41 Side Hustle Tools, Apps, and Resources I Use to Run My Online Business

I’m always looking for ways to work smarter and more efficiently, and to that end I took a recent inventory of my online business “toolkit.”

Of course many of these will be obvious to you, but hopefully you discover some helpful new resources as well.

The good news? Many of these are free or at least have a free version!

And if you’re looking for the definitive guide to online resources named by top entrepreneurs, check out the full collection in my book, Work Smarter.

One important note is I didn’t start here. I’ve cobbled together this toolbox over the last 10+ years, and added expenses only as the revenue justified it.

Start scrappy, start lean, and then invest where it makes sense!

There are also a ton of great suggestions in the comments below!

Website Stuff

1. WordPress

Maybe I’m a little bit of a fanboy, but it’s pretty awesome that you can get such a robust website-building framework for FREE, and then add one of thousands of great-looking themes on top of it, also for free. (Or a relatively low cost.)

I’m in my WordPress dashboards all day long moderating comments, writing new posts, adding pages, etc.

Side Hustle Nation runs on a premium theme called GeneratePress.

If it helps, here’s a step-by-step process on how I built a great-looking site in just a few hours using WordPress.

Related: Switching WordPress Themes: My Website Redesign Process, Tools, and Goals

2. WPX Hosting

When Side Hustle Nation outgrew my cheap shared hosting plan, I moved it over to WordPress optimized hosting at WPX Hosting. I’ve now been a customer for over 10 years!

The performance, reliability, and support have been great. 100% recommend.

3. Bluehost

If you’re not quite ready for WPX, for inexpensive shared hosting, Bluehost delivers what it promises. New users can get started for as little as $1.99 a month.

I rely on Bluehost for several smaller sites and to set up “vanity” domain redirects like BuyButtonsBook.com (which redirects to my book on Amazon) or SideHustleWebsite.com (which redirects to my tutorial on how to set up a website).

Related: Check out my free video course on how to start a blog.

4. Porkbun

Lately Porkbun has been my domain registrar of choice. They’ve got great pricing and great customer support, without trying to sell you a million add-ons. (cough, GoDaddy, cough!)

5. Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder is the drag-and-drop page builder I used to create the Side Hustle Nation homepage and several other common elements throughout the site.

My favorite feature is the ability to create little call-out boxes and embed them into content using shortcode. These are great for affiliate offers, email opt-ins, or really anything you want to visually stand out from the rest of your post.

And then if the offer changes, you can update it in one place, instead of finding every mention across your site.

For example, here’s a Beaver Builder module I built to promote The Side Hustle Show, which appears on a bunch of different pages:

There’s a free version of Beaver Builder on the WordPress plugin directory with limited functionality, but I’ve been using the paid product since 2017.

Marketing Tools

6. ConvertKit

My email list is a critical part of the business — one that doesn’t rely on any social media or algorithms to be able to reach readers and listeners.

For this important role, I’ve trusted ConvertKit. The company has great customer support and is very aligned with the creator economy.

ConvertKit offers some really powerful filtering, segmentation, and automation tools, and has some interesting ways to help you build and monetize your email list.

7. LeadPages

I was hesitant to buy LeadPages because I didn’t want to commit to another monthly subscription fee, but the results have been outstanding. Within 3 months, I’d tripled the size of my email list.

I use LeadPages in a few different ways. For years, the main feature I took advantage of was their 2-step click-triggered opt-in forms.

I created episode-specific lead magnets for most Side Hustle Show episodes, and used those LeadPages forms to collect emails and to deliver the requested files.

LeadPages also makes it super easy to quickly create landing pages and thank you pages for specific offers.

8. Interact

Another way I get people on my email list is through quizzes. Interact makes it easy to build these and connect them with your email service provider.

The main quizzes I have right now are:

Find Your Perfect Side Hustle
Get Your Personalized Side Hustle Show Playlist

Interact has been a super helpful tool — hundreds of new subscribers join through these quizzes every month!

9. Group Leads

One of my best finds is the Group Leads Chrome extension. This allows me to automatically capture email addresses when people request to join the Side Hustle Nation Facebook group.

It syncs directly with ConvertKit and results in thousands of new subscribers a year.

10. Pretty Link

Pretty Link — actually Pretty Link Lite — is a free WordPress plugin that helps create easy-to-remember redirect links and affiliate links.

For instance, that Bluehost link above is a Pretty Link. I’m not entirely sure what the paid version gets you because I’ve created hundreds of links in the free version and it seems to be just fine.

It’s also handy to create “speakable” links to use on the podcast. Every time I say something like, “Visit the show notes at SideHustleNation.com/rob,” that’s a Pretty Link.

11. Lasso

Lasso is a popular website plugin that makes it easy to create attractive product displays and comparison tables, like the ones you see on sites like Wirecutter.

For example, here’s a display I created for Fundrise:

You can add a little call-out at the top, star-ratings, product descriptions, pros/cons, call-to-action buttons, and disclaimers.

This was another one I was hesitant to pay for, but easily pays for itself by improving affiliate clicks and conversions.

12. Teachable

I joined Teachable in 2019. The powerful learning management software is a popular choice among course creators for good reason.

I’ve found the system intuitive to use and customizable for my needs. Previously, I tried to piece together everything I’d need to host an online course on my own, including:

Private video hosting
A membership or customer login area
Payment processing
Sales pages

But older and wiser, I can see the benefit of an affordable, well-designed, all-in-one solution.

Here are the courses I’ve created so far:

Start My Side Hustle
The Traffic Course
The Podcast Growth Playbook
Easy Content Makeover
Get Gigs!

13. Ahrefs

Ahrefs has long been the leading keyword research tool for anyone serious about ranking their content in Google.

It’s not cheap, but helps me:

come up with new topic ideas
see the approximate search volume and competitiveness of keywords
uncover and fix technical problems on my site

14. Frase

Frase is another somewhat nerdy SEO tool. I use it in a couple different ways. 

First, you can input a new content idea, and it will bring up the top-ranking pages in Google for that topic, and tell you the most important things you need to mention in your article for it to have a chance of ranking.

The other way is to help you improve existing content. After you paste in your URL, it analyzes what you already have on your page and then makes recommendations on what to add/edit/remove based on the current search results.

Productivity Tools

15. Gmail

One inbox to rule them all.

All my email, for all my websites, filters into my main Gmail inbox. I’ve been using Gmail exclusively since 2005 and this is command central for my biz.

I’ve created a ton of different filters to route messages to certain folders (and away from the primary inbox) if I don’t need to see them right away.

For example, emails:

from service@paypal.com go straight to a folder called “Accounting”.
that include the subject line of one of my welcome sequence emails go straight to a folder called “Engagement Replies”. (This helps me batch-process my replies.)
with the words “for immediate release” get automatically canned into a folder called “PR Junk”.

There are also some Gmail keyboard shortcuts that are probably worth learning to become more efficient in handling your email. The ones I use most frequently are:

r to reply
j and k to toggle to the previous or next email
ctrl + enter to send

Related: Here’s a video I made on how to forward your domain email to Gmail.

16. Sanebox

When Sanebox reached out about sponsoring The Side Hustle Show, I decided to give the smart email-filtering software a try myself.

It took a little getting used to and a little bit of “teaching” it right from wrong, but the system is remarkably accurate, and has saved me from over 35,000 messages so far. That’s nuts!

Even if those took just a second or two to delete, that still adds up to some serious time.

17. Nudgemail

Nudgemail is a pay-what-you-want (including $0) email reminder system, where you can bcc 2weeks@nudgemail.com (or any other commonly-expressed timeframe), and you’ll get a follow-up message in your inbox at that time.

It’s super helpful if you need to remember to check on something in the future, like if a deposit actually hit your account, or if now just isn’t the right time to deal with a message.

18. ClipX

This is a free clipboard management tool I probably use dozens of times a day without even thinking about it. It stores the last 25 things you’ve copied and lets you ctrl+shift+v to pick which one you want to paste.

At first I didn’t know why I needed this in my life but after using it for a few years I can’t go back!

(I think CopyClip is the Mac alternative.)

19. Magical

Magical is a cool Chrome extension that allows you to create custom keyboard shortcuts for commonly used phrases.

For instance, if I type “mc*” (for My Calendar), it will populate:

“My calendar is here:

https://www.meetme.so/nickloper

Grab a couple times that work for you and we’ll make it happen.”

If I type “sig*” (for Signature), it will populate:

Nick Loper
SideHustleNation.com

If I type “sss”, it will populate:

https://www.sidehustlenation.com

I have dozens of these little shortcuts set-up and they save a ton of time. Plus, you feel like a real productivity ninja when you use them.

The downside? It only works in Chrome. (There are paid tools like Text Expander that work system-wide.)

20. The 3 Question Journal

No, it’s not an app, but it’s a really affordable nightly “shut down routine.” Over the last decade in business, I found there were a few core habits that when I did them consistently, I was more effective and satisfied with my work and life.

Unfortunately my implementation of those habits wasn’t always inconsistent.

That’s why I created The 3 Question Journal to put them into one place and have a physical reminder of them on my desk.

The 3 questions are:

What did I get done today?
What am I grateful for?
How will I win tomorrow?

Fast, easy, simple, and effective.

Calendar Management

21. Google Calendar

My Google Calendar runs my day, and I’ve even started the habit of blocking off larger chunks of time for myself.

After all, if you don’t prioritize your day, someone else will do it for you.

22. ScheduleOnce

I use ScheduleOnce to handle all my podcast interviews and meeting requests. It syncs easily with my Google Calendar and I can pre-set times I don’t want made available.

For example, this year, Mondays and Wednesday mornings are the only days that are open for calendar bookings.

I stack up all the meetings and recordings those days, and have the rest of the week (usually) free and clear to tackle other projects. (Or to go skiing, hiking, golfing, etc.)

One-time purchase alternative: TidyCal

Graphics and Video

23. Canva

Canva is an incredibly powerful graphic design tool. And even the free version is pretty robust.

I use this to create:

YouTube thumbnails
Workbooks
Custom blog graphics
and more

It took me a while to really appreciate Canva, but now I swear by it.

Related: How to Make Money Using Canva

24. ScreenPal

ScreenPal is a really cool free screen recording tool.

Screencast-o-Matic will let you go up to 15 minutes for free with unlimited recordings.

I use this all the time to record:

step-by-step tutorials for team members
YouTube videos
answers to listener questions

25. Awesome Screenshot

Awesome Screenshot is a cool free Chrome browser extension that helps you capture still screenshots, crop them, and mark them up with text, circles, and arrows.

You can even capture complete scrolling websites in one screenshot.

26. Pictory

Pictory is a super cool AI-assisted video creation tool. How it works is you upload your script, and the app will create a video based on those words — pulling in dozens of stock footage clips — and adding captions.

Here’s an example of a video we made with Pictory:

It would have taken me or another editor hours to pull in all those clips, and Pictory does it in just a few minutes!

(Use discount code nshn20 to save 20% on Pictory!)

27. Pexels

Pexels.com is where I source a lot of the images you see here at Side Hustle Nation.

They have beautiful images that are free to use with no attribution required.

Team Collaboration

28. LastPass

I’m in love with LastPass, a free password management tool. We all have so many passwords to remember on a daily basis and this free tool helps me “outsource” all that mental clutter.

Plus, you can use this to securely share passwords with your virtual assistant(s).

29. Make.com

Make is an awesome resource that connects the different apps in your life.

I use it to automate various processes in the business. 

For instance:

If a new student joins one of my courses, they’ll get added to ConvertKit
If someone buys one of my workbooks, they’ll get their file delivery
If the podcast editor uploads a new episode, it’ll trigger a message to my show notes writer

Like most software tools, there’s a learning curve to get this going, but it saves a lot of time and manual work once your “scenarios” are working.

Once you start to play around with it, you’ll start to discover other opportunities for automation!

30. Asana

I still use a lot of pen and paper to-do lists, but Asana has been helpful for keeping track of longer term projects and giving team members a visual dashboard of upcoming tasks. 

I like how I can categorize certain tasks, create recurring monthly tasks, and assign deadlines. 

31. OkayRelax

OkayRelax is an affordable virtual assistant service I find myself using several times a week.

My dedicated assistant:

helps run reports
installs lead magnets
researches companies
formats blog posts
sends welcome messages
and more

It’s taken a while to build up these processes and the trust to give access to all the necessary sites, but this service and my assistants have been a huge help.

32. Zen WP

Zen WP is my on-call “website insurance” service. This WordPress maintenance and support company was instrumental during my last redesign, but it’s helpful to have a go-to virtual IT Department for any issues that come up.

Use coupon code VAATENOFF for 10% off any support plan for life!

33. Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile is my affordable wireless carrier. I’ve been a customer since 2019.

34. Google Drive

I was a latecomer to Google Drive but now use it every day to build out podcast show outlines, collect survey responses, and share files between team members.

Podcasting

The Side Hustle Show is my main focus these days, and I often get questions about the equipment and software I used to start the show.

35. Riverside

I use the Riverside browser-based recording tool to record the audio and video for The Side Hustle Show.

It delivers great sound quality and I haven’t had any dealbreaker issues with it.

36. Audacity

I record my raw audio into Audacity, a free audio-editing tool, and use the software to make any last-minute changes to the episodes before they air.

37. Descript

The first time you use Descript, you’ll think it’s magic! It transcribes your audio or video recordings, and then lets you cut sections of the video by simply deleting the text.

Incredible.

Another cool feature? If you mess up a line or need to add something after the fact, you don’t have to re-record. After it learns your voice, Descript can create an AI-powered “overdub” of you “saying” the missing words.

We use this to create the video versions of the podcast along with other YouTube content.

Related: AI Side Hustles: How to Make Money with AI Tools

38. Podcast Fast Track

I’ve been working with Podcast Fast Track to edit The Side Hustle Show since early 2016. This has definitely been a time saver and a worthwhile investment for the sake of all your earbuds!

Check out this article for more on my podcast production process.

39. Megaphone

Megaphone is my podcasting “media host.” 

The Spotify-owned platform helps you syndicate your podcast to every podcast app on the planet. On top of that, you can use their dynamic ad insertion technology to monetize your show. 

Money

40. Kick

Even though I’m the weird person who actually likes bookkeeping, it was becoming a multiple-times-a-day distraction and a less-than-optimal use of time.

Kick syncs with all your accounts to get the bookkeeping off your plate.

It’s got a slick, modern interface where you can log in, see transactions in real-time, and get an up-to-date snapshot of the financial health of your business.

Transactions are automatically categorized, but if something goes into the wrong category, you can easily update it from a drop-down menu and “train” the system for next time.

41. Affluent

Affluent is a cool resource that aggregates your affiliate earnings from a bunch of different networks. I found myself spending a lot of time running reports from a dozen different networks, but this service brings them all into one place.

My only beef is that it doesn’t cover 100% of my affiliate relationships, but is still a time saver. I like their daily digest emails that say how much I earned yesterday!

Your Turn

Anything I missed? What side hustle tools would you add?

Which of these are your favorites?