The Ultimate Toolset
A war-chest of tools, plugins & extensions for thriving as a digital Micropreneur
What to expect
This isn't just some throw-away random list of tools.
No. This is a list of the exact tools that I use on (virtually) a daily basis. And it's these tools that have enabled me to operate my business as a company of one (me), yet still spend the majority of my days surfing, reading, and generally just mucking around.
Tools of the trade
Because there are quite a few tools on this list I've decided to separate them into categorise to make it easier to navigate and digest.
Click a button below to jump to the relevant section:
Hosting
WPX Hosting
Wordpress Hosting | Paid
WPX (in my honest opinion) is the best hosting solution for Wordpress right now by far.
Their support is second to none (expect sub 30 second response times), their speed is incredible, not to mention their inbuilt CDN.
WPX is definitely not the cheapest, but damn are they good.
Official Website: https://wpxhosting.com/
Website Building
Wordpress
Wordpress | Free
Wordpress is the Content Management System (CMS) of choice for the majority of the world and for good reason:
Sure, there's a small learning curve to get used to working with Wordpress at first, but once you're up and running it's very intuitive and simple to use.
Official Website: https://wordpress.org/
Thrive Theme Builder
Premium Theme for Wordpress | Paid
If you're building your website on Wordpress then you'll need a theme. But, if you've been around the block a while you'll know that not all themes are created equal.
Most themes are incredibly hard to customise, but not Thrive Theme Builder. In fact, using this premium tool you can customise literally every aspect of your theme.
It's very advanced (literally miles ahead of the competition), and with it, the possibilities are endless.
Official Website: https://thrivethemes.com/themebuilder/
Thrive Architect
Drag & Drop Website Builder for Wordpress | Paid
If you want to customise your website just how you like it, then you have two options:
- 1Learn how to code
- 2Invest in a drag & drop website builder
Now I hate coding so that leaves one option, and that's to invest in a drag & drop website builder. And they don't come any better than Thrive Architect.
Every facet of your website, every layer, everything is editable with this super intuitive tool.
Official Website: https://thrivethemes.com/architect/
Thrive Apprentice
Online Course Plugin for Wordpress | Paid
I use Thrive Apprentice to sell online courses and here's why.
Now don't get me wrong, there's a lot that Thrive Apprentice can't do - and there's a lot of competing products on the market that are far superior - but, it's simple, affordable, and it's a great way to keep costs down.
Sure you make the sacrifice of certain features, but you more than make up for that in other ways.
*Read my Thrive Apprentice review here.
Official Website: https://thrivethemes.com/apprentice/
SEO - Search Engine Optimisation
SEO Powersuite
Premium All in One tool for SEO | Paid
SEO Powersuite is an all in one suite of premium tools to help rank your website on Google, and it comes as four separate tools:
Official Website: https://www.seopowersuite.com/
Yoast
SEO Plugin for Wordpress | Free
Yoast is the best SEO plugin for Wordpress by a country mile, and, it's free!
Here's just a brief overview of what it can help you do:
And that's just scratching the surface.
Official Website: https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/
Keywords Everywhere
Keyword Research | Paid
Keywords Everywhere is a Chrome extension that injects Google search results with traffic statistics such as:
And, what I love about this tool the most is how it injects Googles suggestions with traffic data too.
Official Website: https://keywordseverywhere.com/
Answer The Public
Keyword Research | Free
I use Answer The Public for keyword ideas.
Simply plug in a keyword and this tool will crawl Google for all of the questions people ask around your related topic. It's a gold mine if you know how to use it properly.
Whats more, it works especially well with the Keywords Everywhere Chrome extension too.
Official Website: https://answerthepublic.com/
Ubersuggest
Seo Tool | Free
Ubersuggest is the love-child of SEO OG Neil Patel.
And as a free resource this tool is incredible.
It's extensive, and it's powerful. In fact, since it's release in 20019 it made many of the premium SEO tools (charging hundreds of dollars per month) redundant.
And that's not all...
There's also a Chrome extension to go along with it too:
Official Website: https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/
Productivity
Eisenhower Matrix App
Task prioritisation tool | Free
Ok, I'm a little bit biased with this one as it's something I created myself.
But the Eisenhower Method is something that I've been using for years and this tool has really helped.
Use this app to sort tasks by order of importance and urgency and over time you should see some dramatic improvements to the amount of work you can produce.
Official Website: https://rowanclifford.io/eisenhower-app/
Trello
Task Management | Free
Trello is one of my favourite tools for organising tasks, storing ideas, to do lists and collaborating.
It has a native iOS app, and desktop app which makes it super easy to use, and it's cloud based too so you have everything with you, everywhere you go.
Official Website: https://trello.com/
Lead Generation
Thrive Leads
Lead Generation Plugin for Wordpress | Paid
The number one goal of any blog should be the acquisition of new leads/email subscribers. So it pays to be using the right tool for the job.
In my experience, Thrive Leads is leaps and bounds above the competition of lead generation plugins for Wordpress which is why I use it across all of my sites and recommend it too.
Official Website: https://thrivethemes.com/leads/
Images & Design
Canva
Image Design Suite | Free
Canva has become an increasingly integral tool for me over the years.
Its simple drag and drop interface make basic graphic design idiot proof - even for an idiot like me.
From Youtube thumbnails to blog images, Instagram posts to infographics.
Canva does it all, and makes it easy in the process.
Official Website: https://www.canva.com/
Browser Extensions
LastPass
Password Manager | Free
When it comes to working online there's one thing you've got to pay attention to, and that's security.
I know, it's boring to think about, but there's a saying that goes like this: "it's not a case of if you'll get hacked, but a case of when".
And your first line of defence is the strength of your passwords.
LastPass solves this.
An all in one password manager that generates unique, long, complex passwords all stored behind one strong master password.
The days of using the same password for each site are gone the moment you start using LastPass, and as a result, your online security increases immeasurably.
Official Website: https://www.lastpass.com/
Grammarly
Spelling & Grammar | Free
If you write a lot (like I do) then you're going to love Grammarly.
Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant for writing clear, mistake free content.
Official Website: https://www.grammarly.com/
Full Page Screen Capture
Screen Capture | Free
Have you ever wanted to take a screenshot of an entire web page before? I have, and I can tell you that doing it one screen at a time in a nightmare.
But not with this Chrome extension.
At the click of a button it'll roll through an entire web page (no matter how big), and create a snapshot of it for you to save.
Official Website: https://gofullpage.com/
Color Zilla
Color Picker Tool | Free
As you're scrolling around the web occasionally you'll see different color pallets that you like. But how can you find out exactly what color it is?
That's where Color Zilla comes in.
Simply hover over a color on any web page, and Color Zilla will give you the exact Hex and rgb values immediately.
Official Website: https://www.colorzilla.com/chrome/
Performance
Google Analytics
Analytics Software | Free
Google Analytics helps track every visitor that comes to your site.
It tracks their location, age, interests, etc. and it also tracks what pages they visit, how long they spend on each page, and how they interact with your content.
In fact, there's not a whole lot that it doesn't track to be honest.
Used effectively, Google Analytics can help you make data driven decisions to improve the effectiveness of your site.
Official Website: https://analytics.google.com/
Google Search Console
Search Tracking | Free
This tool is a treasure trove of useful information to see how your content is ranking in Googles search results pages.
It tracks information such as: Click through rate, number of impressions, average position and more.
Used effectively, Google search console can unveil potential traffic streams you never thought existed, that you can then re-optimise your content towards.
Official Website: https://search.google.com/search-console/
WP Total Cache
Website Speed & Optimisation Plugin for Wordpress | Free
WP Total Cache is widely regarded as the best website optimisation plugin for Wordpress.
By using this plugin you can speed up the load time of your website by reducing load times, which, if you didn't know already has a massive effect on your bounce rate.
Official Website: https://wordpress.org/plugins/w3-total-cache/
Smush
Image Compression Plugin for Wordpress | Free
One of the biggest things that slows your website down is big images.
And nobody like a slow website right?
That's where Smush comes in.
A free Wordpress plugin that'll compress your images as you upload them - often reducing the file size dramatically.
Official Website: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/
Selling
SendOwl
Digital Product Delivery | Paid
SendOwl is by no means the most advanced tool for delivering digital products online, but, it's simple, it's cheap, and very effective.
It's got all of the core features you'd expect:
And much more.
If you're looking to start selling digital products online then for a small monthly fee SendOwl is definitely a cost effective way to start.
Official Website: https://www.sendowl.com/
PayHip
Digital Product selling | Paid
I love PayHip.
If you want to get selling quickly, with zero upfront cost, then PayHip is the way to go.
A silky smooth interface that's so easy to use it's silly. Plus, did I mention it's free to set up?
And, just as you'd expect it comes with all of the features you need: Affiliate programs, Membership options, Upsells, etc.
It's a kick-ass tool, that even you're nan could use.
Official Website: https://payhip.com/
Video
Screenflow
Video Editing Software | Paid
I use Screenflow to edit all my videos and here's why.
1. I'm not very good at editing videos.
2. I don't really like editing videos.
Therefore I need something that is simple, easy to use, but can churn out professional looking video effectively.
And that is exactly what Screenflow does.
Official Website: http://www.telestream.net/screenflow/
Headliner App
Audio to Video | Free
If you don't feel comfortable with your mug on camera, but you still want to create an engaging video to publish on Youtube, then this tool might be for you.
It takes plain audio and overlays it with sound waves and transcript (plush a few other features too), bringing something that's dull back to life.
Oh, and the UX is beautiful too.
Official Website: https://www.headliner.app/
Blue Yeti Microphone
Audio | Paid
You can make do with an average camera, even your phone will probably do. But the one thing that you can't skimp on is audio quality.
But that doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune.
I use the Blue Yeti because it's simple to use, the quality is brilliant, and it doesn't cost a bomb.
Official Website: https://www.bluedesigns.com/products/yeti/
Email Marketing
Active Campaign
Email Marketing Software | Paid
Good email marketing is like having your best salesman working for you twenty four hours a day, without sleep - ever.
It really is that good. And, it's an essential part of building an automated business online.
For that reason, it pays to invest wisely. As not all email marketing software are created equal, and they don't come cheap either.
But for me, in a world of software solutions charging up to $1000p/m for their services Active Campaign stands out amongst the crowd.
Here's why.
It's affordable. It's feature packed. It's easy to use.
And above all, it damn works like a treat.
Official Website: https://www.activecampaign.com/
Money & Accounting
TransferWise
Multi-Currency Business Account | Free
For a long time there I was getting smashed in currency conversion fees.
Sometimes I'd accept USD and other times EUR and occasionally GBP. But one thing was a guarantee...
Fees! And lots of them.
But not anymore.
Now that I use TransferWise I no longer have this as an issue. I can accept payment in virtually any currency, hold that currency in my account, send/receive and a whole lot more.
I now use TransferWise as not only my business account, but my personal account too.
Official Website: https://transferwise.com/nz/multi-currency-account/
Wave App
Accounting Software | Free
I'm still perplexed as to how this accounting software is free. It really shouldn't be.
I use it for:
And for something as fucking boring as taxation and accounting, they actually make it pretty bearable - and that's saying something.
I'd happily pay decent money for this software, but if it's free, then who am I to argue.
Official Website: https://www.waveapps.com/