Best Tools for New Mompreneurs

Do you like discovering the best tools for Mompreneurs to simplify your business? As a full-time work at home mom, I love finding other Mompreneurs lists of favorite things they use to be successful in their business that I can try in mine.

Today I’m sharing with you MY favorite tools for new Mompreneurs that have made the biggest impact on simplifying my work at home life.

Some of these are free apps, some are inexpensive office supplies and then there is my beloved Microsoft Surface.

As a Mompreneur, there are a lot of competing priorities for your time and money. The freedom and flexibility to work at home on your own schedule is amazing but It takes effort to successfully manage your must do list.

The first category of my favorite business and products are related to saving time and getting that must do list done faster!

Best Time Saving Apps

I don’t know about you but once I started researching having my own business I discovered a ton of exciting technology innovations and apps that I had NO IDEA existed!

Trello – I had no idea what Trello, Asana or Airtable were until I started to work from home. I started using Trello about six months after starting my business and I wish I’d know about it when I worked a traditional office.

The Trello phone app and website ingrate seamlessly so you can access your notes anywhere.

Instead of having lots of random ideas and to-do lists in GoogleKeep, I now have organized ideas and goals with implementation tactic lists in Trello.  If you haven’t explored it yet I highly recommend it!

Freshbooks – I was “that employee” the one who NEVER turned expense reports in on time.  But once I had my own business I new that had to change!

I researched a couple different bookkeeping apps and picked Freshbooks. It is so easy to use and once its set up keeping up with bookkeeping tasks is a breeze.

I wrote about why I signed up for Freshbooks over Quickbooks in this post. Or Pin It to read later.

Target Drive-Up – I am still kicking myself for waiting so long to try Target’s FREE Target Drive-Up!

Every Mompreneur with available Target Drive-Up should be using this option! You order items on your phone and instead of everything showing up at your door in lots of boxes they load everything in bags (GREAT handle bags BTW) into you trunk and your Target shopping is done.

This is a great time and money saver since there is no opportunity for impulse shopping. You can read more about Target Drive Up and what to know the first time you go.

Shipt – After discovering Target Drive-Up I continued to resist signing up for a grocery delivery service.

And then the day after Christmas we were outside teaching our daughter to use her new Minnie bike Santa gift.  Our neighbor and her daughter were outside doing the same thing. The mom pulled me aside to tell me a secret.

She had completely forgotten to buy the bike for Christmas. She used Shipt on Christmas Eve Day to have it delivered from Target and her delivery person snuck it into their garage.

In that moment I was sold and signed up that night! I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and easy to use the shopping dashboard. My grocery store’s BOGO and sale items easy to find. And they have their own Shipt deals.

For the same yearly price as AmazonPrime someone else spends time grocery shopping for you and there are no boxes to through away. Sign up for Shipt and get all those hours spent grocery shopping back to spend on your business or with your family!

Best Office Supplies

I am one of those people who loves to stroll through the isles of office supply stores. But as a new Mompreneur that’s not really the best use of time!  I discovered a couple office supplies and desk accessories that I love and that I hope you will too.

My favorite notebook ever. The great thing about this Mead Cambridge Meeting Notebook / Journal, 9- 1/2″ x 7-1/4″, Legal Ruled, 80 Twinwire Sheets, Teal (49587) is the water resistant cover.  Set it down in water? Spill coffee on it? No problem it just wipes away!

Frixon erasable colored pens are another one of those things that I no idea existed until I started to work from home. Grab yourself a pack of these Pilot FriXion Clicker Retractable Erasable Gel Pens Fine Point (.7) Assorted Color Inks 7-pk; Make Mistakes Disappear, No Need For White Out with America’s #1 Selling Pen Brand today!

The Logitech P710e Mobile Conferencing Speakerphone has been a huge help to me. It was a bit of a splurge but I love that this speaker phone lets me multi task during conference calls. I can prep dinner in the kitchen, fold laundry or use the stand for video calls with ease.

I absolutely love my light weight Microsoft Surface.  From my back porch to the coffee shop or docked at my desk when need a second monitor my Microsoft Surface has been this Momepreneur’s best friend! I have the Pro 4 but am looking forward to trading it in for this newer Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB) – Newest Version and Microsoft FMM-00001 Type Cover Surface Pro – Black 

It took awhile and a lot of searching but I found a stylish Surface Cover that I love! The pocket in the front of this Bertie’s Closet Blue Stripes Surface Case is a great bonus. I keep my notebook, pen and a few business cards in there.

 

My Favorite Business Books

Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be. Business books don’t always have to be about business theories. This book was as good as the buzz about it! I have listened to a couple chapters on Audible repeatedly!

Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. This is one of those books that it seems like everyone is talking about. And  after listening to it I understand why! I recommend buying the paper version of this book and working through the assignments. I listened to this book on Audible and will also be buying the hard copy so I can highlight the parts that are most meaningful to my business.

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine. I have always been a believer in paying yourself and having multiple savings accounts. This book is a must read for Mompreneurs! It’s important to stay on top of your income and expenses as a business owner and this system helps you not spend money you don’t have.

Bonus: Best Mama Find

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins. While this isn’t a business tool, this recipe is THE GO-TO kitchen togetherness activity my preschooler and I do. I don’t know the woman who posted this Pin but I am forever grateful to her that she shared her recipe on Pinterest.

We usually make these on Sunday afternoons when the bananas need to be used up and my preschooler takes them in her lunch box all week.

And sometimes we even make these muffins at 6am on a Tuesday before preschool when she wakes up extra early.

They turn out great with any milk, any combination of flours and an extra banana. Pro Mom Tip: Don’t skip the mini chocolate chips!

Conclusion

There are a lot of tools available for Mompreneurs and sometimes its overwhelming to know which ones to start with.

The best tools for new Mompreneurs help streamline your business so you can focus on your work and and family.

What are some of your favorite Mompreneur tools?

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