Tech Tools Every Small Business Owner Needs

Every Sunday, I review my calendar for the upcoming week.

I block out time for my family, set meeting reminders, and give time to my biggest projects.

Last week, I was telling my wife about everything on my calendar and she looked at me like I was speaking another language.

She said, “How do you do all of that?”

I responded, laughing, “I have no idea.”

For a frame of reference, I:

→ work a 9-5 running marketing for a multi-location gym in Colorado

→ run a creative & marketing business

→ have a 5-year-old and another one on the way

When we had our first kiddo 5 years ago, I realized I needed to be as efficient with my time as possible.

Then, 2 years ago, when I decided I wanted to run my own business, I needed even more systems (which I’m still building today).

I know I’m not the only one juggling a ton of shit, so here are a few of the tools I use to help alleviate stress and organize my life (and hopefully, they can do the same for you).

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The Tools I Run My Life With

Notes, Client Management, Content Planning - Notion

I was a pen-and-paper guy for a long time. I wrote everything down.

It helped me remember a ton. But when I went to find a note, I wasted more time looking for it (never to find it) than actually taking the note or doing the thing.

I searched for something digital and better than Apple Notes (which is still solid), and then Notion came along.

Notion is my second brain. I manage everything in here, like:

→ daily planner

→ content calendar

→ client manager

→ note app

so much more.

Honestly, my favorite part is that it’s FREE.

Which means something for a small business owner.

Content & Marketing - Canva

I use Canva for everything:

→ product and customer workflows

→ content creation

→ website graphics

→ marketing

and more.

Their AI tools (aka Magic Studio) help cut my time for tasks like:

→ instant resizing

→ background removal

→ text generation

Need something created for your business? Do it in Canva.

It’s also free, but I definitely recommend the small monthly payment to upgrade it and get the extra features, templates, graphics, and Magic Studio.

Writing & Brainstorming - ChatGPT (OpenAI)

ChatGPT is a powerful tool if you know what you’re doing.

I use it to help:

→ Generate social captions, blog ideas, and marketing copy

→ Draft layouts for some of my content

→ Brainstorm content for my socials or website.

Other great options for this are Canva’s Magic Write tool, Jasper.Ai, and Copy.ai

Content & Writing - Grammarly

I LOVE this app.

When I first started building content for my 9-5, I would get a text a week from my wife or a coworker saying, “Hey, you misspelled X in today’s post.”

That means I either live with the mistake (which I do more of now), or you go fix it, but that can take an extra 10-15 minutes per platform (because you have that).

I’ve had weeks where I’ve produced over 100 pieces of content between my brand and my clients.

Could you imagine having to manually spell-check all of those by hand?

Grammarly helps clean up my writing for spelling and grammar edits that I probably would’ve missed on my own.

Video Content - Descript

This app makes editing videos of any size SUPER simple.

I would love to use a high-powered tool like Premier Pro, but I definitely don’t have the headspace or time at the moment.

This app lets me edit ALL my short-form videos and podcasts with AI-powered transcription.

Plus, you can learn the basics in a few hours to make your life even easier.

BONUS:

If you’re someone who records long videos and wants clips, there’s a Highlight feature that takes highlights from your videos and pumps them out for you, too.

You can also try Opus Clip (search it in Google) for highlights and clips.

Calendar - Apple Calendar (Integrated with Google Calendar)

When we started having children, I was desperate to make sure I didn’t let work and home life mix too much.

I needed to know that my family was getting all the attention and headspace they deserved while still completing my work.

My calendar is my life; everything is in it (besides bathroom breaks, even if I’m not that predictable).

→ Project time

→ Social engagement time

→ Workouts

→ Time with family

→ Sports games, extra-curriculars, etc.

→ Meetings

If it’s not in my calendar, it’s not happening.

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Action Step:

I use all these tools to run marketing for a multi-location gym brand, my personal brand, and my business, and I still function as a father (which, in my opinion, is at the top of that list).

P.S. It’s taken me 5 years to get to the point I’m at now with all these apps and systems, and I’m still growing.

I’m not telling you it will take YOU 5 years, hopefully much less with these tools, but be patient as you grow.

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👉 P.P.S. 

If you’re looking for a more efficient way to handle your social media content but aren’t sure where to start, hit reply, and let’s chat.

Stay creative,

Dylan Bennett

DYB Media and Creative