Tools to Run Your Resin Art Business
Running a resin art business involves more than creating beautiful pieces. You need systems to handle orders, track finances, communicate with customers, and manage your production workflow. The right tools keep your business organized, reduce manual work, and let you focus on what you do best—making art that sells.
Below are the essential categories of tools your resin business should use, along with specific options that work well for makers and small creators.
Order and Sales Management
Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform for resin artists selling directly to customers. You can set up a storefront in hours, manage inventory, accept payments, and handle shipping all in one place. Most resin artists on Shopify report that the platform’s built-in tools for product variants (size, color, finish) save significant time when selling custom pieces.
Etsy is another strong choice, especially if you’re building an audience. Etsy’s marketplace brings existing buyers looking for handmade and unique items, which aligns well with resin art. The platform charges per listing and takes a commission, but many resin artists find the built-in traffic worth the fees when starting out.
WooCommerce gives you a self-hosted option if you already have a website. It integrates with WordPress and offers flexibility for custom product options—important for resin artists offering different colors, sizes, or custom orders. WooCommerce is free but requires you to manage hosting and security yourself.
Invoicing and Payments
Square Invoices lets you create professional invoices and send payment links to customers in minutes. For resin artists doing custom work or wholesale orders, Square’s ability to add line items, taxes, and due dates makes invoicing straightforward. Payments process directly into your bank account, typically within 1–2 business days.
Wave is a free invoicing and accounting tool that works well for solo resin makers. You can create unlimited invoices, track payments, and generate basic financial reports without paying monthly fees. Wave integrates with many payment processors, so you see the full picture of money coming in.
Stripe handles payments for your online store or custom invoices. It’s industry-standard for e-commerce and integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and most other platforms. Stripe’s fees are competitive (around 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction), and the setup is straightforward for resin artists selling online.
Project and Production Tracking
Asana helps you manage your production workflow, especially useful if you’re juggling multiple custom orders or running seasonal collections. You can create tasks for each order (design approval, material prep, curing time, finishing), set due dates, and track progress in a visual board or list view. For resin work with specific curing timelines, Asana’s calendar view helps you see when pieces will be ready.
Trello is simpler than Asana and works well for solo artists or small teams. Create a board with columns like “New Orders,” “In Progress,” “Curing,” and “Ready to Ship.” You can attach images of your pieces, add checklists for quality steps, and move cards as work progresses. Many resin artists use Trello’s free version without needing to upgrade.
Time and Inventory Tracking
Clockify is a free time-tracking tool that helps you log how long different production steps take. For resin artists, tracking active work time versus curing time gives you realistic labor costs. You can create projects for different product types (jewelry, home decor, custom commissions) and review reports monthly to understand profitability.
Square for Retail also includes inventory management features. If you’re selling both online and at markets or pop-ups, Square’s point-of-sale system syncs inventory across sales channels so you don’t oversell. This matters for resin artists managing limited stock or seasonal pieces.
Customer Communication and Email
Mailchimp is free for up to 500 contacts and lets you send newsletters, product updates, and promotional emails without monthly fees. Resin artists use Mailchimp to stay in touch with past customers, announce new collections, and build repeat business. Automation features let you send a welcome email when someone subscribes, saving manual work.
Gmail or Outlook paired with Gmail filters is often enough for early-stage resin businesses. Create labels for customer inquiries, order confirmations, and shipping notifications so nothing falls through the cracks. As you grow and need templated responses or bulk email, migrate to a dedicated email marketing platform.
Social Media and Visual Marketing
Later or Buffer let you schedule Instagram and Pinterest posts in advance. Resin art is highly visual, so having a content calendar helps you post consistently without doing it manually every day. Later’s visual planner is especially useful for Instagram feeds since you can see how posts look together before publishing.
Canva is free and lets you create social media graphics, product photos with text overlays, and promotional images without hiring a designer. For resin artists, templates for Instagram Stories, Pinterest pins, and product cards are quick to customize with your brand colors and photos.
Cloud Storage and File Management
Google Drive or Dropbox keeps your business files organized and accessible from any device. Store product photos, customer contracts, financial records, and design inspiration in folders you can access on your phone, tablet, or computer. Both offer free plans with enough storage for most solo resin artists.
Customer Relationship Management
HubSpot CRM is free and helps you track customer interactions, repeat orders, and communication history in one place. For resin artists taking custom commissions or building wholesale relationships, HubSpot keeps all notes and emails tied to each customer so you never lose context. The free version has no limits on contacts.
Free vs Paid Tools
Start with free versions of tools whenever possible. Wave, Mailchimp, Trello, Clockify, and HubSpot CRM all offer robust free tiers that don’t expire. These handle invoicing, email, project management, time tracking, and customer data without monthly fees. Many resin artists run their entire first year on free tools.
Upgrade to paid plans only when a specific limitation slows your work. If you’re sending 1,000+ emails monthly, Mailchimp’s paid plan becomes cost-effective. If you’re managing 20+ concurrent projects, Asana’s paid tier adds features worth the cost. The key is tracking which tool pain point actually costs you time or sales—then upgrade that tool specifically. Avoid paying for features you don’t use.
The Minimum Tech Stack to Launch
- Etsy or Shopify — a place for customers to find and buy your work
- Wave or Square Invoices — to invoice customers and get paid reliably
- Stripe or PayPal — payment processing so transactions complete smoothly
- Trello or Asana — to track orders and production steps so nothing falls through
- Google Drive or Dropbox — to store photos, designs, and financial records safely
These five tools handle sales, payments, order management, and file storage. You can launch a profitable resin art business with just these, spending $0 or under $50 monthly if you choose free versions. Everything else is optimization as you grow.