5 Tools I Use Every Day to Run My Web Design Business
My Favorite Business Tools for Running My Website Design Business
Running a business without the right tools is like trying to build a website with no strategy. You’ll get somewhere eventually, but it’ll take way longer than it needs to.
After almost 8 years of running Rebekah Read Creative, designing 100+ full websites, and hosting 50+ Website in a Day projects, I’ve landed on a short list of tools I use every single week. These aren’t tools I tried once and dropped, or ones I’m paid to push. They run quietly in the background of my business, every day.
These are the ones running quietly in the background of my business, every day.
Here’s each tool, and why it earns its spot.
What Is the Best Software for Running a Small Business?
The best small business software depends on what you actually do day to day, but most service-based businesses need a home base for files and email, a website platform, a way to record video content, a course or product delivery system, and an email marketing tool.
That’s it. You don’t need forty apps. You need five or six that talk to each other and don’t get in your way. Below is what fills each of those roles for me.
1. Google Workspace: My Business Home Base
Everything in my business runs through Google Workspace. It’s the quiet infrastructure behind the scenes that makes the rest of my tools work.
Google Docs is where I write and save everything, from client proposals to blog drafts like this one. Because it lives on Google Drive, I can pick up a document from my laptop, my phone, or a client’s shared folder without emailing files back and forth.
Google Meet is how I run my discovery calls. It’s simple, it’s reliable, and clients don’t need to download anything to join. It also connects to Dubsado (one of my other favorite tools).
Gmail gives me a professional email address tied to my own domain, which matters more than people think. A branded email builds trust before a potential client even books a call with you.
Calendar keeps my whole business organized. Between client calls, KS Agency contract work, and running my own operations in 15 to 20 hours a week, I couldn’t function without being able to see and manage my schedule from anywhere.
Google Workspace offers a 14 day free trial, and if you sign up through my link, you’ll get a discount too.
Try Google Workspace free for 14 days
2. Showit: My Website Design Platform
If Google Workspace is my business home base, Showit is my creative studio. I’m in this platform almost daily, whether I’m building a brand new site for a client, tweaking SEO, or updating my own website.
What makes Showit different from other website builders is the design freedom. There’s no fighting a rigid template or wrestling with code to get something to look the way you want. You get true drag and drop control, which is exactly why it’s become my go-to platform for both client work and my own Website in a Day service.
If you’ve been wanting more creative freedom with your website, Showit is worth trying. You can get a free month (a credit card is required, but you can cancel anytime) using my code at checkout.
Try Showit free for a month with code bekah
What Tool Should I Use to Record Video Content?
For screen recordings and course content, Tella is the tool that edits your video while you’re barely doing any of the work yourself.
3. Tella: My Screen Recording Tool
I record every YouTube video and course video I create on Tella. What sold me on it wasn’t just the recording quality, it’s how much editing and customization happens right inside the platform. I’m not bouncing between three different apps to record, trim, and polish a video anymore.
If you create any kind of video content, whether that’s tutorials, YouTube videos, or course lessons, Tella is worth trying. You can get 30% off (genuinely the best discount code you’ll find for it) and try it free for 7 days.
What Is the Best Platform to Sell an Online Course?
The best course platform depends on whether you want an all-in-one hosting solution or a checkout and delivery system that connects to tools you already use. I’ve tried both, and here’s what I landed on.
4. ThriveCart: My Course and Checkout Platform
I’ll be honest, I tried building a course directly on my own website first. It’s technically possible, but it wasn’t worth the hassle. You lose the ability to track student progress, and you can’t easily send automated emails as people move through the content.
After some research, I started with Podia as my first course platform. It worked, but eventually I moved to ThriveCart (cheaper), and I trust it enough to say this: it is worth it for the one time payment. No monthly fee eating into your margins every single month, just a single purchase and you’re set.
If you’re building or selling a course or digital product, I’d recommend checking it out.
5. Flodesk: My Email Marketing Platform
I’ll admit, it took me a while to actually commit to Flodesk. But once I did, something shifted. I actually enjoy sending emails now, which if you’ve ever dreaded writing a newsletter, you know that’s a bigger deal than it sounds.
Flodesk is where I write and send my weekly newsletters, and the visual email builder makes the whole process feel less like a chore and more like something I want to sit down and do. If email marketing has felt like a dreaded to-do on your list, this might be the platform that changes that for you too.
You can get 25% off your first year with code BEKAH, plus try Flodesk free for 14 days.
Do You Need All of These Tools to Run a Business?
No, you don’t need every tool on this list to run a successful business. Start with what solves your biggest current bottleneck, whether that’s a scattered inbox, a website that isn’t converting, or an email list you’re not nurturing, and add from there.
The goal isn’t to collect software. It’s to build a business that runs smoothly without you having to hold every piece together manually. That’s what this toolkit does for me, and it’s what I’d want it to do for you too.
If you’re still figuring out your website platform or your SEO strategy, that’s exactly where I can help. Book a free discovery call and let’s talk through what your business actually needs.
Read other blogs about: Email Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Showit, Website Design
Hey, I'm Bekah! Web designer, Squarespace Circle Gold Partner, marathon runner, and mama of two. I built Rebekah Read Creative in 2018 after leaving corporate America, and I've spent the years since helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs stop cringing at their websites and start getting found on Google.
I'm the kind of person who overshares, processes out loud, and goes all in on whatever has my heart, whether that's running a 50k or building someone's website in a single day. Quality coffee and real conversations are basically my love language.
If you're here, you're probably tired of the Instagram hustle and ready for a website that actually works for you. You're in the right place.
