The tools we actually use to run this thing
our honest recommendations
We ran a coworking space for six years, talked to thousands of founders and along the way we’ve found the tools that actually make a difference and quietly stopped using the ones that didn’t. What you'll find below is a short list of the platforms and tools we rely on every day. No fluff, no recommendations we haven't actually tested ourselves, just the things that have made running a local founder-led business a little more manageable.
tools & resources
tools & resources
tools & resources tools & resources
canva pro
design & branding | 30 day free trial
Canva Pro is one of our absolute favorite tools. We use it every single day for all things design. From creating web and printed content to designs for marketing, social media and more, Canva Pro is a must for our business. Pssst, did we mention our founder has a Masters in Graphic Design… and this is her number one tool of choice. Not only for herself but for the LFC team and collaborators as well. Everything LOCL Founders Co. is designed with Canva. Click the link to get started and try Canva Pro FREE for 30 days. We promise you’ll be creating beautiful designs in no time!
01flodesk
email marketing | 50% off your subscription
Okay, real talk. Before Flodesk, sending an email felt like a project. Now it feels like sending a text to a large group of people who actually want to hear from us, except the email looks like it was designed by someone with a very expensive degree. We've been using it for years and we're not switching. The templates are genuinely beautiful, the workflows make our audience segmentation feel like something we've got under control, and the whole thing stays on brand without us having to fight it. It just works, and it looks good doing it. Use our link for 50% off your subscription. You're welcome in advance.
02gusto
payroll | get $100 when you run your first payroll
Payroll. Just the word used to make us want to close the laptop and go for a walk. We put it off longer than we should have, convinced it was going to be a whole thing. And then we set up Gusto and it took about twenty minutes and we genuinely felt a little silly about how long we waited. Our accountant told us to use it. Other founders told us to use it. We finally listened, and they were all right. It files everything for you, tracks hours, handles time-off policies, gets contractors paid without a separate headache, and when you do have a question the help features actually help. Revolutionary, we know. If payroll has been the thing living on your to-do list for six months, this is your sign. Get $100 when you run your first payroll.
03todoist
organization + task management | two months free
We're a small but mighty team running pretty much everything in-house, from marketing, social, website, operations, finances, and whatever else decides to show up on a Tuesday. There are always tasks. Always. So many tasks. Todoist is what keeps us from losing our minds. We've got lists for every project, deadlines that actually get set, tasks that get delegated instead of forgotten, and a place where everything that's living rent-free in our heads can go so we can stop thinking about it. You can track progress, prioritize, bring in collaborators, and feel like a person who has it together even on the days you absolutely do not. Get all of it out of your head and onto a list. Your brain will thank you. Two months free with our link.
04shift
organization + productivity
If you currently have seventeen tabs open, three email accounts, and a browser that sounds like an airplane taking off, Shift is going to feel like someone finally cleaned up your desk. It's a desktop app that pulls all of your tools, apps, and accounts into one place so you can actually focus instead of spending half your day clicking between windows and logging in and out of things like it's your job. Because it kind of is, and it shouldn't be. We found it later than we'd like to admit and we've been recommending it to every founder we know ever since. Go download it now and thank us later.
05
OUR FAVORITES
what’s on our bookshelf
Six years of building and running a business has put a lot of books in our hands, and we've read some real duds so you don't have to. Below are the ones that actually stuck, the reads we still reference, recommend to every founder we know, and return to when we need a reminder of why we started this whole thing in the first place. Business strategy, mindset, and a few that have nothing to do with work but everything to do with showing up for it.
The Honest ROI of Hosting a Local Event. Is it worth the time, the money, and the morning-of panic? Let's do the math. The idea of hosting an event always sounds better at 9pm than it does at 6am the morning of.