I want to share with you 6 tools that I use daily to run my small business. They range from tech to digital tools and I hope you find your new favourite in there too!

Disclaimer: This journal post isn’t sponsored by anyone. It’s not an AD. These products and tools are my favourites and I’m sharing my feedback honestly. Not getting paid for it (and that’s fine!) although I wouldn’t mind being an ambassador for any of these (wink wink).

Surface Studio for everything (my favourite tool!)

So, I know, this isn’t a Macbook or an Ipad…This is literally a PC! A PC?! I can’t believe I have a PC now (doesn’t sound sexy, does it?) when I grew up surrounded by Apple products (my parents used Macs for their work too). Well, let me tell you that it felt really daunting jumping from Apple to Microsoft but I’m SO glad I did. It all began a couple of years ago when I started getting really annoyed at how slow my Imac was. Everything was in slow-motion and it really was disrupting my work flow. I know Apple creates planned obsolescence and it drives me crazy. It’s the least sustainable and ethical thing you can do and it’s just driven by their need to sell more and more.

Anyway, I remember talking to my brother about this (he’s my tech expert) and he said “Why don’t you try the Microsoft Surface range? I’ve been using it and it’s amazing what you can do with it”. I was a bit reticent at first but when he showed me more about the Surface Studio, I thought to myself “This is EXACTLY what I need!!! Who cares if other illustrators mainly use Apple?! I can start a revolution!” (Haha, joking, I don’t want to start that kind of revolution).

So why do I love my Surface Studio so much? It’s huge, powerful and it basically is a computer AND a tablet all in one. The screen is touchscreen and I can draw directly on it. I can tilt the computer and use it the way you would a tablet. I can draw in basically any position! I absolutely LOVE my Surface Studio. Best. buy. ever. (Only downside is the price, but then again, an Imac can get very expensive too).

Squarespace for my website

I have been using Squarespace for years now and I can’t recommend this platform enough. It’s definitely my favourite when it comes to web design. You don’t need to know how to code to make your website look amazing and customise literally EVERYTHING. There is so much you can do on Squarespace too. They’re always introducing new features to help small businesses grow. I launched my Online Course thanks to their Member Space feature and I’m going to start getting reviews on my products thanks to their new Review feature. You can do everything within Squarespace: have a beautiful portfolio, launch an online shop and sell physical or digital products, send email campaigns, write a journal and more!

I swear by this platform so if you don’t have a website yet (you should REALLY have one) just get on Squarespace, you won’t regret it! (You can blame me if you do, that’s how sure I am of how good they are).

Unfold for social media

I just realised that Unfold is owned by Squarespace, which probably explains why it’s so awesome! I love using Unfold to create social media content on the go. I mainly use it for Stories as I create my illustrations on Photoshop and don’t need to edit anything on my phone. I really like using Unfold: it’s easy and they have beautiful templates you can fully customise too. I only wish they had the Futura on there so I can make my stories even more on brand. What I really love about Unfold is their Bio site feature…Instead of using Linktree or something else, I use this feature and I get to customise everything and put all my links in there for people to access from Instagram. It’s super cool and practical! And it looks GOOD which you know is a big selling point for me :)

Adobe Creative Cloud for creating work

Paying for Creative Cloud monthly isn’t cheap (around £50) but it’s a true essential for my line of work. I use its apps daily, especially Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. I also use After Effects, Lightroom, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Dimension and more. That’s the magic of Creative Cloud, once you pay for it, you get access to ALL of their apps (and there is an app for everything on there). But that’s not all, you also can create your own work libraries or access their stocks and marketplace. You can also hop on Behance and be inspired by the wonderful work published on that platform. I also love that we can access tons of fonts via Creative Cloud.

There is so much more you can do with Creative Cloud (like, a lot of the admin bits too with features like Adobe Sign) and I really need to carve some time to explore the Cloud a little bit more and use it to its full potential.

Munbyn for sending out orders

I use to have to go to the post office and wait in line for ageeees to get anything sent, but now, thanks to my lovely pink Munbyn machine, I do everything at home and only have to drop my packages off at the post office (which takes less than a minute, hurray!). I decided to take the plunge and buy a Muybyn thermal printer when I launched the first edition of The Pattern Paper and found myself having to send over 200 envelopes. The thought of doing it all by hand and having to wait at the post office was overwhelming and I knew a thermal printer would really help. I have since created a Click & Drop account on Royal Mail which is directly linked to my Squarespace, which means every time an order comes through, the info is all on my Royal Mail account and I only have to enter the weight and size in, choose the postage I want and print it with my Munbyn! It’s just like magic I swear. I really adore this little piece of tech and I also love that there’s no ink needed, it’s all thermal. Now, I want to get the pink scales that go with the printer and also some pink stickers! I think I’m addicted.

Dropbox to safely store and view my files

I use to have a few different hard drives to store my work and then I discovered Dropbox. I find it easier and better to store all my stuff (work, freelance life bits, photos…) on Dropbox. Storing there means it’s de-centralised and I can see my work from any device, as long as it’s connected to the internet. I have the Dropbox app on my phone and I can access all my illustration work and more in a few clicks! (And download it too, if needed).

You can also share files with Dropbox, which is an added bonus. Dropbox isn’t free, I pay around £10 a month for it, but again, it’s worth it for me!

I hope you liked this list. Let me know below what you think of those or tell me your favourite tools!