RESOURCES
Tools & Software that We Use
Building a successful online business requires dedication, persistence, and the right software and tools. Click the links below to find out more about each product and to get access to special offers specifically for the Merchant on the Mark community…
Web Hosting
Affordable, Reliable, & Easy-to-use. Most plans include SSL certificate, email hosting, access to CDN, and complimentary domain name.
Bluehost is the web hosting company we recommend if you’re looking to build a WordPress-based blog or traditional website (i.e. not eCommerce).
Build an eCommerce Store
The Industry standard for building ecommerce stores selling either physical or digital products
Shopify is what we use to build ALL of our eCommerce sites, and its what we recommend. Includes everything you need to get started including free themes, payment processing, and a huge number of pre-built specialized apps to help you grow your business.
Email Marketing – Premium
advanced email marketing that allows you to build custom automations and processes to make your business more efficient in communicating with your leads and customers
ActiveCampaign is what we currently use for most of our businesses as its robust, powerful, and allows for automations that save us time and money. Its not the cheapest email provider, but is a great option when you’re at the point that you need more features.
Email Marketing – Beginner Friendly
ideal for beginners. compatible with most websites and services. easy-to-use and get started.
GetResponse is an affordable & easy-to-use email marketing service that will do the basics of what you’ll need to do in your online business. Ideal to start out with…
Helium 10 – Amazon & Walmart Research
The “cadillac” of amazon & walmart research tools. highly-recommended if you do any product research on these platforms.
Helium 10 is our go-to software suite of tools that we use to operate & grow our Amazon and Walmart businesses. Its features are unmatched in the market and we highly-recommend checking out what it can do for your business.
Jungle Scout – Amazon Research
excellent amazon research tool. great price point.
If you’re only looking to sell on Amazon, then Jungle Scout may be the right tool for you. Its features and functionality are excellent, and the pricing makes it a no brainer for any Amazon seller.
DataSpark – Walmart Research
The original walmart product research tool
If you’re looking to only sell on Walmart, Dataspark can be an excellent solution to help you determine which products to source & sell. Pricing is very affordable and they’re always adding to their features & functionality.
Shipstation
“industry-standard” multi-platform shipping solution
If you sell on multiple marketplaces or websites, then you need a tool like Shipstation that will pull in all your orders from 1 (or 100) different platforms, all into one, easy-to-use interface where you can buy shipping, send tracking #s, and more… Highly-Recommended.
InventoryLab
“industry-standard” amazon shipments / inventory management tool
If you sell on Amazon and send in products through the FBA program, then you need InventoryLab which will help you to create shipments, manage your inventory, and run essential inventory/sales reports not available in the Amazon backend.
Canva – Graphic Editing
“Must-have” graphic creation / editing tool
If you own ANY type of business, you need a web-based graphic tool like Canva. They have a free plan but you’ll definitely want to upgrade to the pro plan for access to features like background removal and transparent background png downloads. Highly-Recommended.
Creative Fabrica – Graphic Resources
high-quality graphics, fonts, print-on-demand resources
Creative Fabrica is our go-to resource for graphic elements we use in our email marketing, website designs, print on demand designs, and more. Highly-Recommended.
Design Bundles – Graphic Resources
Another high-quality graphic resource for your online business
DesignBundles.net features beautiful graphic designs, templates, and downloads that can be purchased individually or in “bundles” at highly-discounted prices.
Jill’s Office – Affordable U.S. Based Customer Service
our recommended outsourced customer service team
Jill’s Office is our recommended service for outsourced customer service. They answer the phone 24/7 and can provide answers to basic questions, schedule appts, take messages, forward calls, call back customers… whatever you need. Don’t be tied to your cell phone. Let Jill’s Office do all the phone work for your business.
OnlineJobs.ph – Outsourced Virtual Assistants
virtual assistants are The highest roi investment you can make
We’ve been using this website for years to find our English-speaking virtual assistants and its been our best source for high-quality customer service reps, data entry, graphic design, product loading, etc. Hire for whatever projects you have at the moment or hire for longer-term help. Highly-recommended.
free books you should get today
Learn the secrets of the eCommerce Pros
How to Get Traffic to Your Stores
Highly-Recommended for learning how to get pre-qualified traffic to your websites and/or offers.
Get this book for FREE (just pay S&H)
How to Build an “Expert” Business
Highly-Recommended for learning how to build your very own “Expert” business and converting visitors into lifelong customers.
Get this book for FREE (just pay S&H)
How to Use Sales Funnels to Grow Your Business
Highly-Recommended for learning how to build highly-optimized sales funnels to capture and convert more leads and also to optimize your total order value.
Get this book for FREE (just pay S&H)
free ppc advertising coupons
Get Free Ad Coupons from TikTok, Google Ads, and Bing Ads…
Get up to $300 in FREE TikTok Ad Credits
TikTok will give you FREE ad credits for new businesses. Click below to see details and get started!
Get up to $500 in FREE Google Ad Credits
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Get up to $500 in FREE Bing Ad Credits
Bing Ads will give you FREE ad credits for new businesses. Click below to see details and get started!