When I first started Lovendear, I was overwhelmed at the thought of how to invest in my business. Once I decided that Lovendear was worth investing in, I never looked back. Above all, I gained the confidence needed to put my business out there!

Ultimately, investing in your business will save you immeasurable amounts of time and stress. Utilizing tools and services that help your business run smoothly and efficiently are worth every penny, believe me!

Here are some of the ways I invest in my business.

My favorite marketing tools I invest in

• Planoly is an incredibly helpful tool for me to plan my social media. Before I made the leap to purchase this subscription, I would spend hours planning the perfect social media feed. Yes, curating a beautiful engaging social media feed is great, but don’t overprioritize it!
• FloDesk is a HUGE game changer for me and my newsletter list. Before moving to this platform, I was reluctant to send out emails as I always ended up frustrated and did not see my list growing at all. Not only that, but I would spend hours curating a beautiful email just to have a bunch of unsubscribers. Check out this post to read more about why I moved from Mailchimp to FloDesk.
• Honeybook is the client management system that saves my business on a daily basis. No more manually sending clients proposals and contracts. This system helps me send business documents quickly and efficiently. Another thing I adore about Honeybook is their Scheduling tool. I utilize this feature to provide a link to clients that allows them to schedule the best time for a meeting. The scheduler alleviates the back and forth conversations attempting to schedule a phone call. Boost your efficiency with Honeybook!
• Tailwind is an incredibly helpful marketing tool to help boost engagement on Pinterest and other social media platforms. It takes minutes to create and schedule pins, start smart loops to circulate your own content easily.
• Stock Photos have always been a necessary investment for me and my business. Moyo Studio is my go-to for beautiful stock imagery and mockups. Their quality and ease of use is top-notch and completely levels up my brand presentations and social media presence.

For a closer look at the tools I use to enhance my social media presence, check out this blog post.

Design tools I need to run my business

• Adobe Creative Cloud is a MUST for running a design business. I believe this subscription was the very first thing I put my credit card info into! You’ve got to start somewhere!
• As a designer, fonts are obviously a need. I do my best to utilize the large library of fonts I already possess. However, sometimes I’ve got to purchase a few typefaces. Some of my favorite resources to purchase new fonts are youworkforthem.com, Creative Market, and MyFonts.

Business subscriptions and services

• Accounting and numbers are NOT my strong suit, which is why I have an accountant and Quickbooks to help me do the job. We are not meant to do this business thing alone. I am a true believer in giftings. Every person has their own unique set of qualities and skills they are gifted at. I am more than happy to invest in the accounting side of things to ensure my business is reconciled and accounted for (pun intended). Paying an accountant gives me peace of mind, enabling me to get back to doing what I love.
• Google Suite is my jam! I recommend every one of my clients to move to Google business if they are not already. Utilize the wide array of services included in Google Business including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive, and more!

Additional resources I invest in

• Copywriting was one of the first things I invested in, in my business. I booked a website audit and SEO optimization for pages on my website with Salted Pages. Compelling, on-brand copy and strong SEO are necessary for your website. To build a successful and long-standing business, you must have a strong, cohesive website. And I know this might sound crazy, but the design is not ALL that matters when it comes to your website. Compelling, on-brand copy and strong SEO are necessary for your website. I can not encourage you enough to invest in your business with a Copywriter and SEO expert.
• Educational Resources are a great way to grow your knowledge in an area that would make you a stronger business owner. I have purchased courses on marketing, business strategy, and design. Growing my knowledge and skillset prepares me to be a better designer for my clients. I encourage you to begin investing your money in spaces that will grow your intelligence and experience!

As I grow in my business, I plan to continue investing as I can. Yes, it is incredibly important to invest in your business. However, it is important to stay smart with it. Be sure to track your spending and bills to be sure you have the room to do so. Keeping an eye on your spending allows you the freedom to see how you can invest in your business. I urge you to take a closer look and see where you can begin growing! In my experience, I have never invested in Lovendear and not see the return!