Last month we covered our favorite free resources, so now it’s time to fill you in on what we actually pay for!

1. Freshbooks

We use Freshbooks every dang day. Our accountant recommended this platform when we added LLC to our name and we couldn’t love it more. It’s super easy to use, the UX is A+, and the customer service team always goes above and beyond. Between tracking time, adding new clients and projects, creating estimates and invoices, and logging our expenses and payments, it makes the numbers part of our business incredibly clear and easy. Which is handy for us creative types.

2. Flodesk

When we were looking for a platform to start our newsletter on, we tried a big-name company and quickly stopped. It was a bit much, we were confused about where to begin, and that halted our momentum. We quickly moved on to a company that prioritizes ease of use as well as design. Flodesk makes it super easy to hit the ground running and get your emails out to your audience. One caveat…we’d love it if we were able to add our own web fonts to keep our branding consistent. Maybe in the future? Wink, Flodesk, wink.

3. Tailwind

If you’re easily overwhelmed by social media, Tailwind may be a good investment. This interface allows you to plan and sometimes post for yourself! You can upload your own designs or design posts right there in the app. We specifically use it for Pinterest, but you can also connect your Facebook and Instagram. But wait, there’s more! The analytics are none other and help us gain insight into what’s working and what we can spruce up.

4. Calendly

Calendly is a calendar but ✨more✨. She’s basically our electronic secretary. Just plug in your availability for calls and it handles the rest. You can add different events (Discovery Calls, Follow-Ups, Branding Intensive Sessions, etc.) and customize questions you’d like answered before someone books. It’s super handy and saves us SO much time narrowing down a good date to chat.

5. Team Members

We saved the best for last! We’d be very far behind without our VA, MaryKate, and Jr. Designer, Sidney. They make our job so much easier with their top-notch skills. MaryKate handles our email organization, IG outreach, hashtag research, and Pinterest posts (among other things!). Don’t worry it’s still Paige DMing you on Insta. 🙂 Sidney is an incredibly talented designer who meshes seamlessly with our style to brilliantly convert our ideas, questionnaires, and notes into fully realized designs. These two ladies are the lifeblood of PFD! Thank you for all the ways you support PFD.

Does your business utilize any of these services? What’s worth the price tag to you? Leave your thoughts in a comment!