Free tools for your business

Getting paid

**Square.** No monthly fee, 2.6% plus 10 cents per card swipe. The reader is a one-time purchase, about $50. It's the simplest way to take payment on site.

**PayPal and Zelle.** Zelle is bank to bank with no fee, and in Miami a huge number of people already use it. PayPal charges a fee but gives you a receipt and protection.

**Stripe.** If you need to charge online with a link, without a store. 2.9% plus 30 cents, no fixed fee.

None of them charges monthly. Be careful with the ones that do: if you're offered a terminal with a monthly fee and a three-year contract, it's almost always worse than Square.

Booking

**Square Appointments.** Free for one person, with reminders and payment. It stops being free when you add a team.

**Google, from your listing.** The booking button on your profile, free, and where they're already looking for you.

**Calendly.** Free for one appointment type. Good for consultants and trainers.

How to set it up is covered separately.

Invoicing

**Wave.** Unlimited invoices and basic bookkeeping, free. It only charges if you process payments through them.

**Square Invoices.** Free to send, fee only if they pay by card.

**Zoho Invoice.** Genuinely free with no invoice limit.

Any of the three gets you out of sending handwritten quotes over WhatsApp, which is how payments get lost.

Keeping your customers

**Google Sheets.** Enough for almost everyone. Name, phone, what they needed, when, what you charged. That sheet is your most valuable asset and it costs nothing.

**Google Contacts.** If you'd rather have it on your phone, with labels by customer type.

You don't need a $50-a-month CRM until you have somebody using it every day.

Being findable

**Google Business Profile.** Free, and it brings more calls than anything else. If you only do one thing on this list, this is it.

**Google Photos.** To keep all your before-and-afters organized and handy when someone asks to see work.

Photos and graphics

**Your phone.** Any phone camera from the last few years beats any stock photo for your business, because yours is real.

**Snapseed or Lightroom mobile.** Free, for straightening and brightening. That's plenty: no more editing needed.

**Canva.** Free for signs, cards and posts. The paid version is rarely needed in a service business.

Communication

**WhatsApp Business.** Free, with a catalog, quick replies and an away message. In Miami it's where half your customers will message you.

**Google Voice.** A free second number, so you don't hand out your personal one and can switch it off on Sunday.

What is worth paying for

Very little, and this is what actually pays off:

• **The domain**, about $12 a year, in your name.
• **Email on your domain**, about $6 a month. `info@yourbusiness.com` reads differently than a Gmail address.
• **Insurance**, depending on the trade. It isn't optional for working with managers and buildings.

What isn't worth paying for

**Apps that do what a spreadsheet does.** With twelve customers, a CRM is an expense and an obstacle.

**Card terminals with a monthly fee and a long contract.**

**$300-a-month "social media management"** while your Google listing is half empty. Order matters.