What I have decided to do here is to list all the tools, books and useful websites which I use and feel may be helpful to you. It means that you will be able to find any of the tools I recommend easily just by returning here. Obviously as I continue to learn, I will come across more new tools and resources which I will use and if I feel they are worth recommending I will add them to this page.
Disclamer: As I have already mentioned before, some of these links will be affiliate links, which without costing you anything will allow me to receive a small commission should you go on to purchase through one of these links. It feels better to me that I get paid to run this site by the commissions paid by the big companies rather than charging you the user.
Everything I recommend will be something I have experience using myself, something I trust and something which I feel helps to build websites and relationships with our customers.
Most recommended
Hostgator: Hosting is something you really cannot do without if you are going to build a website and run a business from it. I have used Hostgator for many years and recommend them due to their excellent support, ease of use and reliability. They also have many very well made training videos to help you learn the ropes and find your way around your hosting package.
GetResponse: Something everyone should be doing with their website is collecting and then making good use of emails from your users. I wish I had started doing this earlier as the list of people I email with offers and information would be much larger than it is now. Do it from the start, start collecting and engaging with your customers. I use and recommend GetResponse because of their ease of use, landing page options and from what I gather they have an exceptional open rate.
StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package: For me the Genesis framework from StudioPress is the best addition to WordPress that I have come across. I used to have to buy a new premium theme each time I wanted to build a site, but with the developers license from StudioPress I have access to every premium theme created by them and can use them multiple times. They are also great to edit and customise to suit your needs, honestly a fantastic resource for website building.
Books
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich
by Tim Ferris: Simply a must read for anyone serious about making money online, BRILLIANT!
Entrepreneur Revolution: How to Develop Your Entrepreneurial Mindset and Start a Business That Works
by Daniel Priestley: One of my favourite books. Daniel shows you that anyone can be an expert and make money from things they do everyday. I love this book.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World
by Gary Vaynerchuck: If you are wanting to learn how to sell, sell online or just tell a great story, Gary Vee is the man to learn from! I loved Crush It!
Images
Free Images.com: Just one of many free images resources out there. Just be sure to check the licenses for each image against your intended use. Don't use anything in any way that might get you into trouble!
Flickr Creative Commons: As above, know your rights to usage!
GIMP Image editor: Excellent FREE photo editor. If you don't have Photoshop, then this is the next best thing. Click for Windows Download
Animoto: Create videos with your images, text and videos using their awesome video editor. Add music and choose the style then simply upload the images you wish to use and publish when happy. It's cool!
Favicon.cc: Create a custom Favicon for your site using this free generator.
Productivity
Evernote : Simply the best place to keep all your notes. I use it every day and plan all my blog posts, sites and to do lists on Evernote. They have free and premium options and can download to your desktop as well as using online. Fantastic! Sign up here.
Dropbox: Fantastic place to keep and share you images and other files on the cloud.
Learning sites
Learnable is a site which I have been a member of for over 2 years. It provides loads of online tech training courses such as HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP and WordPress, all of which I took part in. There are also get training books available in many topics and everything is available for a small monthly fee.
Learn web design and development join Learnable today.