Here at Funding for Good, we have used and tested dozens of productivity tools in our business. Along the way, we’ve found a few that we absolutely love—and some hacks to make free or low-cost plans work for us.
So today, we’re sharing some of our favorites!
Testing Out Tools for Consultants Before Diving In (or Paying Up)
Most of the productivity tools in our list have free and paid versions. We recommend starting with the free versions. Before spending any money, you want to be sure you like a tool and can integrate it into your workflow.
Plus, the best productivity tools save you time, rather than costing time and creating frustration. So, it’s always okay to decide a particular tool simply isn’t for you.
Our Favorite Free (or Low Cost) Tools for Consultants
- Asana – One of the best business tools we can’t live without in our consulting work is Asana. Think of Asana as your partner in project management, process control, template creation, and more! Here at Funding for Good, we continue to be satisfied with the functionality offered in the free version of Asana. So, if you’re feeling pressure to upgrade to a paid subscription, it’s worth seeing exactly how much you can accomplish with the free plan first.
- Dropbox – Dropbox is our favorite file-sharing and management software. With Dropbox, there’s no need to run painful backups of your documents. That all happens automatically as Dropbox syncs your files between your desktop(s) and the cloud. You can also easily share folders with consultants, clients, and team members. Dropbox offers business and personal plans, but the family plan is a great deal if multiple members of your household use Dropbox.
- Grammarly – One of our favorite free tools that we recommend to clients and consultants is Grammarly. Better than Word’s built-in spelling and grammar checker, Grammarly can help you polish your writing, while also catching typos. We love it so much, we use the paid version, but we know plenty of folks who are happy with the free version only.
- Toggl – If you’re looking for a quick and easy time-tracking tool, Toggl comes highly recommended by many consultants in The Hive. And you don’t have to use it only for tracking billable hours. It can help you see how much time you’re spending IN your business vs ON your business.
- Google Workspace – Google Workspace has become a must-have tool for most consultants—and it starts at only $6 per month. One of the biggest benefits of Google Workspace is being able to customize your business email—so instead of grantsconsultant@gmail.com you can be info@grantsconsultant.com. It sounds small, but this switch adds a level of professionalism to your communications. Google Workspace also gives you access to a suite of tools like calendars, video conferencing, and document sharing.
- Wave – If you’re on the lookout for a free or low-cost e-invoicing tool, some consultants over in The Hive recommend Wave. With Wave, generating and tracking invoices is totally free. You can also use their online payment processor—which accepts bank and credit card payments—for a competitive transaction fee. If you have clients on retainer, Wave can handle monthly auto invoicing.
- To-Do List Management – Call us old-school, but nothing beats a legal pad or notebook and a great pen. One team member swears by a knock-off bullet journal and these multicolored pens. Research actually shows that writing things down on paper increases brain activity, memory, and even efficiency, so it’s worth giving this non-tech strategy a try. It also helps you get away from your screen—which we all need to do more of.
Additional tools to consider:
- Mailchimp – If you’re just building your email list, Mailchimp is an easy-to-use tool. It lets you create professional-looking emails (without requiring a design degree). If you have less than 500 contacts, you’re eligible for a free Mailchimp account. From there, pricing is based on the number of contacts, users, and monthly email sends. We don’t personally use Mailchimp, but we know many newer consultants who do.
- Canva – For consultants without an on-call designer, Canva can be a helpful resource for creating professional-looking graphics and presentations.
- beautiful.ai – This is a newer tool, but one of our team members swears by it for making professional-looking presentations and slide decks. So, if your PowerPoints aren’t reflecting your brand and professionalism the way you want, it could be worth checking out. Unfortunately, Beautiful.ai doesn’t come in a free version but it does offer a 14-day free trial.
- Slack – If you have a larger or far-flung team, we know several consultants who use Slack for instant communications. We don’t personally use it here at Funding for Good, as we find email, Asana, and picking up the phone do the job for us.
Deciding to Upgrade to Paid Versions of Free Tools
As small business owners, we are always watching our budgets and bottom lines! But there are times when it makes sense to invest in a paid version of a tool. For example, if you have access to sensitive client data, if your team is growing and you need more users, or if you need access to premium functions.
One affordable way to go premium with some productivity tools is partnering with other consultants to share a subscription that includes more “seats” or users. Another option is identifying only what you really need and use (to avoid paying for more than you need). And, if you find you aren’t using the premium features of a tool, it’s always okay to downgrade back to a lower cost or free level.
What Productivity Tools Are You Using in Your Consulting Business?
Are you using a free or low-cost productivity tool that isn’t listed here? Let us know the name and what you love about it, and we’ll add it to our roundup!
