So, I'm a lurker at heart, and running my own creative business is an exercise in performing extroversion. But I did want to share what tools I use and have used (in no particular order), so folks understand what I mean when I reference them. And so you can try them out if they'll be useful to you!
Patreon - website that allows you to distribute exclusive content directly to your specific fan base. Cost to use: exact cost varies, depending on your creator plan. A percentage of your subscriber profits, with additional flat or %age fees depending on how you pay out (so payout via paypal actually costs considerably more than direct deposit, something I didn't know when I joined)
Ko-fi - website, allows folks to "tip" you (fee-free) a bit at a time and/or you can sell goods (I think they lean heavily to digital goods but I can't be positive there's no physical stuff) and they take a percentage of the sale price in exchange for hosting
4thewords - web app that gamefies writing. Love this site, y'all. Made it possible to write 60k words in a bit over a month. Made me believe supporting myself as a writer was possible. 4thewords is a subscription service with variable costs depending on commitment. About $4/month at its cheapest last I checked. Sometimes gives codes for free/discounted sub time. If you're interested hit me up, I have a friend code we can use to get us both cool stuff.
Scrivener - the holy grail of writer programs, tbh. A bit pricey for those starting out ($49 for desktop Windows or Mac, about $20 for iPad/iOS) but it's a one-time fee and honestly you get so much for that fee it's well worth it. I've used the 30-day free trial version in various NaNos but plan to buy outright with my first month's patreon profits.
Wordpress - I'm building my site through wp and though it won't likely have a whole lot more content than this blog, it's how I will manage signups for my email newsletter. Using the free version of wordpress which means (among other limitations) the URL for my site will have "wordpress" in it, but that's not a significant drawback at this point.
Mailchimp - free email distribution/list management under a certain number of subscribers (2000 maybe?) And paid above that number, which I will happily do when it becomes necessary.
Canva - another website, enables you to easily and quickly create decent graphics, either based on their templates or your own designs. Let me know if you want a referral code; the base program is free but has paid add-ons/services like special graphics, printing, etc.
Irs.gov - you might laugh, but the US tax system is a nightmare and running a small business is like steering a space ship when you've only ever launched bottle rockets. The IRS website has a lot of resources for new/developing small businesses. Your state's site might have even more. I'm not saying the sites are user friendly or easy to navigate but if you know how to google you'll likely find what you need.
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