I just had a lovely dinner tonight with a friend. It reminded me that I've gathered a LOT of valuable info in the past 3 (very intense) months in building my apparel + printed goods business, HoopPretty.
And since I seem to have gone crazy over lists lately, I'd like to share my top 5 tools I can't live without for my design business. Some of these tools are already obviously awesome, but I explain why I like them so much :)
1) iPhone ~ A great way to stay in touch on the road. I treat it like mine like a mini-computer. I like that I can leave my computer and still be in touch with vendors + customers if I need to. I have to say tho, I'm not a die-hard Apple person. I own a PC laptop. I stay balanced this way. I don't want to be a hipster jerk. (Altho I am excited that we just pre-ordered our iPhone 4s!)
2) Carbonite ~ backs up everything for me without me even thinking about it! When I upgraded to Windows 7 and needed to do a whole reinstall, Carbonite automatically put all my files back where they were. Amazing! And it's only about $50/yr. Comment below with your email and I can get you a full month added onto your subscription for free!
3) Dropbox ~ Online backup, file sync, + file sharing. I only have a free membership and that's all I really need. I mainly use this to exchange files with my sister (who works with me on HoopPretty) and anyone else I'm working on with a project. The Dropbox iPhone app is useful so I can show others what I'm working on whenever I want to (- similar to how a parent shows wallet-size pictures of his/her kids). :) Dropbox acts like a file folder on your desktop that you can easily drop files into, which syncs to the internet auto-magically. <3 it!!!
4) Twitter ~ I use Twitter as a way to have conversations with other designers and hoop dancers that I follow. I get lots of design + business inspiration from Twitter, too. And leads on possible opportunities.
5) Facebook ~ Facebook really works as a marketing tool for me, since I now use it mainly as a way of introducing new designs and gauging interest with the HoopPretty Facebook Page. Inititally, I used FB as a tool to stay connected with old colleagues + friends... I still find it useful for that altho not as much because most of my friends are jerks. J/K.
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Is there anything you use in your daily routine to help you design and get it did? Please hollaback and share!
