A curated list of the apps, services, and products I recommend to build a thriving creative business.

Bench

Expert bookkeeping and tax prep, all in one place.

From $148/mo

If you're looking to hire a professional bookkeeper at a price you can afford, look no further. Bench also gives you powerful financial reporting with zero learning curve.

Bonsai

Everything you need to run your freelance business.

From $19/mo

Bonsai is the swiss army knife of your business. From proposals to contracts to invoices, they've got you covered. Great for both small business and those looking to scale.

Dropbox

Keep life organized and work moving—all in one place.

Free for 2GB

Dropbox gives you secure access to all your files. Collaborate with friends, family, and coworkers from any device. Enough said.

Grammarly

Great writing, simplified.

From $11.66/mo

I use Grammarly for everything, including writing my newsletter and blog posts. Their Chrome extension is great, too.

Gusto

It's time for easier, modern payroll.

From $19/mo

If you're a small business owner with a few employees, payroll can be hard. Gusto takes the hard work out of the process and makes it easy. They can even help with benefits.

Notion

All-in-one workspace.

Free for personal

I use Notion for everything — personal, professional, whatever. It's my go-to organization and planning tool, as well as a great place to bookmark interesting links when doing research for new articles and content.

Focus To-Do

Be focused and make things easier.

Limited free plan

I love working in a Pomodoro timing environment, and this app gives me the best of both worlds. I can capture my to-dos across devices and use the timer to allocate sessions. Worth the money.

ColorSnapper 2

A simiple color picker tool.

$9.99

As a designer, I often need to grab a hex color from the screen and take it into code. ColorSnapper 2 makes that easy, plus you can organize and export precise color values of any pixel on the screen.

Cleanshot X

Capture your Mac's screen like a pro.

$29

I started using Cleanshot X as an alternative to Cloud App. The interface is well designed and it's super easy to record your screen. The only downside is the links only last 30 days, but the developer says unlimited storage is coming soon.

ConvertKit

Earn a living as a creator.

Free for 1,000 subscribers

ConvertKit's marketing software is great for creators who want to add automation and commerce to their newsletters. A lot of great features for the money — highly recommend.

Stripo

Create professional and responsive email templates fast.

Free for one seat

I've been using Stripo for a while now, and I have to say, they really do make email building easy. Their editor is best-in-class and they integrate with all of the major email marketing software. 10/10.

Monotype

An on-demand font service designed by creatives, for creatives.

Fonts vary in price

Whenever I'm looking for typography, Monotype is one of the first places I go. Their library is vast and their licensing is simple and straight-forward.

Typeform

Create forms and surveys that people enjoy answering.

Limited free plan

I've been using Typeform for years. Whenever I need so spin up a questionairre for my audience, the first place I go is Typeform. Besides looking great, they have in-depth reporting that helps you make informed decisions with your data.

CodeKit

Dozens of web development tools in one fully-native Mac app.

From $38

CodeKit has become my defactor app when I'm building sites. It takes out the hassle of grunting and gulping and leaves you with squeaky clean code that just works.

Figma

Figma helps teams create, test, and ship better designs from start to finish.

Free for two seats

There's simply no better collaborative design platform available right now. Figma let's you design in the browser or via native app — all while keeping your components well managed and up to date.

Github

Focus on what matters instead of fighting with Git.

Free

Github simplifies your development workflow by making versioning a breeze. It looks great and just works.

Local by Flywheel

A fuss-free way to develop WordPress locally.

Free

Back in the day, I used MAMP to manage my local site environment. Since finding Local, I've never looked back. Installing a new WordPress instance is dead simple — and Local keeps all of your sites organized and neat so there's no confusion.

Autonomous

Transform your WFH space.

From $399

I've been using the Autonomous SmartDesk 2 for a few years now — and I'll never go back to a traditional desk again. Having the option to stand to do my work has been a game changer for me, and I think you'll agree.

Amazon Echo

The small, yet powerful smart assistant.

$79.99

I have several Amazon Echo products in my house (ok, fine — way too many). The one in my office is hooked up to my powered speakers which streams Spotify to keep me in the zone all day.

MacBook Pro

The brains of the operation.

From $999.99

The MacBook Pro has been my daily driver for years now. I love the power and portability, although most days I have it hooked up to my 27" LG UltraFine 4K Display.

LG 27" UltraFine 4K Display

Hands down the best monitor I've ever owned.

$1,099.90

This display definitely lives up to the hype. It's beautiful, 27" screen makes my MacBook Pro's retina display look subpar. Definitely the best purchase of the year (so far) for productivity.

Acquired

This podcast tells the behind-the-scenes stories of some of your favorite startups and companies.

All-In

Hosted by four Silicon Valley heavyweights, All-In covers tech, politics, social, economics, and yes, even poker.

Being Boss

Hosted by Emily Thompson, Being Boss is an invaluable resource for creative entrepreneurs looking to build their businesses.

Commerce Tea

Kelly Vaughn and Rhian Beutler help navigate the e-commerce waters with tips and tricks for growing and scaling your online store.

Invest Like the Best

Patrick O'Shaughnessy talks to folks in the finance and startup spaces while exploring the ideas, methods, and stories that got them to where they are today.

The Kevin Rose Show

This podcast can be a bit sporadic, but it's always worth the wait. Kevin Rose is a startup OG who interviews a wide variety of people.

My First Million

Shaan Puri and Sam Parr spitball and scheme for an hour at a time — they even sometimes have guests on to rack their brains as well.

The Pomp Podcast

Another great podcast on business and investing, Anthony Pompliano always brings the goods.

The Prof G Show with Scott Galloway

Professor Scott Galloway encourages his listeners to "tune in for a no mercy, no malice take on how you can level up your game in the world of business."

Start Yours

This relatively new podcast from Oberlo (recently bought by Shopify) is a podcast about e-commerce and launching your business on Shopify's platform.

The Design of Everyday Things

Don Norman

$14.18

Grid Systems in Graphic Design

Josef Müller-Brockmann

$41.43

Thinking With Type

Ellen Lupton

$14.29

Don't Make Me Think, Revisited

Steve Krug

$30.92

Universal Principles of Design

William Lidwell

$16.79

Sketching User Experiences

Bill Buxton

$30.99

Rework

Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

$16.29

Remote

Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

$15.18

The Lean Startup

Everything

$14.50

The Making of a Manager

Julie Zhuo

$18.99

Show Your Work!

Austin Kleon

$11.66

Everybody Writes

Ann Handley

$20.49

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Seth Godin

$8.99

The Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell

$18.00

Atomic Habits

James Clear

$11.98