Software + plugins
The tools we use almost every day
We often get asked which apps we work with. Because we always find it interesting to see which software and plugins other entrepreneurs use, we have collected all our favourites: from photo editing and video editing to website plugins, administration and productivity apps.
These are the tools that make our daily work a lot easier, so we have more time left for creating images and it doesn't become chaos in our heads.
Photo + video editing
Adobe Camera RAW
In Adobe Camera RAW we do most of our professional photo editing for interior and real estate assignments: we correct lighting and white balance and straighten the photos.
Adobe Photoshop CC
Photoshop takes our visual material that extra step: we retouch interior and real estate photos and remove distracting elements.
Adobe Lightroom CC
Lightroom we focus primarily on personal projects and freelance work, where we can select and edit entire series of photos in our own style and keep them organised using keywords. Guillaume uses it for everything except real estate.
DaVinci Resolve
In DaVinci Resolve Guillaume edits property videos and other video projects, and we do the colour grading so that the atmosphere of an interior really comes across.
Sanebox
Sanebox helps us keep the inbox organised by automatically filtering less important emails and putting them in separate folders. During holidays, we use it for out-of-office messages. Oh, and regular clients have their own folder, super handy.
Mailbutler
Mailbutler we mainly use for templates for common emails. With the follow-up reminders, we can see if an email has been opened; it provides the addition that we really miss in Apple Mail.
WiseStamp
With WiseStamp we create professional email signatures in our own house style. This way, our logo, contact details, links to the website and social media, and possibly an offer or new course are automatically included under every email we send.
Brevo
In Brevo we create and send newsletters and automated email series (such as welcome and launch sequences) to our mailing list. To be honest, it's not the most user-friendly program, but the price-quality ratio is excellent. And it's European, also an important consideration!
Content creation
Grammarly
Phew, what can we say about this? Once subscribed to check the grammar of English texts, but now Grammarly has become a fully-fledged AI writing assistant that also works in other languages, including Dutch. Given Nicolet's large number of typos, because she thinks faster than she sees what she's typing, it is completely indispensable. It's just a shame that the AI doesn't remember our tone, but who knows, that might come in a future update.
Ulysses
Ulysses is a no-frills writing tool that syncs with all of Guillaume's devices. He can use it to publish directly on this website, and that makes him very happy.
Time + projectmanagement
Busycal
Simply Apple Calendar on steroids. Busycal can do a bit more, like adding tags and contacts to tasks (without inviting them!) and all sorts of little things that the standard calendar on the Mac doesn't offer. Completely indispensable!
Timer
Nicolet uses Timer to track time spent on photo shoots, course development, graphic design, web design, and admin work, so she knows where her time is going and can substantiate her hours if needed. Guillaume is a bit less structured. Timer tracks exactly how much time she spends in each app and also pulls in appointments from her calendar.
Notion
Notion is our central workspace: here we manage projects, to-do lists, content planning, course structures, workflows and internal documentation of our company. Nicolet also uses it for writing; copy-pasting is seamless, including the correct header formatting to WordPress.
Noteplan
Graphic Design
Adobe Illustrator CC
Illustrator is used by Nicolet for designing logos, icons and other visuals within our branding and courses, and of course also for brand design assignments.
Adobe InDesign CC
InDesign is the program in which Nicolet lays out her books, e-books, brochures and PDF materials on photography, styling and courses.
Canva Business
With Canva Business we quickly create social media posts, stories, and other marketing materials in our house style. The different brand templates make it really super handy to also consistently implement colours and fonts for clients.
Adobe Photoshop CC
Typeface
The total overview of fonts in Illustrator is often a mess and poorly filterable. Typeface brings overview to all the typefaces Nicolet has on her computer for her brand design assignments.
Social Media
Canva Business
From Canva , according to us also the free versions, you can directly post your social media posts, super handy for quick actions!
Publer
Missinglettr
Missinglettr automatically converts our blog posts and articles into social media campaigns, ensuring our content remains visible for much longer without additional manual work.
ReplySync
For automation on Insta, we use ReplySync so you immediately receive the information from the post in your DM. You know how it is, you have to type a word and immediately get the link in your DM. Nicely impersonal, but it works.
Website plugins
Elementor One
With Elementor One Nicolet designs and builds all our websites and those of clients, and of course, we also use it for our WordPress themes.
Easy Social Share Buttons
Easy Social Share Buttons places share buttons on our website, allowing visitors to share our blog articles, portfolio, and content on social media.
Publytics
In Publytics we track how visitors behave on our site and which pages, such as portfolio, services, and course pages, they visit, sort of like Google Analytics but Big-Tech-free and European.
Malcare
For the security of our WordPress website against hacks and malware, so that portfolio, blog and course environment remain protected, we use Malcare .
Betterlinks Pro
With Betterlinks Pro we turn long URLs into short, neat links that we can easily remember and track. We mainly use it for affiliate links as on this page. The legally required disclaimer is automatically placed at the bottom of the page if such a link is in the text.
GetTerms
GetTerms handles the cookie notifications and legal texts for us. At the bottom left you can see what it looks like and at the bottom right you can see all the terms and conditions.
FastPixel
FastPixel is a caching plugin. It optimises the speed of our websites, which benefits both your experience as a visitor and SEO.
ShortPixel
With ShortPixel photos and images are automatically compressed without any visible loss in image quality. This makes pages load faster.
Ally
Ally is the friendly lady who ensures that people with a visual impairment can also read this website. You will find her in the circle at the bottom right of the screen.
Admin
Moneybird
In Moneybird we manage our accounting: quotes, invoices, bank and VAT returns. Not the cheapest program, but within one administration we can create different invoice templates so that all our companies retain their own branding. Oh, and the accountant can also access it so that the annual accounts are sorted quickly.
Knab
At Knab we have our business accounts because we can create as many savings accounts as we need for the Profit First method; we have separate accounts for investments, VAT, income tax, and a fun stuff pot. Costs €7 per month and only after 500 transfers do you pay per transaction. Would you like to open an account? Send an email and we will send you a link with which you get €25 and we do too!
Courses
Teachery
Teachery is the platform on which we host our online courses. We chose it because it was a one-time investment, so we are not tied to monthly costs and after a lot of tweaking with CSS it looks pretty good!
Cleanshot
For screenshots and screen recordings in our courses, tutorials and books we use Cleanshot . Nice that you can show which keys you are using and that Nicolet's head is visible.
Meetn
Meetn we use for our online courses and webinars. Via this platform we host live sessions and webinars.
Setapp
Setapp is a kind of Netflix for Mac apps: for a fixed amount per year we get access to a large collection of apps without having to pay for them separately. This allows us to easily test new tools, always use the latest versions and save time and money on our software. We use the apps below via Setapp to make our work easier. You have already seen some of them above.
Cleanshot
Paste
The Paste app gives us an extensive clipboard archive, so we can save and use previously copied texts, colour codes, links and code snippets as soon as we need them again. Control C that therefore doesn't disappear with the next copy action. Super handy!
Noteplan
With Noteplan we keep our daily schedule, tasks and notes together and see at a glance what needs to be done that day. Fully synchronises with the app on the iPhone.
BusyCal
BusyContacts
In BusyContacts we manage contact details of estate agents, clients, students, the better version of Apple's standard contacts app. For example, we see the communication history for each contact and can easily create groups for, for example, real estate clients, students and brand design clients.
Slidepad
Slidepad places web apps we often use, such as Proton Mail (hello newsletters!) and Le Chat (the French ChatGPT for occasional AI help) and Google Translate in a handy sidebar so we don't have to open a browser window every time.
Typeface
Bartender
Bartender helps us to tidy up and keep the Macbooks' menu bar organised, so that items that disappear behind the notch remain visible. With all those small handy apps, indispensable.
Lungo
With Lungo prevents Nicolet from putting the Mac to sleep while bulk denoising photos in Camera Raw (which pauses when your screen goes black, thanks Adobe!).
CleanMyMac
CleanMyMac cleans up our Macs and keeps them fast, so that heavy programs like Lightroom , Photoshop and Premiere continue to run well. We also used CleanMyMac for years before we had a Setapp subscription.
Unclutter
Unclutter is a type of drawer that you pull down from the top of your screen. Nicolet uses it as a dumping ground for temporary files, notes, and snippets at the top of the screen, so her desktop stays clear. She can't stand Guillaume's desktop.
Moonlock
With Moonlock we protect our Macs from malware and other digital threats, so projects and customer data remain secure.
Renamer
TextSniper
Textsniper does on the Mac exactly what the Photos app on the iPhone has been able to do for years: recognise text, making it selectable and copyable. Bizarre that Apple hasn't integrated that itself, but we're glad it's possible with this little app.
Ulysses
Guillaume's Writing Tool. Ulysses works with Markdown so no frills and synchronises with all of Guillaume's devices. He can use it to publish directly on this website.
Sip
Super handy app that hangs around in the bottom left of Nicolet's screen. Sip is always ready to quickly extract colour combinations from websites and images that she can then use in graphic projects.
Pixelsnap
Pixelsnap is also such an indispensable little app for Nicolet to quickly check if all items in a website or document are properly aligned.
Timer
Timer keeps track for Nicolet of exactly how much time she spends in each app and also makes appointments in her calendar. This way she knows exactly where she wastes her time and can very accurately track her hours per project.
Appsumo
Appsumo is a platform where startups mainly offer their software to get more users and generate income, so they can further develop their product. We have been buying software there for years that we see potential in. Admittedly: not every startup survives, but many tools that we use daily, such as Meetn , Malcare , ShortPixel , Betterlinks Pro , Publytics , GetTerms , pCloud , Missinglettr and Publer , purchased it there as a lifetime deal. So we no longer pay monthly or yearly for it, and that has already saved us an incredible amount of money over the years.
Everything we recommend here, we use almost daily; otherwise it wouldn't be here. The links you see are affiliate links (advertising links). If you buy something via such a link, we receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.