If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you already know what a fan I am of Trello. I talked about it in this post about my top five free tools and this post about how I use Trello for my weekly planning. Today, I’m sharing how I use Trello for my small business. Keep reading to see if these ideas might work for you!
Trello for My Blog
One way I use Trello for my small business is for scheduling blog content. I have a board that I use to organize my ideas for blog posts. As you can see from the picture below, I have a general list for blog ideas, lists for each of my categories, articles for research, and ideas for opt-ins. Since I’m just beginning, some of the lists are a little bare, but they’ll grow as I get more comfortable with planning content and using Trello!
My system for using Trello for blog organization includes the following steps:
- As I think of an idea that I would like to create a post about, I put it in the Ideas list on the card for the category it fits in.
- When I am ready to work on developing the blog post, I create a card for the post. This card goes to the category list. On this card, I include an outline of the blog with the main headings, keywords for the post, the date I plan to publish, any links I want to include, and where I am in the process of developing the post.
- While I work through the process of creating my blog posts, I use the Trello labels to show where I am in the creation process. Each color indicates where I am in creating the post.
- I change the label as I work through the process, so I can see where I am in each post. I love how the labels look, although I sometimes forget to add them!
- I also check off each part of the checklist to make sure I’ve included everything I need to have for each blog post. My checklist is not as elaborate as some I’ve seen, but these are the steps that I feel are needed for creating a quality blog post as a new blogger.
This board has made it so easy to get writing as a new blogger! I have ideas blog posts on the schedule for the next three months and numerous ideas to develop beyond that. I’m also comfortable with the creation process, and I repeat it for every post I write. While I am not a blogging expert by any means, I feel confident in the process that I use. I also know that I can change my system since Trello makes it easy to add in cards, checklists, and labels, as needed.
Trello for My CRM
As a new blogger and Virtual Assistant/Pinterest Manager, I knew I needed to develop a system that allowed me to collect the information that I needed from potential clients, a way to record where I am in the client intake process, and the details of the tasks I am performing for my clients.
I learned that I was not the first person to realize the importance of having all of this information in one place and that this is called a Customer Relationship Management system or a CRM. If you didn’t already know, I don’t have any kind of background in business, so this is all new to me! Just another excellent way to use Trello for my small business.
After seeing a few different Trello boards that people created to use as a CRM, I spent some time figuring out exactly what I wanted to include in mine. Since I’m new as a VA/Pinterest Manager, I don’t have tons of clients. I decided to make one list for each client. This list has exactly what I need for managing my client work.
In each list, I have cards for contact information, client needs, terms of the contract, and client tasks. I also have cards where I record payment dates and dates of correspondence between myself and the client. Finally, I have a card specifically for any extra information about the project or client. With these cards, I feel like I can include the necessary information that I need, plus I can add links, images, emails, etc. I can always add more cards, checklists, or even lists as I need them. I love how easy it is to use Trello for my small business!
Trello for My Finances
A final way that I plan to use Trello for my small business is to keep a record of my finances. I have only started my finance board, so I don’t have any images. I’ll share a picture on my Facebook page when I finish the board, but you’ll only see it if you go here to like my page! (Did you like my shameless plug?? 😁)
For my lists, I have a list for my expenses, a list for payments from clients, and a list for affiliate earnings. I have a card for each source that fits in the list.
In the future, I will add lists for advertising earnings and profits from products and/or courses that I create. I, of course, have to actually get those types of earnings before I need a spot to record them!
Trello is perfect for recording expenses because it can do so many things. I can add attachments of receipts, images, and email statements. I can also use Butler Bot and power-ups to help sort items and keep track of important information. Plus, I can update it on phone, and it’s always with me. Trello lets me keep my finances with me wherever I go.
Things I’ve Learned Using Trello for My Small Business
As I’ve been using Trello for my business for a while now, I’ve got a few tips to share with you. You may be brand new to Trello, so these can help you get started.
- Learn from Trello masters – There are some seriously talented Trello users out there who are willing to share their wisdom! You can find lots of free resources by searching for free Trello resources on Pinterest. Two women who helped me learn a lot about Trello are Cara Harvey and Elisa Giorgio. I took their course Organize Your Life with Trello, and they give great ideas for possible boards, they show very clearly how to do many different things in Trello, and their Trello skills are seriously impressive! You can get more information on the course and purchase it here (affiliate link).
- Consider what you want to do with Trello – The beauty of Trello is it allows you to break projects down into smaller pieces with the cards. Think about what type of processes you need to break down and create boards for those. Try out lists and figure out what works for you.
- Keep it simple – When you see some of the amazing things that people do with Trello, it can be overwhelming. This is especially true as a new Trello user. Remember you can customize your boards (or their boards, if you make a copy) to include whatever you want!
- Use Trello and use it some more – Like any new activity, you will get better with Trello with practice. Play around with it and see what works best for you. Download the app on your phone and use it on the go. Choose one area of your business to start with and get comfortable using it for that. Then you can expand to other areas as you think of them.
If you are brand new to Trello and are ready to sign up for your FREE Trello account, you can do so here(affiliate link). If you sign up through my link, I will receive a month of Trello Gold (their premium service), and it costs you nothing!
I am also sharing my weekly planning board with my subscribers. If you sign up below to join my email list, I’ll send you the link to the board with directions on how to copy it and a link to my YouTube video on Getting Started with Trello. Plus, you’ll receive access to the current items in my Resource Library and the items I plan to add in the future. You can unsubscribe at any time, but I hope you find my monthly emails useful as you grow your own business!
I hope the ideas I shared on how I use Trello for my small business inspired you. There are so many things that you can do with Trello, and I know you’ll come up with some great ones. If you have a great use for Trello that I missed, please feel free to share it in a comment below or on my Facebook page. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Until next time,
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