Business, Marketing & Productivity Software Reviews

Evaluating different software options? Here's my reviews of various business, marketing and productivity software.

If you are exploring accounting software specifically, I created a quiz to generate the best accounting software for your business based on your goals & preferences. Take the accounting software quiz here.

MailChimp Email Marketing Review w/ Pros & Cons

November 14, 2016 By Nate Shivar

MailChimp has been one of the fastest growing email marketing providers for years now. They’ve built an huge base of customers ranging from tiny personal accounts to some of the most prestigious enterprise brands in the world.

I’ve been using MailChimp exclusively for more than 6 years now. I’ve explored different providers and gotten exposure to alternatives via my clients, but have never found a reason to switch.

That said – they aren’t the best fit for everyone and have some disadvantages along with strong advantages. This MailChimp review will break down what I’ve found to be pros that I especially appreciate for myself and my clients along with the cons that MailChimp hasn’t improved dramatically over the past 6 years.

One side note – I live in Atlanta, GA. I work downtown and think of myself as an Atlantan. MailChimp is one of Atlanta’s best corporate citizens and one of (if not the) our best technology companies. I have quite a bit of hometown bias that I’ll try to set aside (but to fellow Atlantans – just go start using MailChimp – it’s pretty much your civic duty).

Let’s dive into this MailChimp review![Continue Reading]

My 99designs Review: Using 99designs For Blog Logo Design

September 9, 2016 By Nate Shivar

There are tons of free options for graphic design on the web. I love using everything from Hipster Logo Generator to Canva to Stencil to Pixlr. But when it comes to website or blog logo design – or really anything related to graphic design that makes your blog stand out – you’ll need expertise.

And professional graphic design expertise isn’t cheap. So how can you make your website or blog really stand out – give it that extra ‘pop’ that it needs without turning hiring a professional graphic designer directly?

One option is crowd-sourced design. It’s a way to help make good graphic design accessible to all budgets, while giving freelance graphic designers a vibrant marketplace.

I’ve personally used 99designs for a couple of my website projects. I’ve had clients use their design contests feature as well. Based on those experiences, here’s my 99designs review with how it works, along with pros and cons…

*Editor’s Note – this post was originally published in April 2013. It’s been updated and re-published for September 2016.

Disclosure – I receive referral fees from any companies mentioned. All data and opinion is based on my experience as a paying customer.

[Continue Reading]

RescueTime Review: Using RescueTime for Time Management

August 2, 2016 By Nate Shivar

RescueTime has been a part of my working life for more than 6 years, but I’ve never sat down to write a RescueTime review until just a few months ago.

A few months ago marked my first full year of self-employment. I took the time to re-evaluate all my tools and working processes to make sure I had a solid time balance among all my priorities.

After all – whether you are paid hourly or not, your time is your only non-renewable resource. If you are going to manage anything, it should be your time.

Since almost all my professional priorities are on a computer – time management software (ie, RescueTime) is a core part of that.

Check out RescueTime’s Plans here.

Here’s my RescueTime review with pros, cons, use cases and next steps based on my experience.[Continue Reading]

FreshBooks Review: My 6 Pros & Cons of Using FreshBooks for Accounting

October 21, 2015 By Nate Shivar

I’ve been running a business for more than 5 years now. The last 4+ years, I’ve been using FreshBooks for invoicing and bookkeeping. It’s also one the companies on my Resources page that readers ask me most about. I thought I’d convert those emails into a full FreshBooks review for reference – because here’s the thing.

I’ve had 3 bosses at 3 different companies tell me variations of the same idiom. “If it feels tedious, you’re doing it wrong.” Or, “if you’re working hard, you are using the wrong tool.” Or, “if you’re working hard, you’re probably ignoring what’s important.”

Boring stuff like invoicing and bookkeeping aren’t technically part of marketing or improving your or your client’s website. But it does compete for your time and attention. It’s also an easy-time suck.

By 2012, I had been running a freelance marketing & web design business for several years. I was spending way too much time trying to keep costs down while also looking professional and legit. I was using PayPal’s free invoice feature and Google Sheets. It was quite a mess. So I started looking a resource for bookkeeping, invoicing, and a bit of accounting.

I started using FreshBooks. I’ve never used QuickBooks or compared QuickBooks vs. FreshBooks. It seemed feature overkill (and $$$) at the time. But I haven’t left FreshBooks even as business has grown and my career has changed.

BTW – I evaluated it by signing up for a free plan and clicking around. Check out FreshBooks’ free trial & plans here.

I don’t use FreshBooks for anything super-complicated. I use it to:

Create and send invoices to clients and advertising partners and track their accounts.
Track and manage expenses.
Basic accounting (aka looking at P&L sheets & Schedule C documentation).
Simplify communication with my accountant.

So here’s my FreshBooks review with pros & cons. It’s not for everyone, but it’s also not meant to be either.[Continue Reading]