Five cities. Two countries. Three time zones. How TF does a fully remote team of six run a media business so damn smoothly (if we do say so ourselves *Debby Ryan hair tuck*)? Well, you’re in luck because Team Girlboss is pulling back the curtain and sharing our secrets, a.k.a. the best work tools for remote teams that keep us a well-oiled, digital-first machine.
🤹 For project management
“Our team would be in shambles if we didn’t use this cloud collaboration platform. Girlboss’ Airtable holds our behemoth of a content calendar—think: deadlines and go-live dates for everything from our newsletter to our Instagram to our website and more. Being able to toggle between different statuses and owners allows us to asynchronously manage different projects without having to nudge each other on Slack every second. I only discovered this tool when I joined Girlboss, and now we’re attached at the hip.” — Victoria, executive editor
“I’ve been at media companies with servers that require complex VPN connections (which, for security reasons, I totally get), but now that I’m part of a Google Workspace team, the difference in ease and efficiency is wild. All of our documents are Google Docs and Google Sheets (stored in our impeccably organized Google Drive—shoutout to Vanessa, our general manager!), and I love that I can live edit and collaborate with the other team members. My brain simply doesn’t compute if I have to use Microsoft 365—I’m a Google girlie for life.” — Victoria
🎨 For design
“My monthly subscription practically pays for itself, and as someone who just never quite got the hang of Adobe Photoshop, I’m so grateful to the badass woman who invented Canva (hi, Melanie Perkins!) and made photo editing and graphic design accessible to us all. Plus, it’s super handy to use outside of work for making everything from bachelorette itineraries to dinner-party menus.” — Lara, contributor
“As someone with very little design experience who needs to constantly pump out on-brand assets for our newsletter and website, Adobe Express has been my saving grace. I love how easy it was to upload all of Girlboss’ brand assets (fonts, colors, logos, and other design elements), so I have everything all in one place when designing our blog feature images or newsletter visuals. I seriously don’t know what I would do without it!” — Victoria
“Working on a design project that needs rounds and rounds of edits and input from different team members? Figma is our go-to collaborative interface for all of our art needs. Think of it like Google Docs for design! We recently redesigned our homepage (she’s stunning, go take a peek), and our freelance designer built the new templates in Figma so we could leave feedback directly on each design element. All of our brand assets live there, too, for easy access.” — Victoria
📅 For meetings
“I use Granola to transcribe all my sales calls so I can actually focus on the conversation and not worry about missing key details. It also provides AI summaries and action items, so I know what follow-up work to do. You can easily share it with team members. But the best thing is no video recordings! Staring at my own face during calls is not something I need in my life! ” — Kate, brand partnerships manager
“As a co-producer of our podcast, Girlboss Radio, I’m in charge of booking the recordings… which means that I’m juggling multiple schedules at once (the host’s, the guest’s, their team’s, and ours). Instead of going back and forth, cross-checking calendars and trying to find a time when everyone is available (an impossible feat), I use Calendly. It’s a scheduling platform that makes it practically painless to get meetings booked in.” — Kamela, content marketing manager
“Something so simple—recording your screen, camera, and microphone—has been such a game-changer for the whole team. Not only have we been able to save time in our calendars (see ya, unnecessary meetings!), but it’s so much easier to get an update on a project when you’re able to visually follow along at your own leisure. I’ve used Loom to show new team members how to build Girlboss Daily in our email service provider. As soon as I’m done recording, I just pop the link in Slack, and boom. I will never go back to time-sucking onboarding meetings again.” — Victoria
💬 For communications
"One of the biggest not-so-secrets to success for a remote-first team is seamless communication, and we swear by Slack. We have channels for everything—like news articles for Snacks, Reels and meme ideas for social, product recos for Staff Picks, marketing inspiration, partnership campaign ideas, and more. It keeps us super organized, and we also love hopping on low-stakes, cameras-off Huddles to flesh out ideas or problem-solve on the fly." — Victoria
💰 For sales
“Pipedrive is the CRM (customer relationship management) tool that keeps my sales funnel full and my brand deals organized and moving.” — Kate
📥 For the newsletter
“We recently made the switch to this all-in-one newsletter platform (which is designed for media businesses like ours!), and we’re wondering what took us so long. Not only is the interface so user-friendly and visually engaging, but there are a few key features that set it apart from the other email service providers out there: the newsletter archive means that all of our issues don’t have a limited shelf life, and the beehiiv Ad Network helps us unlock new revenue opportunities in a few clicks. We also love the Boosts (paid) and Recommendations (organic) features, which allow us to get our newsletter in front of new eyeballs, in a sustainable, risk-free way. Whether you’re an independent operator or a media biz like ours, beehiiv is the best way to stand out in the inbox.” — Victoria
📱 For social media
“As a social media manager, I’d be lost without Later. It’s my go-to for scheduling content ahead across all my platforms and keeping me organized (and sane). I love that I can plan posts visually, dive into analytics to see what’s working, and even update my link in bio—all in one place. It’s the all-in-one tool that makes managing social feel way less chaotic.” — Cheska, social media manager
“I’m obsessed with Social Stocks, it’s my secret for finding aesthetic B-roll and video content that doesn’t look like cheesy stock footage. Honestly, I was tempted to gatekeep this! 🤭 There’s a huge variety of UGC clips, from work vibes and entrepreneur life to nature scenes, summer moments, wellness routines, and more. Everything feels elevated and on-brand, and I honestly can’t live without it for keeping my content fresh and visually stunning.” — Cheska
“If Pinterest and free stock photos had a (very chic) baby, it’d be Dupe Photos. It’s where I find tons of aesthetic, scroll-stopping, UGC images for my projects—and unlike Pinterest, I can actually use them for work. The best part is it’s completely free. My mood boards, social posts, and creative decks have never looked so good.” — Cheska
“Another stock-photos-but-better option is Death to Stock. For just $19/month (a worthwhile investment, btw), you unlock a visual library of editorial-worthy images and videos that belong in a magazine. Oh, and you get unlimited downloads! Powered by monthly insights from in-house trend forecasters, DTS curates a dynamic, ever-evolving collection of trend-savvy visuals that take your decks, social media campaigns, and blog posts to the next level. Now, we’re no longer stuck in a visual rut! Exhibit A: This blog post is almost all DTS images.” — Victoria
🎙️ For the podcast
“This AI transcription tool lets you combine multiple voice tracks and video files into one composition, slice and dice tiny fragments, leave comments, and everything is backed up to a cloud for easy collaboration and no saving required. You can also transcribe interviews for articles or turn meeting recordings into organized notes. It’s the kind of un-sexy, behind-the-scenes tool that you didn't realize you needed until you have it.” — Victoria
“Here’s a little behind-the-scenes insider info for you. We use this online podcast recording studio for Girlboss Radio! The video and audio quality are so good, your listeners will feel like you're all sitting in one room together. It's a big investment, but if you ask any experienced podcaster (our audio engineer insisted!), they'll recommend this software over any other. Plus, the tech support is amazing, should anything go awry. Bonus? Riverside can also be used for webinars (it can support an audience of up to 1,000 people).” — Victoria
“Ever wonder how we’ve landed cool guests like Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Lilly Singh on the podcast? IMDB Pro gives you access to the contact info for your favorite celeb’s agent, manager, lawyer, publicist, PR rep, and more, so you can slide into their inbox (and start making the ask). Don’t be afraid to follow up (more than once!) or try different contacts until you get a ‘yes.’” — Victoria
✅ For personal organization
“After trying many task-management tools, I’ve been using Google Tasks consistently for the past several months. As a Google Workspace user, I love that it’s built right into Gmail and Google Calendar, so there’s no need to switch between apps. Since many of my to-dos come from email, the ‘Add to Tasks’ feature makes it easy to turn messages into actionable items. I can set due dates, create lists and subtasks, star important tasks, and view everything in Google Calendar. It’s simple, efficient, and fits seamlessly into my existing workflow.” — Vanessa, general manager
“If I don’t write it down, it’s out of mind. Todoist is where I keep all of my tasks, ideas, and ongoing projects. I keep the app open at all times, and I even have a widget of my daily tasks on my desktop home screen. I love that I can add tasks in my inbox and go in at a later date to organize the due date, descriptions, subtasks, you name it.” — Kamela
“Not gonna lie, it takes a minute to figure out your groove in Notion. But once you do, it’s an absolute game-changer. (Tip: Browse through the templates on Notion and try to re-create some to help you understand the app better!) You can customize boards and pages exactly how you want, whether you’re managing freelance projects, juggling social media clients outside your 9-to-5, or planning a Type A-level travel itinerary (guilty). It’s basically a blank canvas for organizing your entire life, and I’m obsessed.” — Cheska
🧰 For operations
“Plooto makes it super easy for us to pay our freelancer invoices. Compared to other accounts payable software I’ve used in the past, I love how user-friendly and cost-effective it is.” — Vanessa
“I used Collage at my previous company and loved how it streamlined both onboarding and broader HR processes. So when I joined Girlboss, implementing it for our growing remote team was an easy decision. Collage has helped us build compliant policies, manage time-off tracking, run team surveys, store important documents, and more—all within one simple, user-friendly platform.” — Vanessa
“We use Ramp for easy-to-use digital credit cards. Unlike traditional physical cards, Ramp lets us instantly assign new cards to employees based on specific spend policies and departments. We can also set spending limits, apply restrictions, and cancel cards as needed, giving us greater control and visibility as a fully remote team.” — Vanessa
🍅 For focus
“As someone who gets easily distracted by her phone (I swear, the TikTok app just opens itself!), I wanted to finally give the Pomodoro time management technique a try. Basically, you work for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break, and once you go through four consecutive cycles, you can take a longer 15 to 30-minute break. I’ve been using this gem from Gridfiti for a few months now, and I’m obsessed. It has customizable backgrounds (mine is set to Tokyo Sakura) and timer sounds, and a built-in Spotify playlist with lo-fi tunes to help you stay focused. And did I mention that it’s completely free? If you want something more customizable, its sister brand Flocus is an 11/10.” — Victoria
“Finch is my go-to for keeping up with my self-care and to-do list. It’s part self-care app, part virtual pet (think Tamagotchi!), so every time I check off my daily tasks and goals, I’m also taking care of my cute little Finch bird. It makes even the most boring routines feel fun, and I love having all my wellness habits and daily goals in one cute (completely free!) app!” — Cheska
📣 We want to hear from you! What are your favorite work tools? Tell us (answers are anonymous).
