
Zapier is a fantastic tool for automating your marketing efforts. If you need the actions of your prospect to trigger an action… set up a Zap.
It allows you to connect multiple services together to make your marketing a tour-de-force.
It’s one of those go-to services that you’ll wonder how you ever did without once you start using it.
What We Like
✅ Huge Amount Of Zaps Available
There’s a Zap to connect just about every type of software together so you can automate just about anything.
✅ Makes Connecting Services Simple
If Zapier wasn’t around it would mean hiring a coder to write a custom app to make the magic happen.
✅ Allows Behaviour Based Marketing
Being able to take actions and send messages based on a prospects behaviour is one of the most productive ways to handle your marketing efforts. Zapier makes this easy.
What Could Be Improved
❌ Comes With a Learning Curve
You’ll need to be strategic with your Zaps and keep track of what’s set up so you don’t create a monster.
Zapier makes it as easy as it can be though.