5 Best Apps of the Week: New Instagram, A Keyboard That Reads Your Mind and More!
Are all your favorite apps starting to feel a little stale? Put down the Candy Crush and Stock app. It might be time for an app refresh. The apps of the week are going to help you be more social, more creative and more efficient. Yahoo Mail has a brand spankin’ new look that is sure to impress (Gmail who?), an app that curates things to see and do based on your locations and Microsoft’s all-new photo social media app. Take a look!
1. Simply: Simply is a nifty new app that ensures you will never be bored. It can tell you what the goings-on are near you by reading your geolocation, but it can also help you stay home so you can Netflix and chill. Whether you feel like going out and catching a nearby comedy show, or you’d rather just ask the app for some Netflix recs, Simply has got you covered.
DL It: Free on iOS
2. Yahoo Mail: Yahoo Mail has gotten a serious makeover — and the new interface is sooo user-friendly. Now you can toggle between multiple mailboxes directly from within the app. Plus, you also have a page that allows you easy access to all your photos + doc attachments. Efficiency FTW!
3. Twist: Microsoft’s latest social media venture is like Instagram + Snapchat + Text Messaging, but it’s also entirely its own entity. Twist allows your pals to send you photos with text, to which you can respond with your own images. Photo social media is really taking off — perhaps it’s the next Facebook?
DL It: Free on iOS
4. Swiftkey Neural Alpha: This is the first keyboard that will READ YOUR MIND. Swiftykey Neural is Swiftkey’s latest experiment in predictive keyboards and utilizes artificial intelligence to give you better and more meaningful suggestions when you’re typing. Sorry, iPhone users, right now Swiftkey Neural is only for Android.
DL It: Free on Android
5. Graphic: Graphic boasts to be a “powerful full-featured vector drawing and illustration application.” The app allows you to create your own designs, do vector drawings and import/export Photoshop files. The best part? You can do this all from the convenience of your iPhone. Pretty cool what technology can do, huh?
DL It: $2.99 on iOS
Will you be downloading any of these apps over the weekend? Did we miss any cool new apps? Let us know in the comments.
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.
