TOOLS & RESOURCES

I’m often asked for my favorite tools and resources running a farm business or living a more self-sufficient life. You’ll find my personal recommendations below. 

Farm Business/Marketing Resources

• Convertkit – ConvertKit is my number one recommendation for email list management and building. ConvertKit makes managing your email list and setting up autoresponders so easy and user-friendly. Segmenting my email subscribers into groups so that they get content specific to their individual needs has never been more simple.
• SiteGround – Web hosting is important! In the beginning I used Bluehost and HostGator for webhosting, but I ended up switching to SiteGround. Why? Because SiteGround makes it incredibly easy to get a new site up and running with their one-click automatic WordPress Blog installation. Even SmallFarmNation.com is on SiteGround’s easy-to-use and extremely affordable hosting platform.
• FarmPress WordPress Theme – You know you need to build a significant presence online for your farm in order to attract loyal customers. But creating a professional-looking farm website—one that resonates with followers—canbe downright overwhelming. That’s exactly why I created the FarmPress theme for WordPress. I couldn’t find anything I liked, so I built this one for members of Small Farm Nation.
• Fiverr – You can’t get much for five bucks these days…unless it’s on Fiverr. Freelancers on Fiverr can do pretty much anything you can think of.
• MailChimp – As any modern marketer will tell you, nothing is more important than building your own e-mail list. I recommend MailChimp for farmers and small businesses
• DropBox – Another tool that is critical to me. I use Dropbox to store and systematize my computer files so that everything has a “home.” Then, I can access the files I created on my home computer while sitting in a coffee shop.
• Stripe – I recommend Stripe for collecting payments online. In fact, it’s what you used here when you signed up for the Small farm Nation Academy! It’s super simple to configure, collect payments and have them deposited in your bank account. Long gone are the days where you had to set up a merchant account!
• Canva – Canva is the ultimate design tool for non-designers. It’s user-friendly and the free version gives you access to most features. Use Canva to create shareable social media images, cover photos, even video thumbnails. In no time, you’ll be on your way to building a memorable online brand.
• LegalZoom – LegalZoom will assist you with easy online incorporation or LLC creation. They are not a law firm, but can connect you to a lawyer near you if you need one. I’ve used them for business incorporation several times.