Try this with me. I’m doing it.
Play outside your house every single day.
For instance, some of the things I’ve done this past week: bowling, air hockey, an escape room, chess in the park, tennis.
Some things I have booked: rifle range, archery, basketball.
Sometimes I feel like I have no time to play. I have to do THIS or THAT! But there’s always a tiny bit of time, hidden somewhere – an empty pocket, a secret room in your head.
So make use of it…it’s important to play.
And when it’s time to work, make sure you’re using tools to help you be productive, stay creative and grow your business.
Here are 10 tools I use everyday…
1. Hosting: Bluehost
Hosting is one of those things I don’t
want to think about…
I just want my website to work, to always be up and running so I know all the things I create are available at any time to anyone who needs them.
So I don’t need tons of features. I don’t want anything complicated.
I just want it to work so I can concentrate on writing.
So I like Bluehost. Really it’s that simple.
Listen, hosting isn’t optional, you have to have it. So make it easy on yourself and don’t overthink it. Use Bluehost and then get to work building your business.
Oh, and it’s cheap. Like under $5 a month. So I really do recommend it.
2. Landing Pages: Lead Pages
I use Leadpages to start conversations with my readers…
I always want to introduce myself by offering value, by telling a story and solving a problem. But I need a reader’s email before I can have a conversation with them.So I use leadpages to build landing pages where I offer something of value in exchange for an email address. But that’s not all…
Leadpages has a lot of features. I actually use a lot of them.
It’s easy, actually I’d even say it’s fun to use.
You can see everything Leadpages does here and decide if this is right for you…all I can tell you is it works for me and makes my blog run better.
3. List Building & Contest Management: Kingsumo
Use code: ALTUCHER25
The most important thing to me is getting the “Choose Yourself” message out to as many people as possible.
That’s why I’ve built everything here…this blog, my podcast, my products for sale. That’s why I write books, speak at events and contribute to big media channels.
I already told you how important it is to build an email list…that’s how I start conversations and get my message out there.
But to build a list you need traffic.
So I love this software, Kingsumo, which helps me run contests that go viral and bring me lot’
s of traffic and attention.
In fact, I love it so much that I’ve promoted them multiple times in the past 100% on my own.
Here are some things I like about Kingsumo:
- It’s really easy to set up (saving you tons of time)…
- People are incentivized to share your giveaway (creating virality)…
- You can run as many campaigns as you want for no extra fee…
Even if people decide to unsubscribe after your contest ends, that’s fine. People need to do what they need to do…
If you choose your prize well, though, you’re left with a rich list of qualified leads.
I’ve personally added 10’s of thousands of people to my email list this way…that’s a ton of people who might not have heard my message otherwise.
4. Email: Active Campaign
After I get traffic…
After I get optins and email
addresses…then what?
When it’s time to actually deliver mycontent, to share the stories, to help my readers find solutions…I have to send them an email.
There’s tons of choices out there…a lot have steep learning curves or ridiculous upsells to things I’ll never use. So you can easily waste weeks searching for the right balance of power vs easy of use.
But remember, I don’t want to spend time comparing services. I just want to run my business. A good friend who runs a big successful business told me about activecampaign.
It worked for him…it works for me too.
So now I’m telling you.
Use Activecampaign for your blog or businesses email.
5. Membership: Wishlist
Most of you know I have a membership site for my newsletter, The Altucher Report.
And when it’s time for members to login, I want to make it as easy as possible for them, so they can spend more time choosing themselves and creating multiple streams of income.
That’s why I use Wishlist, which integrates really simple with WordPress.
6. Keyword tool: SEMrush
Using a keyword tool like SEM rush is a backdoor way to finding out what people are interested in reading about.
It’s also an easy way to see if what you are writing is resonating with people.
With one click you can see where your blog posts are ranking on Google.
Here’s a few examples of my rankings on Google…
#1 for “how to write for a living”
#1 for “college scams”
#2 for “i got fired today now what”
I see this and I’m quickly able to know what my audience wants to hear about.
You can see what your website is ranking for (or anyone else’s) at SEM Rush
Oh, and they usually don’t offer a trial period, but through this link you can try it before purchasing.
7. Team Communications: Slack
I don’t like working from home…and I don’t even have an office.
So I like to get out, walk, play, and when the time is right I set up in coffee shop or a bookstore to write.
And I’m not alone. Coffee shops and bookstores are where freelancers, startup entrepreneurs and creators work.
And you know what I see on everyone’s screens?
Listen, no one likes being on a group email chain with 20+ replies. It’s impossible to follow. It’s a waste of time. It’s slow.
Slack solves all of this. If you work with a team, even just one other person, and you try Slack you will never use email again.
Find out why here. Stop wasting time and get an easy productivity boost.
And get knowing looks from other entrepreneurs in coffee shops.
8. Where I Sell My Books: Amazon
I’ve written 18 books…
Most of them failed horribly, a few did okay…and a few more actually became best sellers.
I talk a lot about why you should write a book. And I even give away the actual checklist I use to help you get started.
And then, when it’s all finished…Amazon.
Don’t want to write?
That’s fine. Start a new business. Find something and sell it on Amazon. I talk about how to do this in the Altucher Report by the way so if you’re interested you can learn how to do this by signing up here.
So Amazon is essential for my business. I sell things there. I write about selling things there. People find me and follow me because I’m on Amazon.
Think about how this could make sense for you. Oh, and if you’re having a hard time coming up with an idea remember I talk about this in the Altucher Report.
9. Podcast: Libsyn Use promo code “James”
I started a podcast as a fun project a few years ago and it’s transformed into one of my favorite things to do.
I get to call up and talk to authors, astronauts, billionaires, and rappers whenever I want.
Just like I truly believe everyone should write a book, I believe everyone should start a podcast.
If you decide to, I would suggest Libsyn to host all of your podcasts. It’s simple to use and I’ve gotten to know Rob Walch and the rest of the team over there really well.
Oh, and don’t forget to use the promo code “James”. You’ll get the rest of the current month you sign up in plus the following month for free.
10. Social Media Scheduler: Hootsuite
Again, what’s important to me is spending time on creating value, on getting the choose yourself message in front of people.
Which means I invest heavily in sharing on social media. It can be a lot of work.
So when Hoostsuite promises “Do more with social in less time”…they got my attention.
Now I save time and resources by managing all social media marketing efforts from a single dashboard.
See if this works for you here.
