We know that it takes a lot to run a business and the amount of tools, software and subscriptions out there is overwhelming. So i’ve put together a list of some of the tools we use to keep TWR running smoothly, along with some handy discounts to help you do the same.
Disclaimer: Some of the following links on this page are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission if you choose to buy through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and I only recommend tools I use in my own business and genuinely love.
This is my chosen website building platform. It takes a little more effort to learn in the beginning than something like Wix, but WordPress offers a much more substantial and professional builder platform than any other I have used. It’s flexible, incredibly powerful and just gives so much control over your website’s functionality as your business grows.
Because it’s a really popular tool, there are loads of free YouTube tutorials out there to help you – I really recommend Imran’s channel, Websquardon, he helps you keep up to date with all things website related and has hundreds of great tutorials.
Because WordPress can be quite technical, I like to use Elementor when I am building pages on my website. It is a plugin that lets you build and design your website. I would highly recommend Elementor because it is an affordable, simple, easy to use drag and drop tool that helps to give your website that polished feel.
Because it’s a really popular tool, there are loads of free YouTube tutorials out there to help you figure it all out (I really recommend Imran, who runs Websquardon). Elementor’s own website is also full of useful resources.
I tend to buy my domain names through Namecheap because of their competitive prices and excellent service. Their support is brilliant and I am pretty much always able to speak to a human within 10 minutes whenever I need to contact them!
If you’re running a smaller website or just starting out, Namecheap is also great budget-friendly option for website hosting. The setup is really easy (with their support on hand) and works with WordPress, making it perfect for affordable website hosting.
As TWR has grown into a larger website, I have found SiteGround to be a more reliable and secure option for hosting. It handles the increased traffic and data reliably, and offers more security and speed. Their customer support has always been brilliant too, making them easily worth spending a little more for the all-round service if you have a more complex site.
Special offer: use the link below to get 80% off your first year of hosting + free domain.
Here’s a breakdown of other offers you can get using the link below….
Web hosting: 80% off plus a free domain, so £1.99/mo for the first 12 months. You also get free email hosting, free SSL, and a free CDN. These services usually cost extra with many other providers.
Website Builder: included free with any hosting plan, so there’s no extra cost to build the site.
Email Marketing: 80% off for the first year.
AI Studio: every SiteGround client gets 20,000 free tokens each month, included automatically.
Coderick AI: their vibe coding tool comes with a 14-day free trial.
Canva Pro is one of my most heavily used software (after email), and I find it well worth paying for the pro subscription. It’s extremely helpful when making graphics for anything from social media, business cards, banners to leaflets (and everything in between). Think of it like an easy to use drag and drop photoshop for all levels. I find Canva so easy to use and the Pro subscription gives me access to loads of different pictures, videos and graphics that really make designs stand out. It has a whole host of templates, designed by professionals… so even if you aren’t design savvy you have access to templates that always look great.
Canva even offers tutorials so that you can learn how to use the features, meaning you really can do almost any design work for your business with it.
Free plan is available but the pro plan is well worth it in my opinion.
Google Workspace would always be my first recommendation when it comes to setting up a email address for your business. It’s so easy to use, gives you a business email using your own domain name and just works beautifully with every part of Google.
It has literally everything you need for your business, including Google Docs, Sheets, Meet (excellent for video calls), appointment scheduling, contract management and so much more. You can also keep everything under one roof with your Google Business Profile* and Analytics.
*Setting up your Google Business Profile should be one of the first things you do. It’s free and helps people find you in local searches and on Maps. I genuinely think every local business should have one!
Offer: 10% off first year using codes:
Google Workspace Business Standard: 34HKFPY3ATYCCCH
Google Workspace Business Starter: 7ACXH7XULPYFYG4
Zapier connects most parts of your business together so they can work automatically behind the scenes. Instead of copying information from one system to another, Zapier can do it for you.
For example, it can: send automatic emails, move customers between systems, update mailing lists, connect Stripe with other software, create reminders and trigger workflows whenever something happens.
It’s a bit like having a whole admin team on the job all the time.
Stripe is my preferred payment platform because it’s budget friendly (no subscription to pay and has low processing fees), simple, reliable and connects with almost everything. Whether you’re selling products, taking bookings or managing subscription payments, it’s quick to set up and works with hundreds of other platforms.
It’s also one of the easiest payment systems to automate using tools like Zapier.
This is the privacy software I use to keep TWR GDPR compliant and safe. I like that it covers every country in the world and is easy to use. If you get a bit overwhelmed with the application process, they offer an amazing complimentary onboarding call with one of their experts which lets you talk it through with an actual human being. It automatically updates your privacy policy when laws from around the world are changed, and they notify you each time these changes are made.
It’s one of those subscriptions that gives me peace of mind on something that can be quite daunting.
Offer: Use code WARWICK and get 10% off first year of payment
I’m relatively new to Airtable, but I’m already wondering how I managed without it. Think of it as a spreadsheet with superpowers. You can organise projects, customers, content, workflows and processes in a way that’s far more powerful than a traditional spreadsheet. A lot of my planning and activity tracking happens on AirTable for me and my small team here at TWR, and I’d be lost without it.
I’ve tried other email marketing platforms over the years, but I’ve always preferred MailerLite. It’s much more affordable (they have a free plan too!) than a lot of the alternatives AND it’s easier to use in general. It just makes sense for my brain! It also connects with Zapier too, so is really easy to include in automations for your business. It does pretty much everything a small business needs to stay in touch with your mailing list, without feeling complicated.
I have been using DropBox for over 10 years and sometimes feel like I have my whole life stored there! All of my photos and business documents are saved there.
What I love most about dropbox is that I can access it from anywhere, so I know I will always be able to find my most important images and documents simply by logging in on any device. I also love the volume of storage that means I never run out of space, and the ability to easily share and request information or pictures with others when I need to is brilliant… when you signed up to TWR you were asked to upload your images – that was a dropbox link.
Offer: Get an extra 500MB of free cloud storage when you create an account using the link below + download the desktop or mobile app
Fathom AI notetaker is a fairly new one for me. Fathom joins your online meetings, whether it’s google meet, zoom or Microsoft teams, and records a video, takes notes. It then sends you an email with a link to the recording, a transcript, a breakdown of the main points discussed and a list of action points.
Although it scared me to start with, I love this tool because it means I can refer back to the notes when I need to remind myself of specific details from a call. I can also give access to the recording/notes to the other person/people on the call too. This reduces the chance of either of us needing to ask for reminders/refreshers from the other person which saves time and admin.
The thing I love most about Fathom is it’s free! You also get AI credits which allows you to ask Fathom questions about your calls/meetings and it finds the answer for you e.g. what date did I say I would send the document over to Candice.
Offer: 60 day free trial of Fathom premium
