Tools

If you give people tools, and they use their natural abilities and their curiosity, they will develop things in ways that will surprise you very much beyond what you might have expected.
— Bill Gates

Tools are just that, tools, but, used with purpose, they help an entrepreneur improve, optimize and grow their online business. On this page, we list the tools and resources we use for our own online businesses. These tools and books will help you launch, run and grow your business online.

*Please note that some of the links on this page are affiliate links – if you visit these sites and use their services, we may receive a small commission. It’s important to note that we use or have used all the services we recommend on this page for our own online businesses. We’ve also tried to list several free services or services that offer a free trial on this page – before you spend your own cash on any product or service, ask yourself if the service / product in question will help your own online business.

WHC.ca

As mentioned above, WHC.ca is our number one recommendation for web hosting and the one we use to host this very site you’re reading. Whether you anticipate 100 visitors a day or 10 000, Web Hosting Canada will make sure that your website is able to handle the traffic. They offer shared, Cloud and dedicated hosting plans as well as SEO and online marketing services specifically geared for business. And with topnotch server hardware and fiber-optic infrastructure to ensure speedy performance, they can accommodate bigger websites.

GreenGeeks

Known far and wide for their eco-friendly approach to hosting, GreenGeeks powers over 300,000 sites on the web. We use GreenGeeks to host a couple of other sites. For the more technical readers, you’ll be pleased to hear that they offer speedy SSD-based servers housed in high-tech datacenters spread throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Every shared and VPS hosting package comes with a free domain name, a custom cPanel, loads of 1-click app installation options, free nightly backups and default SSH access.

WordPress

Powering roughly 20% of all self-hosted sites online, WordPress is the go-to development system for DIY webmasters. If you haven’t guessed it yet, OBG runs on WordPress as well. And we’re not alone. Over 37 million sites place their trust in WordPress and its open source code to safeguard their security. It can be used in a largely point-and-click fashion to build and manage all types of websites, from blogs to e-commerce sites, making it ideal for non-technical users. It’s also mobile friendly, and offers iOS and Android compatibility as a standard.

StudioPress

If you’re going to develop a robust WordPress site and host it yourself, you’re going to need a professional looking WordPress theme. That’s why we like StudioPress and their Genesis Framework. It’s intuitive and clean. Plus they have great themes. OBG uses their theme which we were able to easily adjust and tweak to meet our needs. What do you think of our site? Seriously, let us know. With loads of different themes available to run on Genesis, StudioPress gives both novice and advanced WordPress hackers the tools they need to create a professional business website.

ThemeForest

If you don’t find what you need in terms of WordPress themes at StudioPress, but still need a really unique WordPress layout and can’t do it alone, the fine folks at ThemeForest have the solution. With over 22,000 themes available for purchase, they’re the most popular WordPress Theme marketplace on the web. ThemeForest’s themes and templates are crafted by some of the best developers around and most (some perhaps, make sure to check the reviews on the ThemeForest’s theme page before buying) are updated regularly.

WooCommerce

When it comes to e-commerce plugins designed specifically for WordPress, WooCommerce rules the roost. It’s the most popular e-commerce plugin in existence due to its ease of use and diverse configuration options. You can theme it yourself or use one of their free or premium Themes to get a polished, professional look for your storefront.

Shopify

There’s a reason why Shopify is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce services: they make selling online dead simple for businesses of any size. Over 100,000 businesses use this Canadian company to power their online storefronts. Thanks to their deep roster of pre-configured Themes and Apps, customers can build stunning shopping carts for their businesses in just minutes.

PayPal

For small businesses, PayPal is often the best way to process transactions online. Even after you’ve enabled true credit card processing, it’s still a wise idea to have a PayPal option on your site due to the popularity of the platform. PayPal also boasts many nifty transaction management features for small-time entrepreneurs just getting their feet wet in the world of e-commerce.

MailChimp

A solid email marketing provider is a must for any business looking to maintain and expand its customer base. We use MailChimp for our mailing list and they are great. MailChimp is an affordable and effective way to create your mailing list and get followers via opt-in marketing campaigns. MailChimp’s reporting and analytics capabilities are a cut above the competition. Furthermore, their templates are easy to customize as you see fit.

OptinMonster

A rising star in the email marketing sphere, OptinMonster is a versatile lead generation platform worth trying. We’re using OptinMonster on many of our sites and it really helps in increasing our mailing list subscribers. Their drag-and-drop form builder is one of the best in the business. They also have page-level targeting and A/B testing features that make email optimization a cinch. What really sets OptinMonster apart is their Exit Intent Technology, which reduces opt-outs by a remarkable amount.

Unsplash

If you require only the highest-quality photos for your site, Unsplash is a required bookmark. Many of the photos you see us use on our blog posts come from there. Created by the freelance outsourcing team at Crew, Unsplash features loads of 100% free images that you can use for whatever purpose you desire. It’s a favorite of professional and semi-professional photographers who know their stuff and crank out breathtaking shots of everything from landscapes to electronics.

iStockPhoto

Even if content marketing isn’t a big part of your promotional strategy, you’ll need plenty of stock images for one reason or another. Arguably the best stock photo marketplace online is iStockPhoto, a virtual bazaar where even professional photographers sell their pictures. It’s affordable and hosts images of nearly every subject you’ll need for marketing and design.

TextBroker

You should always control the content you put out, but, as a business owner, time is scare, and you will not always be able to crank out all the content like blog posts and email copy. You have to learn to delegate and a service like TextBroker acts as a go-between for writers and content buyers. Their prices are very affordable and they have many quality freelance writers to choose from.

TranslationJM

If you want to reach a bigger audience, going international is the best way to do so. That often means translating content like product descriptions into another language. Our friends at TranslationJM will find the right human translator for you so that your content doesn’t sound like it’s been generated by software. Headquartered in Montreal, TranslationJM is a favorite of Canadian business owners.

UpWork.com

If you need to hire a freelancer fast and want the best results possible, UpWork should be your first destination. This freelancer marketplace is teeming with graphic artists, coders, writers and even consultants that will bring any project to fruition for a reasonable price. Born from the merger of oDesk and eLance, UpWork is the largest and most reputable freelancing platform on the web.

Law Depot

Another one of our top recommendation, Law Depot is essentially the Canadian equivalent of LegalZoom; it is just as helpful. They feature high-quality templates for everything from commercial real estate lease agreements to living wills. Since 2001, their free legal documents have saved businesses and everyday citizens in Canada and the United States over $1 billion in attorney fees.

Corporation Centre

While legal issues like incorporation and taxes are nobody’s idea of a good time, they’re the most important part of running a business. Corporation Centre is your one-stop shop when it comes to nearly every legal aspect of business creation and administration. From NUANS reports to trademarks to corporate filings, they can do it all.

The E-Myth

Required reading for any would-be captain of industry, Michael E. Gerber’s timeless classic investigates why businesses of all sizes fail. Originally written in 1986 and updated in 2004, this 268-page book will radically alter how you look at entrepreneurship. If you take its lessons to heart, it will greatly increase the chances of your next business going the distance.

Rich Dad Poor Dad

Even people that never plan on starting their own business will benefit from Rich Dad Poor Dad and its common sense financial advice. Authors Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter explain in clear terms the importance of financial literacy and its influence on one’s success in life. Entrepreneurs will appreciate their simple, actionable tips for making any business thrive. Note from OBG Founder: this book changed my whole view about finance.

The 4-Hour Work Week

In the The Four Hour Workweek, entrepreneur Tim Ferriss demonstrates how anyone can maximize their time and efforts when building and running a business. The primary thrust of the book is that working smarter rather than harder is the key to succeeding in any industry. Many highly accomplished entrepreneurs swear by its easy but effective productivity pointers.

The One Thing

Like every great book about business success, The One Thing is a well thought-out and structured explanation of a very simple idea. Author Gary Keller poses the following question: “What’s the One Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?” A life-changing read for many, The One Thing will fundamentally alter how you look at your business. Note from OBG Founder: if you only read one book out of our recommendations, read this one. You Will Not Regret It.