Thank you for accessing my Toolkit!
Ever wonder what tools I use to stay organized and grow my business? Wonder no more!
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Here is a list of all the tools I use every single day. These tools have set me up for success and my hope is you'll find them helpful too!
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Browse through the categories below to find out which tools made my list.
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*I am an affiliate for some of these tools, but I would never share them if they weren't useful!
PRODUCTIVITY
Having the best productivity tools can save you time, so you can focus on what's really important. These are my top two most-used tools for productivity (outside of the entire Google ecosystem, of course!)
SCREENCASTING, VIDEO & PHOTO
If you're familiar with my YouTube Channel, you know that most of my videos contain screen recordings. The software I use makes it possible for me to provide detailed, step-by-step instructions and how-to guides. Hand-in-hand with screencasting is both video and photo editing software. In fact, they are a match made in content creator heaven. These are my go-to screencasting, video editing, and photo editing tools.
MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS
Good audio can make or break a video. The same goes for SFX. It's crucial to find a provider that offers great music tracks and sound effects that can be used for personal and commercial projects.
SOCIAL MEDIA
MANAGEMENT
There are so many platforms out there, it can be hard to manage everything. Plus, have you ever tried growing an audience when you don't know what you're doing? Ya, it's pretty tough. Luckily, these tools will help you grow your audience and schedule your content.
TEAM & PASSWORD
MANAGEMENT
Keeping your team (even if that's just yourself) organized is crucial. Keeping your passwords organized and safe, is just as important. These are the tools I use to stay organized, collaborate with team members, and keep my passwords safe.
HARDWARE AND ACCESSORIES
Whether it's cameras, mics, computers, lights, or external hard drives, the right hardware is a key component in growing your business and creating engaging content. There is a ton of hardware I use on a daily basis, but these are my go-to tools.
Grammarly
This is your go-to tool for spelling and grammar. Grammarly acts as your personal text editor, monitoring for spelling and grammar mistakes in emails, web copy, and anywhere else you write.
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Plus, Grammarly helps improve the quality of your writing by telling you the overall tone of your message and offering ways to say something better (or use fewer words).
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You can download the Grammarly app, or use the handy Chrome extension. Either way, this tool is a definite time (and grammar) saver!
With Pocket, you can save content from anywhere! Come across an interesting article, but don't have time to read it? No worries, save it for later.
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In fact, articles aren't the only thing you can save. You can also save videos, podcasts, and stories from any publication, page, or app.
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Plus, once you've saved something to Pocket, you can access your stored content at your leisure - even offline!
Tella
Tella is changing the game when it comes to screencasting. You can create video tutorials, how-to's, and presentations by recording your screen. It's a screen recorder that edits videos for you!
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But Tella's features are far more robust than simple screen recording and editing. You can create layers, easily zoom in and out, add transitions and backgrounds, add custom branding, change camera style, and more.
Camtasia
Camtasia is a go-to screencasting software. You can create video tutorials, how-to's, and presentations by simply recording your screen.
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But Camtasia's features are far more robust than simple screen recording. You can record your desired audio source, as well as add graphics, call-out features, mouse effects, and more. You can even edit within Camtasia.
Final Cut Pro X
Final Cut Pro X is probably my most-used software. Apple's editing software is affordable, easy to use, and compatible with so many customizable plug-ins, themes, and templates.
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If you're looking to step-up your video editing game, Final Cut Pro X is for you. Enjoy!
Canva
One of my favorite photo editing platforms is Canva. I use Canva to create all my YouTube thumbnails and social media images.
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But Canva is so much more than photo editing. You can create custom images, graphics, presentations, posters, documents, and so much more. They even provide helpful, customizable templates. You can also instantly remove backgrounds from photos and resize designs with just a click.
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Canva offers both a free (and still quite robust) option and a paid version. If you're a content creator, Canva is a must.
AudioHero
AudioHero is my go-to music and sfx provider for all of my YouTube content. They are an online library of more than 300,000 royalty-free music tracks and sound effects.
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They add to their collection throughout the year to keep their music and sound effects library fresh and diverse. Better yet? Use the following codes for exclusive AudioHero discounts! TASIA50 gets you 50% off their annual plan for one year. TASIA30 gets you 30% off their monthly Prodigy plan for six months.
TubeBuddy
TubeBuddy has been a game-changer for my YouTube Channel. It's a browser extension that helps manage your YouTube Channel.
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With TubeBuddy, you can optimize your videos, thumbnails, keywords, tags, and more. Plus, they include robust video analytics so you can see where you rank amongst your competition.
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TubeBuddy has free and paid plans, and it's been the best purchase I've made for the growth of my YouTube Channel.
Later
Later is most often associated with Instagram content scheduling. However, you can add all your social profiles to easily plan your posts, schedule and publish posts, as well as see analytics on your post performance.
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Later has both free and paid plans, so do some research on which plan is best for you and your business.
Google Ecosystem
Whether you're using a free Google Account or a paid Google Workspace Account, the collaboration and organization features offered by Google are second to none. The entire Google ecosystem is my digital home. Between Gmail, GCal, Google Drive, and Google Meet, I'm able to keep my entire business organized in one place.
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Plus, Google's suite of offerings is the perfect ecosystem for collaborating with team members. Even if you're a one-woman show, having everything housed in one spot is key.
Sync.com
If you're looking for a storage alternative to Google Drive, look no further than Sync.com.
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If you run a business, manage a team, or work on a lot of projects, you may want a more robust storage solution. Luckily, Sync allows for file encryption and unlimited storage.
Franz
Franz is a multip-messaging app for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It houses all of your favorite messaging (and email) apps in one central spot. You can connect chat apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Slack, Gmail, and more into their streamlined app. This means you only have to sign in to Franz once, rather than signing in to each individual chat app.
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Not only does Franz help keep all my chat apps organized in one place, but it's a massive time-saver since I don't have to switch between apps in order to communicate with the team.
Dashlane
Dashlane is my go-to password management app. Available for desktop and mobile, this app automatically fills and stores my passwords, personal data, and payment details.
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If you spring for the paid version of Dashlane, you'll also have access to features like dark web and credit monitoring.
Cameras
I use 4 different cameras (not including my iPhone 11 Pro camera) to shoot video content for my business and my YouTube Channel. Use these as a guide to start building out your own gear list.
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Logitech StreamCam - For Livestreams, Google Meet & Video Chats
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Nikon D5300 - for YouTube & business needs (1080p HD)
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Sony ZV-1 with Vlogging Kit - for YouTube and Vlogging
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Lumix GH5 - business video production and YouTube B-roll (4K)
Computer & External Monitor
While there are a lot of great computers out there, I use only one for all my video editing needs. The most important things to consider when video editing is a good graphics card, suitable RAM, and storage.
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MacBook Pro (16 inch, 2021) - get whatever model suits your needs
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LG Ultrafine - an Apple-approved second screen for video editing
Lighting
The right lighting is crucial in any video shoot, but lights can be expensive. Here are the ones I use on a daily basis.
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Neewer Ring Light Kit - 5500K LED, used for my YouTube videos
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Neewer Table Top 10-inch USB LED Ring Light - my webcam lighting
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Neewer Digital Camera LED Light - for my YouTube videos
Microphone
Audio is crucial to any video production. I purchased a Rode mic in 2020 and haven't looked back. This is my go-to microphone for all my video shoots.
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Rode VideoMic Pro+ - Directional on-camera shotgun condenser mic
Tripod
There is one brand of tripod I use so much, I had to get two of them! A cheap, flimsy tripod won't stand up to wear and tear, much less securely hold your camera gear in place. Vanguard is my favorite pro-sumer tripod on the market.
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Vanguard Alta Pro Aluminum Tripod - a perfect accessory for DSLRs
External Hard Drives
Storage is a key aspect of video editing. I tend to store and backup everything on external hard drives. When it comes to backups, always remember: two is as good as one and one is as good as none. There are two go-to brands I use for external storage, and one brand for compact storage on the go.
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Western Digital
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Seagate HDs
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Samsung Solid State External Hard Drives (SSD) + Travel Case
I hope you found taking a look at my toolkit helpful! Use this as your inspiration to build your own custom toolkit. If you found my toolkit helpful, connect with me on social (via the links below) and let me know.
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Enjoy building your brand and business!