RESOURCE MARKETPLACE
Tools and Resources for Small Businesses
Whether you’re curating resources for your website build or you’re a designer, there is an endless number of resources at our fingertips.
Here are a few of my favourites & some discount codes!
Heads up - some shares (*) are affiliate links. It will not cost you anything extra but I may receive a commission for sharing my love of the product or service I happily use or trust!
Business & Legal
Getting the admin side of your business organized is, personally, the least favourite part of being self-employed. These companies make getting started easy!
Squarespace*
My website host of choice as it’s an easy-to-manage platform once you’ve got the hang of it. Pair with scheduling, email marketing, commerce, and project management all in one!
20% off your first year through my design services or 10% off with code BIRCH10
SEOSpace*
SEOSpace’s plugin is the only tool of its kind that provides easy-to-follow recommendations on how to rank Squarespace websites on page 1 of Google.
Shopify*
When you need more robust shipping and filtering options, Shopify may be your better choice. Compare Squarespace and Shopify here.
Honeybook*
My customer management tool of choice. Easily track your client communication, expenses, time and projects all in one place. This is becoming a life-saver for my non-admin-loving self.
Save 30% off for one year with my link OR $1 for the first 6 months!
Termageddon*
This Privacy Policy & Terms of Use generator auto-updates when there are government changes. A hands-off approach to keeping yourself legal. From $99 USD/year.
Use the code BIRCH at checkout and receive 10% off your first payment! (annual will give you the best savings!)
Contracts Market*
Contract Templates for Canadians in CAD. Now available for US residents!
From website Terms & Privacy Policy bundles to contractor agreements and waivers, this is a go-to to cover your tush. This is a one-time payment for your template.
Gather video testimonials or onboard your clients face-to-face. Free and paid plans are available depending on your needs.
Squarespace Templates for DIY’ers
If you don’t have the budget for a custom website, there are some great new template shops that offer pre-designed websites and include tutorials for the DIY’er to launch with ease!
If tech or time have you questioning the job, book a week with me and I’ll do the template re-style using a template from one of these fantastic template shops!
Ghost Plugins*
Get 10% off Super Plugins, Templates, and Ghost+ Memberships (1st month) with code BIRCHANDBUDDESIGN
Squarespace Plug-ins & Code Tutorials
I love Squarespace, but without any code, it can often feel templated. Custom code & javascript offer the potential to jazz up a website with animations and styling that you can’t do otherwise. See this post for some websites featuring custom code.
Squarestylist*
Amazing code tutorials, plugins and templates for minimal and modern designs. She also has multiple courses teaching advanced design & coding techniques.
SEOSpace*
SEOSpace’s plugin is the only tool of its kind that provides easy-to-follow recommendations on how to rank Squarespace websites on page 1 of Google.
Schwartz-Edmiston Design*
Chris’s blog has easy-to-follow custom coding tutorials and offers courses for advanced concepts to apply to your Squarespace website. He is a great teacher and his courses are lifetime access including future updates!
Inside The Square
Becca has a Youtube channel, courses and handy guides to uplevel your code knowledge and teach you some fancy new things.
Beatriz Carabello*
Very in-depth code blog & courses. She explains what you do with the code so you are not just copying and pasting.
Ghost Plugins*
This is an amazing marketplace of free and paid code to uplevel your Squarespace website.
Get 10% off Super Plugins, Templates, and Ghost+ Memberships (1st month) with code BIRCHANDBUDDESIGN
Advanced plugins like the Universal Filter, Lazy Load Summary Block, Map and Table blocks and more to enhance the capabilities of your Squarespace website.
A master at code with Curious Coder’s course, YouTube videos and easy-to-implement plugins for your Squarespace website.
freebie | nail your client testimonials
Results-oriented testimonials for your website project are critical
Gathering client feedback is imperative to improve your client process, mine for clues to better website copy and content, and prove you’re as amazing as you say you are.
Grab my top offboarding questions to add to your client experience.
education & training
Courses I’ve loved
Investing in ongoing education is one of the best things we can do for our growth. Next to blogs and podcasts, courses by peers I admire is my favourite way to learn. I have taken many, many courses and these are ones worth mentioning. No matter where we are at in our entrepreneur or design journey, investing in education & skills is paramount to ask the same of our clients.
Here’s a look at a few of my favourites and recent investments.
Squarestylist | Standout Squarespace*
Hands down the best investment I’ve ever made. Rache is a methodical and thorough teacher and so generous in time and knowledge with her community. With a focus on CSS and coding Squarespace websites efficiently and creating standout designs, this course is a must for any designer looking to up level their client designs & experience.
ilovecreatives | Squarespace Design Course
This was my first investment and introduction to design & coding in Squarespace. Puno has a fun and engaging way to teach & I admit I haven’t finished the course before I jumped into others. Still highly recommend it if you’re an independent learner.
Applet Studio | Squarespace Mastery*
This is an extremely affordable mini-course and a great introduction if you are just learning how to use Squarespace, especially as a DIY’er or you want to understand the BTS of Squarespace better.
Honey & Co | The One, Brand Positioning
Learning all about brand strategy & positioning from Chelsea has been pivotal to my business & I look forward to bringing what I’ve learned to my client’s businesses.
Copywriting
Copywriting is word art. It’s a skill worth learning as literally every part of running a business requires it. From blogs, email messaging, social, to of course - your web copy. Here are some of my favourite copywriters with blogs and resources to make the process easier. Grab a coffee, tea, or something stronger and dive in.
If you’re struggling with website words and want a wordsmith to wow your clients, contact me for recommendations. I highly recommend outsourcing this portion of your design project.
Ashlyn Writes
Ashlyn Carter has amazing resources for writing words for your website. Her templates are fantastic, as is her blog and YouTube channel.
Reveal Studio
A favourite for bold, no-BS women. She also has email and sales page copy templates to up your game.
The Literary
Kayla is a copywriter who offers a masterclass and an upcoming course on copywriting. Her blog is also full of information on creating your brand story and helpful tips for writing your words.
Maha Copy Co.
Strategic website copywriting for coaches & creatives ready to convert with confidence and make more money online. Featuring a shop and blog, there’s something for everyone.
Between The Lines
Want to learn all about copy for email marketing, website copy and sales pages? The BTL email newsletter is where it’s at. F bombs may be dropped.
Email Marketing
By far the best way to convert those that aren’t ready to buy yet is through a nurture sequence and connection through emails. I know this, yet I know the struggle is real to stay on top of it. My favourite free & paid newsletter platforms are below to help with your game.
Squarespace*
Easy marketing with your branding built-in and plans ranging from basic to advanced automation.
Save 20% off an annual subscription through my design services or 10% off with code BIRCH10
Flodesk*
The most beautiful templates for creatives or anyone who appreciates an aesthetic email. No cap on subscribers!
Save 50% off your first year with my link!
Mailerlite*
Great starting option with a free plan that also includes automation! Integrates seamlessly with Squarespace.
Stock Photography
Photos can make or break your website. The images need to be consistent and relevant to your content. There are various free & paid resources available to meet your needs and brand style.
The absolute best resource is a brand photoshoot specific to your business. This creates a cohesive vibe online and allows your clients a glimpse into your environment. Need a recommendation in Kitchener - Waterloo region? Hit me up.
Haute Stock*
Paid membership site with quality images and videos which are well-edited & organized with a wide variety of industries and colour themes available. Canva templates are also available for social media and opt-ins. My absolute favourite.
Save 15% off with code BIRCH at checkout!
Styled Stock Society*
Quarterly Membership available.
Feminine images are well-edited and they also include many custom Canva templates for social, workbooks & marketing.
Pexels
One of my favourite free stock imagery sources. More editorial look with a great search feature.
A paid marketplace of custom fonts, graphics, stock images, templates and more.
Neutral and modern paid stock imagery collections for photographers and creatives.
Large collection of filterable free stock photos you can use unlicensed.
Both free stock photo sites include graphics and vectors.
On trend, royalty-free stock imagery submitted by people just like you.
Type & Colour Inspiration
Selecting a typeface that represents your brand is critical. It’s amazing how it can speak to your values & vibe and represent your brand. Combined with a colour palette and graphics, this can round out the visual aspect of your branding. Have fun exploring the resources below.
See font combinations in the wild, get inspo of what’s new and suggested pairings.
Sticking with Google Fonts? This website helps you pair fonts together well with real-life examples.
Many unique custom fonts and marketplace for different font foundry’s. Both web font and desktop fonts available.
One of my favourites for inspiration and putting together a colour palette.
COLOUR HUNT & adobe colour wheel
Check out what’s new, extract a theme from a photo and source a new palette.
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