Essential Tools by Category
Project Management - Trello (Free): Visual task boards - Asana (Free): Team collaboration - Notion ($4/month): All-in-one workspace - Monday.com ($8/month): Advanced features
Communication - Slack (Free): Team messaging - Zoom (Free): Video calls - Calendly (Free): Scheduling - Loom (Free): Video messages
Design Tools - Canva (Free/$12): Graphics and documents - Figma (Free): UI/Ux design - Adobe Creative ($52/month): Professional suite - Unsplash (Free): Stock photos
Writing Tools - Grammarly (Free/$12): Grammar checking - Hemingway (Free): Readability - Google Docs (Free): Collaboration - Jasper ($39/month): AI assistance
Financial Tools - Wave (Free): Accounting and invoicing - FreshBooks ($15/month): Advanced features - PayPal (2.9% + $0.30): Payments - Stripe (2.9% + $0.30): Payments
Marketing Tools - Mailchimp (Free): Email marketing - Buffer (Free/$15): Social scheduling - Linktree (Free): Link in bio - Google Analytics (Free): Website tracking
Learning Resources
Free Learning Platforms - YouTube: Everything imaginable - Coursera: University courses - Khan Academy: Various subjects - LinkedIn Learning: Professional skills - Google Skillshop: Digital marketing
Communities to Join - Reddit: r/freelance, r/sidehustle, r/entrepreneur - Facebook: Search "[your niche] freelancers" - LinkedIn: Industry-specific groups - Slack: Freelance communities - Discord: Niche communities
Books Worth Reading - "The $100 Startup" by Chris Guillebeau - "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferriss - "Profit First" by Mike Michalowicz - "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber - "Deep Work" by Cal Newport
Podcasts for Side Hustlers - Side Hustle Nation - The Tim Ferriss Show - How I Built This - Smart Passive Income - Freelancers' Union
Legal and Financial Resources
Business Formation - LegalZoom: Business registration - IRS.gov: EIN application (free) - Your state's Secretary of State: LLC filing - Nolo.com: Legal guides
Contracts and Legal - HelloSign: E-signatures - Contractbook: Contract management - Freelancers Union: Contract templates - UpCounsel: Legal advice
Tax Preparation - QuickBooks Self-Employed: Expense tracking - TurboTax: Tax filing - FreeTaxUSA: Budget option - Local CPA: Professional help
Industry-Specific Resources
For Writers - Contently: High-paying gigs - ProBlogger Job Board: Writing jobs - AP Stylebook: Writing standards - CoSchedule Headline Analyzer: Better titles
For Designers - Dribbble: Portfolio and jobs - 99designs: Design contests - Creative Market: Sell designs - Behance: Adobe's portfolio platform
For Virtual Assistants - Belay: VA placement - Time Etc: VA platform - Fancy Hands: Task-based work - Zirtual: VA matching
For Tutors/Coaches - Teachable: Course platform - Calendly: Booking system - Zoom: Teaching platform - Kajabi: All-in-one solution
For E-commerce - Shopify: Store platform - Printful: Print-on-demand - Oberlo: Dropshipping - Etsy: Marketplace