I'm guessing your creative projects look like this:
Your clients are always late providing you with files and feedback
Clients are always trying to add to the scope of the project
You and your client are emailing back and forth through dozens of emails
You just want to pull your hair out with stress!
You know you should use a project management tool, but you don't know where to start.
But there are so many out there. How do you choose which one to go for? How do you choose the best one for your business?
Well, you don't need to stress anymore because I'm going to show you the top three project management tools for freelance designers.
What is a project management tool?
It's a safe, secure space online where you and your clients can communicate with each other. You can share files, feedback and basically manage your entire project from this space.
You're probably thinking…
My clients won't want to learn how to use this kind of tool.
My clients don't have to time to learn how to use this.
I don't have the budget for another too.
lt's easier to manage my projects through email.
It's too soon to start using a PM tool in my business. I'm just starting out! I have more important systems to put in place.
Well, my answer is no. No to ALL of the above.
A PM tool is the first and most important tool you should implement. And a lot of them are free and simple to use.
Imagine you invest a teeny bit of time into learning how to use a PM tool. Imagine if:
Your clients are always providing files and feedback on time.
Late payments become a thing of the past.
You never forget to add things to your project.
It's not impossible and a PM tool can help you get there.
Now you know why to use one, which one is right for you?
Asana
Asana is my favourite project management tool for freelancers! It's easy to use, free if you have under 15 team members, and it's great to use to manage your entire business, not just client projects.
It also comes with some amazing features, including the ability to:
Create unlimited projects
View your projects as lists or boards
Assign due dates to dates
Views tasks on a calendar
And much more!
(I’ve taught 700+ solopreneurs how to use Asana in my course, Organize & Automate.)
Dubsado
Dubsado* is an all-in-one solution. It doesn't just cover project management. You can also use this tool to send:
Quotes
Invoices
Contracts
Questionnaires
You can also use it to:
Create canned emails
Do your bookkeeping
Automate your onboarding process
Manage your address book
Brand all the documents you send so your name and logo is attached
Schedule calls
Sync those calls to your calendar
Dubsado comes with a bit of a learning curve! Luckily, I have a course that teaches you how to get it set up in just ONE day. Click here to check it out!
Trello
Trello is a free tool but you can only attach files up to 10mb, then it's $9.99 per month.
It's well known for being used by creatives who like visual planning because it's laid out in boards, not lists.
In Trello, you can have public, team or private boards - think of a board as a project.
Each board has lists and the lists have cards on them, which is basically Trello's word for tasks.
If you think you should choose Trello because of it being visually appealing and having boards, Asana has boards now too. I would recommend Asana over Trello because it's free, it comes with all the features that Trello does, and now appeals to people who don't like planning but prefer the visual side of Trello.
