Top Startup Tools & Resources

Welcome to the Simple Startup resource page! The following is a list of the best tools and resources to help you start and grow your business. We'll continue to update this list as we find new tools and discounts to ensure that you get the best deals possible. 

The reason why I'm providing you with these recommendations is because I believe they are hands-down the best available and the ones you’ll most benefit from.  I have used all of these tools for my own businesses  so I know they are useful.  I hope you find this resource useful! If there’s any other tools or resources that you recommend, please contact us and we'll review it. 

Read this disclosure​

-Mayank​ Gupta, Founder at Simple Startup

Hosting & Domains

​The hosting company I suggesting using if you're just getting started with your online business is Bluehost.  I’ve tried many hosting companies in the past, but I’ve found that they have one of the most responsive and helpful support (which is especially important if you're new to online business). The performance is also good and you’ll be able to run your Wordpress site on it without many issues.  They also have some great step-by-step training videos to help you install and configure your Wordpress site in no time.

You can get 50% off Bluehost by signing up for just $3.49/month today (FREE domain name included).​


To register your domain, you'll need to use a domain registrar such as Godaddy or Namecheap.  I’ve used both extensively but I now exclusively use Namecheap to register all my domain names as they have great support and a much better user experience than Godaddy. Namecheap has a more user-friendly backend, less upsell offers (which can get annoying after a while) and clutter than Godaddy.

Use the coupon code "SKOOLZOUT" to register your domain at a discounted rate.


List Building/Email Marketing

Looking for the best landing page creator software and lead generation tool? Then look no further than Thrive Themes. Thrive offers an all-in-one suite for creating compelling landing page designs and tools to help you get more leads for your business. 

At Simple Startup we use Thrive Themes for all of our landing pages and lead generation (lightboxes, content upgrades, widgets, etc.).  What I particularly like about the Thrive Themes Suite is that you can control nearly every aspect of the design of the templates. If you want to add/remove elements and move them around, you can do that quite easily to get the design to look exactly how you want it to.

They also have a great forum and support system, so if you ever get stuck their team will find a solution.  If you're looking for an all-in-one lead generation toolkit, then sign up for Thrive Themes.


Active Campaign is an email marketing automation and CRM software. It makes it possible to segment your lists, and add your subscribers to an automation sequence so that you can follow up with them with relevant messages and offers.

Active Campaign uses tags to identify and segment your subscribers. You can create simple as well as complex automations.​

I used to use Aweber as my goto email marketing software, but realized it’s limitations in terms of automation. That’s why I switched over to Active Campaign and have been finding it much better for my needs.

Also, it’s much more cost-friendly then some of the higher end automation services like Infusionsoft. You can get started for as little as $9/month for up to 500 contacts. So if you’re just getting started and need a solid email marketing software, I’d suggest using Active Campaign. You can get a free 14-day trial here.


Premium Worpress Themes

Do you want to create a beautiful website without having to spend a lot of time or money customizing it?  If so, then consider using Studiopress.

Studiopress offers nice looking SEO-friendly and mobile-responsive Wordpress themes.  It has a strong community around it, so if you ever get stuck building your site then you’ll be taken care of. They also have some good tutorials for each theme which you can access from the backend. You can either purchase the genesis framework separately and the child themes separately, or you can buy the PRO version which gives you access to all the templates for $499. If you build a lot of sites for yourself or clients, then go with PRO – otherwize purchasing separately will be fine.

You can get Studiopress ​starting at just $99.95 for the Genesis framework + Child Theme.


Outsourcing & Freelancing

Upwork

upwork

Do you need help getting your business up and running? Then try posting a job on Upwork.  Upwork is an outsourcing site that allows you to find a freelancer or company in virtually every industry. If you need someone to write your web copy, design your website, or handle your customer service, then you can probably find the right person on Upwork. 

I've been using them since 2012 and have found a lot of good candidates on there.  If you’re looking for high quality work with a reasonable budget, then you can’t go wrong with Upwork.

You can get started by posting a job for free here.


Fiverr

upwork

Fiverr is another good service to hire freelancers for cheap.  If you're just getting started online and on a tight budget, then look no further than Fiverr.  Starting at just $5, you can get work done quickly (logo design, articles, powerpoint presentations, etc.)

The key to using Fiverr is finding the right people for the job.  When using the search feature, narrow your search and contact people with high ratings and good turn around times.  You may need to go through a few freelancers to find the right person, but at $5, you won't waste a lot of time or money.

You can get started by signing up for a new Fiverr account.  Use our special code to get 20% off your first order.


Business Loans & Financing

Need help financing your online business?  Look no further. Consumer Affairs has published a business loans guide that will help you find the perfect loan for your business needs.