Tools & resources
Start with the Sprint 500 Tools — the interactive tools we built for members. Below them sits our directory of recommended external apps, templates and courses.
Sprint 500 Tools
Built by us and included with your membership. Each one is marked Free or Premium.
Which Method Fits Me?
Five quick questions about your time, skills and setup — then two or three methods that genuinely suit you.
Open toolThe 3-Day Cash Sprint
Pick a track, work a three-day checklist and collect your first payment.
Open toolPricing & Profit Calculator
Work out what to charge: materials, your time and the profit you actually want, turned into a clean selling price.
Open toolOutreach Message Generator
Fill in four details and get a ready-to-send pitch, written in the tone that actually gets replies for the method you pick.
Open toolEarnings Tracker
Log what you actually earn, method by method, and watch your sprint total build up.
Open trackerTemplates & checklists
Also ours, also included. Copy, swap the bits in double braces for the real details, send.
Initial outreach message
A short, specific first message that does not read like a mass mail-out.
Generic outreach is why most people get zero replies in week one.
Hi {{first_name}},
I came across {{business_name}} on {{platform}} and noticed {{specific_observation}} — that is a quick win most places in {{town}} miss.
I help small local businesses with {{service}}. If it is useful, I can put together {{small_concrete_offer}} this week so you can see the difference before committing to anything.
Worth a ten-minute chat?
{{your_name}}
{{your_number}}Follow-up (no reply after 3 days)
A polite nudge that adds value instead of repeating yourself.
Most sales happen on the second or third message — and almost nobody sends one.
Hi {{first_name}},
Just floating this back to the top of your inbox in case it got buried.
One thing you could do today regardless of whether we work together: {{free_tip}}.
If the timing is not right, tell me and I will stop bothering you. If it is, I have space to start on {{date}}.
{{your_name}}Project completion & review request
Wraps up the job, restates the value delivered and asks for the review.
Same-day review requests convert far better than ones sent a week later.
Hi {{first_name}},
All done — {{deliverable}} is with you.
Quick recap of where we landed: {{result_one}}, {{result_two}}.
Two small things:
1. If you were happy with how this went, a short review here would genuinely help me: {{review_link}}
2. If you would like me to keep this going, the next step would be {{next_step}} at {{price}}.
Thanks for trusting me with it,
{{your_name}}Pricing & proposal template
A one-page proposal with three options so the client chooses a level, not whether to buy.
Single-price quotes invite haggling; three tiers move the conversation to "which one".
PROPOSAL — {{service}} for {{business_name}}
Prepared by {{your_name}}, {{date}}
WHAT I UNDERSTAND YOU NEED
{{problem_summary}}
OPTION A — {{option_a_name}} · {{option_a_price}}
{{option_a_scope}}
OPTION B — {{option_b_name}} · {{option_b_price}} (most popular)
{{option_b_scope}}
OPTION C — {{option_c_name}} · {{option_c_price}}
{{option_c_scope}}
TIMELINE
Start {{start_date}}, first deliverable {{first_deliverable_date}}.
TERMS
50% to book, balance on completion. Two rounds of revisions included.
To go ahead, reply with the option letter and I will send the invoice.New-client onboarding checklist
Everything to collect and confirm before you start work.
Ninety per cent of client friction comes from something on this list not being agreed up front.
NEW CLIENT ONBOARDING — {{business_name}}
[ ] Scope written down in one paragraph and confirmed by them in writing
[ ] Price, deposit and payment dates agreed
[ ] Deadline and what happens if they are late supplying materials
[ ] Logins, brand assets and logos received
[ ] Point of contact and preferred channel confirmed
[ ] Number of revisions stated
[ ] Deposit invoice sent
[ ] First check-in booked in the calendar
[ ] Review request scheduled for completion dayUseful external resources
Apps, templates and courses made by other people that we rate. They’re not part of your membership — the price shown is theirs, not ours.
Showing 40 external resources.
WhatsApp Business
A separate business number, away messages, quick replies and a simple product catalogue.
Why you need it: Clients message you the way they already message everyone else — and your personal chats stay private.
Canva (free tier)
Drag-and-drop design for posts, flyers, logos and simple product photos.
Why you need it: You will need decent-looking graphics on day one, long before you can justify paying a designer.
Google Workspace (free tier)
Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive and Forms with a personal account.
Why you need it: Proposals, intake forms and your money tracker all live in one place you can access from a phone.
Wave Invoicing
Unlimited professional invoices, reminders and payment tracking.
Why you need it: Getting paid on time starts with an invoice that looks like a real business sent it.
Buffer (free tier)
Schedule posts to three channels ahead of time.
Why you need it: Batch a week of posting in one sitting so client work never competes with your own marketing.
Trello
Simple boards to track leads, jobs in progress and money owed.
Why you need it: Two clients is memory. Five clients is a board — this is where dropped balls come from.
RiteTag hashtag research
Instant hashtag grades showing which tags actually get seen right now.
Why you need it: Guessing hashtags wastes your client's reach; this turns it into a two-minute check.
90-day content calendar template
A ready-made Sheets calendar with themes, captions and posting slots per client.
Why you need it: Clients renew when they can see what is coming next — this is the artefact that sells the retainer.
Grammarly
Grammar, clarity and tone checking as you type.
Why you need it: One typo in a first draft costs you the second commission. This catches it before the client does.
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
Scores headlines for balance, length and emotional pull.
Why you need it: Editors judge your sample by the headline first — improve it and your acceptance rate jumps.
Toggl Track
One-click time tracking with per-client reports.
Why you need it: Retainer VA work dies from scope creep — tracked hours let you renegotiate with evidence.
Calendly
Share a link, let clients book into your real availability.
Why you need it: Removes the six-email dance that makes you look less organised than you are.
Zoom (free tier)
Video calls with screen share and a shared whiteboard.
Why you need it: Forty free minutes is exactly one tutoring session — you can run a full timetable before paying a penny.
Jamboard-style whiteboard (Miro free)
Infinite shared whiteboard for working through problems live.
Why you need it: Tutoring without a whiteboard is just talking; students book again when they can see the working.
Etsy Rank
Keyword and listing analysis for handmade marketplaces.
Why you need it: Beautiful items that nobody searches for do not sell — this tells you the words buyers type.
Craft pricing & margin sheet
A spreadsheet that works backwards from materials, time and fees to a viable price.
Why you need it: Most makers discover their bestseller loses money. Find out before you buy more stock.
Gridwise
Tracks earnings, mileage and the best hours and zones across delivery apps.
Why you need it: Working smarter hours beats working more hours — this is the data that shows you which.
Stride mileage tracker
Automatic mileage logging for self-employed expense claims.
Why you need it: Untracked mileage is money you hand back at tax time.
eBay Terapeak research
Real sold-price history for anything you are thinking of buying.
Why you need it: Never pay more for stock than the market has actually paid — check sold, not listed.
PhotoRoom
Removes backgrounds and makes phone photos look like catalogue shots.
Why you need it: Clean white-background photos measurably lift resale prices on every marketplace.
Gumroad
Host, sell and deliver digital products with no upfront cost.
Why you need it: You can launch a paid product this afternoon without building a website.
Notion
Build templates, workbooks and mini-courses people will pay for.
Why you need it: Notion templates are the lowest-effort digital product that still sells well.
Nextdoor
Neighbourhood posts and recommendations in your immediate area.
Why you need it: Local services are won on trust, and this is where your neighbours ask for recommendations.
Google Business Profile
A free map listing with reviews, hours and a call button.
Why you need it: It is the single highest-return free hour a local service provider can spend.
Facebook Marketplace
Fast local selling with no listing fees and cash on collection.
Why you need it: When you need money in days rather than weeks, local and fee-free wins every time.
Music Magpie / CeX valuation
Instant buy-back quotes for tech, phones, games and media.
Why you need it: Gives you a same-day floor price to compare against a slower marketplace sale.
Text expander shortcuts (built into your phone)
Type "//out" and your whole outreach message appears.
Why you need it: Turns twenty outreach messages a day from a chore into ten minutes.
Pomofocus timer
A browser Pomodoro timer with per-task logging.
Why you need it: Sprint work fails on focus, not on hours available.
Simple income & expense tracker
A spreadsheet with income, expenses, mileage and a running profit figure.
Why you need it: You cannot raise prices confidently until you know your real hourly rate.
Zapier (free tier)
Connects your form, inbox and spreadsheet so leads log themselves.
Why you need it: Removes the admin that quietly eats your billable hours.
Ali Abdaal — productivity & side income
Practical videos on building income around an existing job.
Why you need it: Free, honest and light on hype — a good sanity check on any method.
Latasha James — freelance social media
Client-getting and pricing for social media managers.
Why you need it: The closest thing to a free course on running social media as a service.
The Futur — pricing and client work
Deep dives on pricing, proposals and difficult client conversations.
Why you need it: Watch two videos before your first pricing conversation and you will charge more.
Google Digital Garage — Fundamentals
A free certified course in digital marketing basics.
Why you need it: A credential you can put on a profile in a weekend, at no cost.
Copywriting Secrets (book)
A blunt, practical primer on writing that sells.
Why you need it: Cheapest possible upgrade to every message, listing and proposal you write.
Coursera — Business Foundations
University-level basics on pricing, operations and finance.
Why you need it: Worth it only once you have paying clients and want to scale properly.
Google Drive (mobile)
Contracts, invoices and photos on your phone wherever you are.
Why you need it: You will need to send a proposal from a bus stop at some point.
CamScanner / Notes scan
Turns a photo of a signed page into a clean PDF.
Why you need it: Signed quotes and receipts without owning a scanner.
Revolut / Monzo business pot
Keeps business money and tax separate from your spending.
Why you need it: Separating the money is the single habit that stops a good month becoming a tax problem.
Google Maps timeline
A record of where you drove and when.
Why you need it: Backs up mileage claims for delivery and local service work.