To run my business, I make use of various software and other tools. I have built up extensive experience (good and bad) and I only recommend the tools that I currently use myself to manage and grow my business.
Here is a list of resources that I found to be critical to achieving my business goals.
Some tools that I use are open source and free to use. I find the ones that I use equally powerful as the commercial variants. Sometimes you have a steeper learning curve and there is no official support available. That said, usually they have a thriving community of people willing to help out. For certain tasks I do use commercial software tools. These solutions are state-of-the-art and fulfill a specific requirement that I was looking for.
I am a proud affiliate for some of these commercial tools. Affiliate links are used for each tool that I am an affiliate of, which means that if you click that link and subsequently make a purchase, I will earn a commission. You pay nothing extra; any commission I earn comes at no additional cost to you.
I am sharing my resources here with you because they are genuinely helpful and powerful, not because of the small commissions I would receive. I recommend these tools only to you if you really feel you need them. Please feel free to contact me to hear my experiences and to see if that matches with your requirements and wishes.
DaVinci Resolve is by far the best video editor out there. and it's FREE. My only warning is that it's not for beginners! If you are a beginner, go to ShotCut first. ShotCut is great to learn: it's free, but a bit buggy.
VidIQ is your best advisor to grow your YouTube channel. SEO, AI descriptions, AI video ideas, analysis of competition... It's a gem of YouTube creators! Free functionality is terrific. Paid one is amazing!
Audacity (Open Source): For me, Audacity is the audio equivalent of Shotcut. It is a great audio editor and has many options to improve your audio quality. I also use it to remove unwanted background noise in my recordings.
Loom : an innovative new way of communicating to people. Instead of just sending an email, I send a short customized video, especially for the recipient. It increases the interaction significantly in comparison with regular emails.
CANVA (FREE version + paid options): great resource. I cannot live without it! It's equivalent to Photoshop. You don't need to be an expert designer. It has exciting AI capabilities that will blow your mind.
Blue Yeti : (affiliate link) My trusted and robust microphone. Plug and play.
VeedIO (affiliate link): This video I use this software to embed subtitles into my videos.
Automation
ActiveCampaign : I use this software to send my newsletters to you and to invite my followers to my meditations. Have you already subscribed?
ThriveCart : (affiliatelink) I use ThriveCart as my checkout system. If you buy something from me (my online trainings for example), ThriveCart helps you through the payment process smoothly.
Thrivethemes : (affiliatelink) Thanks to Thrive Themes, I have been able to create beautiful webpages, online courses, signup forms. The powerful drag-and-drop features make it easy to quickly create appealing web content. They also offer great training and support. Highly recommended!
Group Collector : (affiliate link)
Group Collector allows you to collect new Facebook Group member answers -- including their emails -- and save them into your Google Sheet and autoresponder
Buffer : Buffer I use to schedule my social media postings. I can program certain posts to appear at a specific time in the future.
Calendly : Such a life saver! If you schedule a complimentary one-on-one with me, I don't have to spend time going back and forth to find the right date and time for you and I to meet. Calendly takes care of that!
Stripe : Stripe helps me with the transaction processing of credit card payments.
PayPal : For people that don't have a credit card, PayPal comes to the rescue.
Zoom : Since the Corona crisis, I don't think Zoom needs an introduction anymore. I use it for video conferencing as well as one on one meetings.
Personal Vitality
Wim Hof method : Boost your immune system with Wim Hof's method: breathing techniques and cold water therapy. Easy to do at home and at the start of every day.
Dr. Berg : my trusted source for nutrition advice.
Tula Yoga: If you live in Amsterdam, I cannot recommend enough the Tula Yoga studio. Blessed people!
Photography
Karina Kaminska: How do you like my long hair photos? I love them! My secret weapon is the amazing artist Karina Kaminska. She not only has a magic eye for detail, but it's a delight to work with her.