Essential resources and clever tools to boost your small / remote business

Are you looking for a smarter way to set up, run and grow your small/remote business (as efficiently as possible)? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we share the tried and tested tools we use to run our business (and are happy to recommend). We regularly review this list and replace products or services when we find others that better meet our needs or align with our values.

And in case you’re wondering: While our company is incorporated in New Zealand, most of the tools and resources we use apply worldwide (and where one doesn’t, we provide an international equivalent).

Hardware Solutions

What is the best computer for a digital nomad? Well, as with everything, it depends… on the type of job you do. 

The Microsoft Surface Pro is OUR device of choice. And after more than seven years of location-independence, we have reduced our (other) hardware requirements down to the bare minimum to (comfortably) do our jobs. All we carry these days are (in alphabetical order):

Productivity Software

When people think of an office productivity suite, Google and Microsoft tend to come to mind. And for good reason: while there are other alternatives on the market, those two do remain the most popular tools for business users. Both offer similar functionality (word processing, spreadsheets and file storage) but differ in other aspects. For example, Microsoft offers both desktop and cloud deployments of its Office suite, while Google’s G-Suite (formerly Google Apps) is cloud-only.

Apart from our productivity suite of choice – Microsoft 365 – we use MailerLite for our email marketing needs and Grammarly to optimise our written communication:

Security and Protection

Whether personally or professionally, we take our data security very seriously. For every account or supplier that offers the functionality, we use Two Factor Authentication.

We also use Avira Prime – especially its anti-virus software, software updater, VPN service and device performance optimiser. We’ve been using Avira for more than seven years – swapping over from a different provider at the recommendation of Sandra’s brother Tobi who used to work for the company (and thus had behind-the-scenes insights). The Avira Prime suite is super easy to use and keep up to date. But most importantly, it does exactly what it says: keep our data secure and private, and our laptops and phones performing as optimal as possible.

Website Management

If you are planning to set up your own blog/website, your yearly cost (at least for a personal blog) should be no more than USD100. In most cases, your website name (domain) will cost USD12-15 per year. Web hosting space normally costs USD4-8 per month, depending on the hosting company you choose.

We purchased our website domain from NameCheap. Our website is hosted by GreenGeeks – chosen for their service offering AND their sustainability ethos.

Physical Mail

While we receive all our business related invoices online these days, we can’t avoid physical mail altogether – especially the occasional parcel to replace an item of our gear. We use Private Box, a New Zealand based business providing mail scanning and forwarding services. If you are located elsewhere, Anytime Mailbox and ipostal1 are equivalent providers.

Contractors

We are a permanent team of two – Paul and Sandra (in life but also in our business). Our job roles are well-defined: we each have our areas of accountability based on our capabilities, experience and strengths. We are fortunate that our skills and expertise complement each other well.

That said, now and then our expertise is just not enough, and we do require outside help. In those instances, we seek the help of contractors. Some relationships are temporary; others (for example with our web developer Reliqus) are more permanent/ongoing.

Fiverr and Upwork are our go-to sources for finding good contractors and managing any work they do for us.

Image Design and Management

Images sell – more than words. So if your small business includes a website, you need a good (smartphone) camera, a smart editing suite and the skills to operate both.

Most of our images are taken on our Samsung Galaxy phones (and occasionally our DJI Mini 4 Pro). For many years, we had a more sophisticated camera set-up but found carrying our camera around too cumbersome (or its use too intrusive).

We use PaintShop Pro to edit our images and Canva for any other design needs (for example, to create and maintain Pinterest pins and our media kit).

Our logo was designed by one of the creatives we chose out of the many proposals we received through 99designs.

Business Finances

When running a small/remote business, keeping track of your income, expenditure and cash flow is key. You could outsource this task to a book keeper/accountant or use an expensive accounting suite like XERO or MYOB. We found however that Pocketsmith does the job just as well (at a fraction of the price) – at least for our needs as a small remote business with multi-currency income and expenditure.

And speaking of multiple currencies: We use (the international bank accounts we can set up with) Wise to receive non-NZD income/pay non-NZD invoices. For any (inter-currency) money transfer needs, we compare quotes on OFX, Wise and XE (for the currency pair and amount needed) and go with the best offer.

Accounting Services

And speaking of accountant: We still use them – to prepare our annual financial statements and file our tax returns, and occasionally to seek tax advice.

Accounting and Taxation Centre in Stoke, New Zealand provide an excellent service at an affordable price. Our accountant has a good understanding of the nature and needs of online businesses, and has provided us with sound advice for many years. Even complex taxation matters are explained in a way that is easy for us to understand. While we have met our accountant in person at their office (once), we normally communicate with them via email or online calls.

Communities

A professional support network is invaluable to anyone starting and growing a business, especially to those who work online/remotely. Communities enable you to connect and interact with peers and mentors across industries, skill sets and locations – whether virtually or face to face.

Obviously, different communities offer different benefits to members. Here are just some we have joined over the years and found beneficial to building and growing our business.

Ethical Influencers

Ethical Influencers is a digital community that brings together sustainable and ethical brands (like Coconut Matter) with like-minded content creators who help them spread the word (that’s us). Ethical Influencers was founded by Besma Whayeb, the Author of sustainable fashion and lifestyle blog Curiously Conscious.

Travel Massive

Travel Massive is the world’s largest independent travel industry community. Founded by Australian Ian Cumming in 2011, Travel Massive now has tens of thousands of members world-wide. It is free to join (with a lively forum to connect and share ideas), and there is a Pro membership for additional benefits.

Travel Is Life Creators

Travel Is Life Creators is another free online community with a travel twist. Comprising more than 700 creators in the travel space, members of the community are friendly, super supportive and committed to each others’ success – for real. Members communicate via a private Facebook group and have access to invite-only Pinterest boards.

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