Top 5 Favorite Apps for #SideHustles
I came across this great article on HBR called How to Get Your Side Hustle Off the Ground by Dorie Clark. As a millennial and someone who operates multiple side hustles, the statistics only further inspired me.
Clark states that “Nearly 40% of Americans now have a “side hustle” or outside source of income beyond their day job, according to one recent survey, and many more are at least contemplating the possibility. Indeed, a Deloitte survey of millennial and Gen Z workers showed that nearly two-thirds of respondents would consider a side gig to supplement their full-time work.”
I’ve seen a lot of different definitions of what a side hustle is and what it isn’t. I’ve researched this topic a lot and after many late night reads before falling asleep, phone in hand, my favorite is probably the following: “A side hustle is not a part-time job. A side hustle is not the gig economy. It is an asset that works for you; you don't work for it.”
This is a direct quote from Chris Guillebeau, author of the book called Side Hustle, if you have time I definitely recommend checking it out. In his book, he calls out the fact that logging into Uber as a driver is not a true side hustle because someone could “pull the plug” on you at any moment. I believe this point reigns very true as an entrepreneur. The success or failure of your side hustle is completely and totally dependent on YOU!
A key piece of that success or fail also has a lot to do with the tools you use to operate, iterate and understand your hustle. Over the past several years, I’ve had a lot of success and a lot of failures embarking on different business opportunities, each of them teaching me incredibly valuable lessons. Through this journey, there are a couple apps that have really saved me and allowed me to keep my head on straight. If you are thinking about starting your own side hustle, I hope this list can help you with everything from time management, productivity to inspiration.
Monday.com
What is it
Monday.com powers teams to run processes, workflows, and projects in one digital workspace, unleashing their potential to achieve extraordinary results… plus, it has llamas!
Why I love it
Guilty! I am a true and die hard list maker. I sometimes even have lists, for my lists. This is hands down the greatest app for the side hustler on the go! I’m not sure about you, but normally important tasks come to me when I am driving in my car, or when I need to quickly take note of an action in a meeting and this app allows me to do it fluidly and without thinking.
Cost
Free
Dropbox
What it is
Dropbox is a modern workspace designed to reduce busywork-so you can focus on the things that matter. Sign in and put your creative energy to work.
Why I love it
Ok, ok, this is probably an obvious one but I have been literally since the year it came out and never once has it failed me. Over the last couple years, Dropbox has also iterated on their product, allowing it to offer more robust features whether you are an individual or a team. The ability to have everything organized in one place, easy to use permissions and collaboration features make it a one stop shop.
Cost
Free for up to 2 GB storage and will run you about $$ for the individual plan and $$$ for the business. Personally, I don’t feel you can put a price tag on the security and safety of your files!
Slack
What it is
Slack is where work flows. It's where the people you need, the information you share, and the tools you use come together to get things done.
Why I love it
There are countless team collaboration tools out there and I feel like I’ve tried every one of them, at least twice. Communication is key when it comes to building a #sidehustle, especially when it is part time. Slack channel allow you to easily reference back to and keep records of all your conversations. It also has super easy file sharing capabilities build right in. The thing I love most about Slack is that it “plays nice” with other tools. Overall, it is fast, easy to setup, intuitive and also provides the ability to connect to other apps you use (i.e.: Google Drive). The only thing I think that Slack can improve upon is their search feature.
Cost
Free with the Standard Version costing you $ about $8/month.
Freshbooks
What it is
The best cloud based small business accounting software. Send invoices, track time, manage receipts, expenses, and accept credit cards.
Why I love it
I searched high and low on this one, Freshbooks is my unicorn. It is truly everything you need to run your business from invoices, expenses, time tracking, client management, payments and reporting ALL IN ONE. I repeat, all in one. It is a dream, wrapped in a wish, built in the cloud.
It has fully capabilities for customization and including your own branding and has automation abilities. It does all the hard work for you and makes you feel like you have your own personal admin. This tool has freed up countless hours of work that I would normally spend on administrative tasks and allowing me focus on truly growing my side hustles.
Zoom
What it is
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars.
Why I love it
How many times have you tried to join a meeting or conference call and had to install a program or lost credibility because you were so late trying to get the technology to work? Classic. Now, that doesn’t have to happen. This is hands down my favorite conferencing tool, it comes complete with your own custom static URL, screensharing capabilities, and even annotation/whiteboard features. This tool has given me a true peace of mind.
Cost
FREE version available and all I’ve ever had to use, it works great. The package above is still very low $, it will run you about $14.99/month, a minimal fee compared to most other video conferencing out on the market!
