Tools, Freebies + Favorites from Refinery Nine
The good stuff. All in one place.
Skip the Google rabbit hole. These are the resources I'd hand a friend who was just starting out — or starting over.
Whether you're building your first website, refreshing your brand, or trying to get your Showit site to actually work for your business — these are the resources, tools, and freebies I point people to most. Some are things I've made specifically for you. Others are tools I use in my own studio every single day.
Bookmark this page. New resources get added regularly.
01 — Strategy & Direction
New around here? Start with these.
Showit Beginner's Guide
Website Launch Checklist
Brand Foundation Worksheet
Showit Beginner's Guide
Website Launch Checklist
Brand Foundation Worksheet
02 — Business Tools
Some of these links are affiliate links — which means I get a small commission if you sign up. I only share tools I actually use and genuinely stand behind.
Showit
My platform of choice for website design. Drag-and-drop, no code required, and genuinely the most design-flexible website builder out there for creative entrepreneurs.
[Try Showit Free for 30 Days →]
FLODESK
The email marketing platform I recommend to almost every client. Beautiful templates, simple setup, and flat-rate pricing no matter how big your list gets
[Save 50% Your First Year →]
DUBSADO
Client management, contracts, invoicing, workflows, and scheduling all in one place. If you're still doing this manually, Dubsado will change your life.
[Get Started →]
The Legal Paige
Professional, attorney-drafted contracts for creative businesses. If you don't have a solid contract in place, start here.
[Shop the Contracts →]
ADOBE CC
The industry standard for professional design work. Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign — these are the tools your brand files are built in. Non-negotiable for serious design work.
[Learn More →]
CANVA PRO
My platform of choice for website design. Drag-and-drop, no code required, and genuinely the most design-flexible website builder out there for creative entrepreneurs.
[Try Showit Free for 30 Days →]
QuickBooks
How I keep the business side of the studio clean and organized. Invoicing, expenses, and tax prep without the spreadsheet chaos.
[Try QuickBooks →]
ClickUp
My project management tool of choice for tracking client projects, internal tasks, and studio workflows. Flexible enough to work exactly how your brain works.
[Try ClickUp →]
Interact
The quiz builder I use for lead generation. A well-built quiz is one of the best ways to grow your list with people who are already interested in exactly what you offer.
[Try Interact →]
Tailwind
My go-to for Pinterest scheduling. If Pinterest is part of your marketing strategy — and for template sellers it absolutely should be — Tailwind makes it manageable.
[Try Tailwind →]
Crisp
The live chat tool I use to answer quick pre-purchase questions in the shop. It adds a personal touch to the buying experience without requiring you to be glued to your inbox.
[Try Crisp →]
LATER
How I schedule and plan social media content across platforms without living on my phone. Clean interface, easy drag-and-drop calendar, and solid analytics.
[Try Later →]
03 — Stock Photos We Love
ivory mix
Affordable, abundant, and surprisingly versatile. Ivory Mix has something for almost every brand aesthetic — and their free tier is genuinely generous.
[Become a Member →]
Styled Stock Society
My go-to for curated, cohesive collections that actually hold together across a whole website or campaign. Beautiful images plus a massive Canva template library — it's a serious time saver.
[Join Styled Stock Society →]
Haute Stock
Polished, editorial, and endlessly on-brand. Haute Stock is perfect if you want a library that feels elevated and intentional without spending hours hunting for the right image.
[Explore Haute Stock →]
elevae visuals
For when you want your visuals to feel genuinely luxe. Elevae is the most elevated option on this list — stunning photography with a warm, modern aesthetic that photographs well across every platform.
[Try Elevae →]
The libraries worth bookmarking — curated for creative entrepreneurs who care about how their brand looks.
Moyo Studio
Bold, diverse, and refreshingly different. Moyo Studio specializes in stock photography that centers women of color — beautifully styled, professionally shot, and long overdue in the creative space.
[Shop Moyo Studio →]
Adobe Stock
When you need something specific and need it fast, Adobe Stock delivers. Millions of images, seamlessly integrated with Creative Cloud — perfect for client work when the perfect shot isn't in your membership library.
[Explore Adobe Stock →]
04 — SEO Tools Worth Using
Good design gets you noticed. Good SEO keeps you findable. These are the tools I use to make sure Refinery Nine — and my clients' sites — show up where they're supposed to.
Google Analytics
Free, powerful, and non-negotiable. Google Analytics tells you exactly who's visiting your site, where they're coming from, and what they're doing when they get there. If you don't have this installed, stop everything and do it today.
[Get Google Analytics →]
Google Search Console
Free, powerful, and non-negotiable. Google Analytics tells you exactly who's visiting your site, where they're coming from, and what they're doing when they get there. If you don't have this installed, stop everything and do it today.
[Get Search Console →]
RankMath
My go-to SEO plugin for Showit's WordPress blog. RankMath makes on-page SEO straightforward — meta titles, descriptions, schema markup, and keyword optimization all handled in one clean dashboard.
[Try RankMath →]
Surfer SEO
When you're serious about content strategy and want data-backed guidance on exactly how to optimize your pages and blog posts, Surfer SEO delivers. It takes the guesswork out of ranking.
[Try Surfer SEO →]
Stop Googling Everything.
Grab the free list of 100 resources we actually use to run this studio.
One download. 100 tools, platforms, and resources organized by category — so you can spend less time researching and more time building.
How to Use canva templates with flodesk
[ Read → ]
How to Use canva templates with flodesk
[ Read → ]
How to Use canva templates with flodesk
[ Read → ]
How to Use canva templates with flodesk
[ Read → ]
04 — From The blog
Join The Refinery Collective on Substack.
Behind-the-scenes studio notes, design tips, business talk, and real conversations about building something creative in a noisy world. Written for entrepreneurs and creatives who want actual insight — not recycled advice.
Want more where this came from?
Some links on this page are affiliate links. That means I earn a small commission if you purchase through them — at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use and trust in my own studio.
