Mel’s Fave Resources
FOR YOUR FOOD & AGRICULTURE BUSINESS
TIME TO BE HONEST. ARE YOU A WEE BIT overwhelmed?
The feeling of overwhelm, in our experience, often stems from not knowing what comes next. The tools below help us run our creative business running and keep our sanity intact.
Odds are, you’re not a creative (if we are doing our job right you’re likely the owner of a farm, cafe or a food business), but that doesn’t matter.
The tools we’ve assembled here and how they can be used is universal.
For Websites that convert.
PLATFORMS MEL LOVES-
There aren’t six ways about it, I really love Squarespace. I often suggest our less-than-techy clients hop on this band wagon because it’s so easy to use and so hard to break.
Get 20% off your first year and a 6 month trial period (instead of 2 weeks) when you let us set up your squarespace website for you. Nope, we don’t need to design your site to hook you up with this sweet discount.
Simply reach out to our Head of Happiness (Jodie!) and she’ll make it happen.
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There’s no doubt – Shopify is an ECom powerhouse! This is, in our opinion, where you level up to after you outgrow Squarespace and before you get a fully custom site made.
We’d love to set you up with a Development Store, which does two things for you (and one for us).
One – you have an unlimited amount of time to play around in there instead of the two weeks that Shopify gives regular vendors.
Two – if you ever go live with it, we make a small percentage of your monthly Shopify fees for the referral, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra.This is not some kind of crazy tactic to ask you to work with us, though I think it would be awesome, it’s just a tool. If you never use it, no problemo!
Want to try? Email our Head of Happiness (Jodie!) and she’ll get you set up!
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One of our favorite website-building tools when it comes to interactive websites. If you’re looking for the kind of website that will visually blow your customers out of the water, then let’s talk about Webflow.
Reach out →
Use the right tool for the job could not be more important than when we design websites.
For Systems & Operations.
TOOLS WE LOVEHaving tools to keep track of communication, proposals, team tasks, clients’ homework and payments is primordial for any business.
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Google workspace is the digital backbone of our business. It’s how we stay organized and easily share documents with our clients.
Not sure how to set it up? We’d love to help. We also offer 10% off the first year on either Google Workspace Business Starter plan or Google Workspace Business Standard plan.
Try google workspace → -
Kiss chaos goodbye with business automation!
Honeybook is what keeps us sane, streamlining our process to keep us organized and our clients engaged with their project status. We manage projects, book clients, send invoices, and get paid — all on HoneyBook.
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Another genius (Canadian built!!) client management program which does the heavy lifting for you!
Simplify the business on your end, while including clients in the process with an easy-to-use portal.
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The ultimate note-taking, workflow-creating, info-organizing program.
Completely customizable, Notion has been a game changer for us at Urtica!
With all our client information, workflows, and deadlines in one place, our team can work efficiently to get projects rolling!
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Skip the back-and-forth of “what time works best for you” with Squarespace’s new feature!
Clients can quickly see your availability then, with a click of a button, book their own appointments! Rescheduling and payment are also as simple as a click of a button.
Add Squarespace scheduling to your site →
For Email & Social.
TOOLS THE TEAM ADORESBecause a brand and website does not a business make. They are simply where we start.
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A simple solution to stunning newsletters!
With automation, and gorgeous designs and templates, your email campaigns will be easier to execute than ever.
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Bring newsletter creation right into your Squarespace workflow!
Stunning templates, and consistency with your website make this Squarespace addition a great tool to add to your toolbox!
Add Email Campaigns to Squarespace →
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When it comes to creating a library of quick templates and graphics for social, Canva is our best friend!
Being an online program allows team members to collaborate – hello efficiency!
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Set it and forget it! Posting consistently on your social media platforms has never been easier. Later can connect to your accounts, allowing you to schedule posts days, weeks, even months ahead!
We love how Later gives social media teams the freedom to maximize efficiency and spend less time manually posting and more time creating eye-catching visuals.
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Beautiful and sustainable by design – does it get any better?
noissue makes it easy to get started with custom packaging, and as a food-forward creative agency, we love that it gives our clients the ability to bring their branding into packaging with low minimums.
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Feeling a little scrappy and wanting to DIY it? Try Creative Market!
With a huge library of assets from fonts, to illustrations, to templates, this site is truly a one stop shop of great tools. Not to mention it directly supports artists!
Keeping things legal.
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
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Air tight contracts are a must-have! The Contracts Market make it oh-so-easy to protect you and your services while you focus on your clients.
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Keeping track of your accounting books gets a whole lot easier with the help of a program like Quickbooks!
50% off your first 6 months.
There are referral links on this page. It costs you nothing more to use them and we make a little something for sending you their way.