Getting Started

Listen to this blog post here:

In a perfect world, you’d have only the best tools to work with. But most small business owners don’t have huge budgets to buy the latest software. That doesn’t mean that you can’t release a great product though. There are plenty of simple tools (that are also free) you can use when creating your product.

Graphic Design Tools

Your graphics can still look professional and beautiful even if you opt for free tools. My favourite tool for graphic design is Canva, they allow you to make graphics for free but they do have a few elements that you have to be a paying member to access. However, for most of your graphic needs, the free version will work just as well. The only thing that tempted me to buy Canva Professional was that you can easily remove the background to any photo.

Video & Audio Tools

Jing is free video capturing software from TechSmith. You can use Jing to record short videos up to five minutes in length. If you need longer videos, then consider Screencast-O-Matic. The premium version of this website is low cost and allows you to record screenshot videos that are up to fifteen minutes long.

For audio, you can opt for software like Audacity. Audacity is a free open-source software you can use to record podcasts and other audio files. If you’d like to create your own theme music for your podcast or audio course, try LMMS. You can mix a variety of sounds to create music then record your creation in Audacity.

WordPress Themes & Plugins

WordPress is free software that many small business owners use to power their websites. You can find free WordPress themes to change the look of your website in the WordPress Theme Directory.  I personally have been using a developers license over at Studiopress.com for years.

If you have a website with WordPress, you can use plugins to add a shopping cart to your blog. This allows you to sell your product quickly and easily, right from your website. Two popular shopping cart plugins are Woo Commerce and Easy Digital Downloads. Both have a mix of free and premium features but the free versions will be enough to get you started selling.

Remember if your budget can’t cover it, don’t be afraid to use something simple and free. You can implement better tools later – so get busy launching!

You can find the entire product launch series here:

• Failure To Launch: What’s Holding You Back?
• Make Room In Your Life For Your Launch
• Simple Tools To Get Started
• Why A Tiny Launch Can Be Fun
• How To Stop Over Tweaking Your Product
• After The Launch: Keep Loving On Your Product