A common thing you hear people say is, “Start with what you have and go from there. The important thing is to just get started and not worry so much about x, y, and z!”

And yes, that’s true…but I know that it can be difficult to get your business started when you’re juggling life’s other responsibilities, like a full time or part time job, a family, etc. Sometimes it’s literally not as simple as just doing it when there are things that are higher on your list of priorities.

I registered my business with Ownr at the start of the pandemic in 2020. It cost less than $100 at the time and while I could have registered on my own, I read great things about Ownr and wanted to start off with all my ducks in a row. I knew I wanted to finally open up my own online shop where I could sell templates, and hey, I was temporarily laid off from my job. I didn’t know it at the time, but I would be laid off until September 2020…and even then, I knew that my hours wouldn’t look the same as they once did.

I didn’t tell anyone about my business plans. Not friends, not even family. I only began opening up about my plans and what I was doing in maybe August or September of 2020, and even then, it was because I had to fix a few business banking issues and it drove me absolutely nuts.

Long story short, people at the bank didn’t finish setting up my account at their end, even though I had submitted all of my paperwork and made sure that everything was done at my end. 🙄Let’s just say that people treat you very differently when you’re starting a business on your own, from the ground up, with your own money. I know it can get expensive. Thankfully, I already have most of my software, but I still had (and have to) buy things in order to make my online shop run smoothly and to assist me with product creation, etc.

(Note: There are some things absolutely worth the money you will have to pay for and other things you can use that are affordable. Please don’t cut corners on the important things.)

But where do you turn to get some of the items you need at a reasonable price in a pandemic? Amazon, of course!

via GIPHY

Alt text: Truck speeds on by with a large box with tape on it that says “Prime Day”.

Here are the two tools I’ve bought so far from Amazon Canada for my online shop that are less than $50 CAD! (Technically they’re both less than $40, but you get it.)

Press the red “Save” button in the top left corner to pin on your Pinterest board!

USB Lavalier Lapel Microphone from FIFINE Technology

I use this USB microphone when I record voiceovers for video tutorials that are included with some of my templates. If you had asked me months ago about doing tutorials, I would have laughed and said no. I realized I really needed a microphone when I was recording the tutorial for the Wild Heart Instagram Puzzle Template and listened back to the audio. I had been using my laptop’s built in mic and knew that it wouldn’t cut it.

Amazon came to the rescue because 1) I wanted something compact that I could easily stash in my bag if I was working somewhere other than home and 2) I wasn’t looking to spend more than $50 CAD on a microphone at that time. The quality is great and it’s so easy to use. It takes less than five minutes to set up on your laptop after plugging it in and then you can start using it!

And yes - I did go back and rerecord the video tutorial fairly recently even though I’ve had this mic for almost two months. (If you happen to hear the mic brushing up against my shirt in that tutorial - sorry!)

UBeesize Phone Tripod

In all honesty, I bought this last summer because I was tired of propping my phone up against books and whatever else I could find. I mainly use this when I film things for Stories, Reels, or TikTok, along with the occasional selfie, but it gets the job done! It’s compatible with iPhones and Android phones and comes with a wireless remote that you connect to your phone via Bluetooth.

You can bend the legs to hold a tablet or to curl around some surfaces, but I usually use it just as is. Again, I’m all about having tools that I can easily carry with me when I go places, so this mini tripod is great. (Remember when we used to go places?)

Hopefully this helps someone out! I use these products multiple times a week, if not on a daily basis.

As time goes on, I’ll probably add installments to this list because there’s a good chance that I’ll need to something else from Amazon for this shop of mine!

Remember: we all start somewhere. Kudos to you for launching a business and getting those ideas off the ground. You’re doing a great job!