Budget for Online Business Owners
If you’re anything like me, online tools and software are shiny objects and we easily feel like we NEED that tool.
And even if you’re making a decent amount of money, your spending can make the difference between profit or break-even… or even loss.
Before you sign up for paid software, always ask the right questions:
Do you really NEED this? If you make a list of the features you need right now, is this tool the best fit for your needs? I helped two different clients leave LeadPages recently - neither of them were using any of the special features, they just had it because a course they took said they needed it.
Do you need this NOW (or soon)? You wouldn’t believe the number of people I’ve talked to who signed up for Kajabi with just an idea for an online course or membership… and a year (and over 1500$) later, that course is still just an idea…
Are you sure you’re going to love it and keep using it? Of course, signing up for a full year is often a lot cheaper. But if you’re not 200% certain you’re going to like it or you’ll still be using it 6 months from now, signing up for the monthly plan is not a waste of your money (and you can almost always upgrade to the yearly plan after the first month).
Are there any hidden costs? I’m thinking of this one client a while ago who signed up for this absolutely awesome CRM… and had to hire someone to set up and manage it for her.
I downgraded from ActiveCampaign to MailerLite as my email service provider a couple of years ago.
Went from WordPress (had to pay someone to make it pretty and keep it working properly) to SquareSpace (yearly payment, all included) a little bit before that.
I don’t mind paying for good software I need and totally agree that sometimes you need to invest money to make money… but there are so many great tools out there that are free or inexpensive.
If you’re wondering if there’s a cheaper alternative to a tool or software that’d work just as well for you, ask me below or get in touch! I might be able to help you out.
(BTW the tools I mention above are not bad and can be super useful. I still have several clients using LeadPages, ActiveCampaign or Kajabi with great results. My other website is on WordPress, and not everyone likes MailerLite. As my friend Tracie says, online tools are like shoes - they need to fit + you need to like wearing them too!)
