From Freelancer to Full-Service Agency: Tools & Services You Need
A big upgrade for freelancers would be to own and manage their own agency. It's a big step that involves not just finding more clients, but building systems that maintain organization and professionalism. This may seem like a big feat, but with the help of these tools and services, it's definitely doable. We listed ten to help you get started.
1. Trello: Strategy and Project Management
A visual project management tool, Trello, was designed to help teams and individuals organize their tasks and workflows. It has boards, lists, and cards that allow you to assign responsibilities, track progress, set deadlines, and keep the whole team on the same page. It lets you add attachments and integrations, and connect files or link tools such as Google Drive and Slack. Trello has a forever-free plan, but if you want more features, it has three premium plans you can choose from. Pricing starts at $5 per user per month.
2. Google Workspace: File Storage and Collaboration
A cloud-based productivity suite, Google Workspace is an all-in-one tool that freelancers and agencies can both appreciate. It is a combination of file storage, collaboration, and communication tools. Its collection includes Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail, Calendar, Google Meet, and Google Chat. Google Workspace lets you start for free with your personal account, but for businesses, it has paid business-grade versions. Pricing starts at $7.56 per user per month.
3. Penji: Graphic Design
Every business owes its success to effective graphic design. This is why Penji is an excellent option for both freelancers and agencies and everyone in between. It combines top-quality designs with affordable pricing plans. Its unlimited design and revision features let you get as many design projects as you can in a month. It also offers fast delivery times, getting you your designs in 24 to 48 hours after your project brief submission. All these for one flat rate, which starts at $499 per month.
4. Ahrefs: SEO
A go-to SEO toolkit that many businesses rely on, Ahrefs provides valuable insights into how their websites perform in search engines. Its core features include site explorer, keywords explorer, rank tracker, site audit, and backlink analysis, to name a few. It can analyze your competitors and find gaps in them that you can fill in. This tool is especially helpful in getting your agency in front of your target audience. Pricing starts at $129 per month.
5. ChatGPT: Content Creation
An AI writing assistant, ChatGPT, can be your agency's content writing tool. It can generate ideas, outlines, and draft your content in seconds. This is a suitable tool for your blog posts, social media captions, product descriptions, and can even edit your existing content. It also has features that can help you rewrite, summarize, and answer questions. ChatGPT is famous for being free, but you can get more features for as low as $20 per month.
6. Slack: Communication and Client Management
A top messaging platform, Slack, helps you organize your team's conversations into channels. This makes it easy to separate projects, clients, and departments. It also allows for direct messaging, file sharing, and integrations with popular tools like Google Drive, Trello, and Zoom, among many others. Like Trello, Slack offers a forever-free plan, but it also has three premium plans with more valuable features. Its fees start at $8.75 per user per month.
7. 1Password: Cybersecurity and Password Management
Securing passwords is essential for any freelancer about to set up their own agency. 1Password will give you the peace of mind you need, knowing all your online accounts are safe. This tool stores login credentials, payment details, and sensitive notes in an encrypted vault that you can access across different devices. Its features include password generation, autofill, and two-factor authentication. Its password manager tool has a price tag that starts at $4.99 per month.
8. WordPress: Website Development and Tools
Your agency would not be complete without its own website. For this, you can use WordPress, the world's most popular platform for building websites. Its flexible systems allow you to create your site, blogs, portfolios, or online shops even without coding knowledge. It supports thousands of themes and plugins that will enable you to customize your website for design, SEO, and functionality. WordPress offers a free plan, but for businesses, you can start yours for as low as $4 per month.
9. Mailchimp: Email Marketing
You may not be aware of it, but email marketing is still one of the most effective marketing strategies you can use for your freelancing-to-agency-owner transition. Studies show that email ROI is $36 for every $1 spent! So, if you want to take advantage of this, you need Mailchimp. It is an all-in-one platform that can help you create and manage email campaigns. Its customizable templates, drag-and-drop design tools, and audience segmentation can help you boost your marketing efforts. It offers automation features that can send welcome emails, follow-ups, and personalized recommendations. Pricing starts at $10 per month.
10. Toggl Track: Time Tracking and Invoicing
A simple yet powerful monitoring tool, Toggl Track lets you see how time is spent across all your projects. It allows you and your team to log hours with one-click timers or manual entries. It also lets you generate reports that show productivity trends, client billing, or project profitability. In short, this is the tool you need if you want to track your time directly to your billable rates. Toggl Track has a free plan that's good for up to 5 users. If you need more, you can choose from its three pricing plans with fees that start at $10 per user per month.
Conclusion
This list of tools and services can transform how freelancers and agencies work. And if you're planning to go from one to the other, these become even more valuable. They make for efficient communication, task organization, content scaling, and even site security. Most offer free plans to help you get started, then progress to premium plans for even greater efficiency.
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