I get asked about tools constantly.
“What do you use for client management?” “What email platform do you recommend?” “How do you automate your workflows?”
So here’s the full list. Every tool I actually use to run my business.
No affiliate links. No sponsored recommendations. Just what actually works.
Client Management & Project Tracking: Notion
What I use it for: CRM, client tracking, project management, file organization, literally everything.
Why I love it: It’s flexible. I can build exactly what I need instead of forcing my business into someone else’s structure.
Cost: Free plan works. Paid plans start at $8/month.
Who should use it: Anyone who likes customization and doesn’t mind a small learning curve.
[Read: Why I Ditched Dubsado for Notion]
Email Marketing: Flodesk
What I use it for: Email sequences, newsletters, automated follow-ups, all email communication.
Why I love it: It’s beautiful. Easy to use. No complicated automation builders. Flat pricing (doesn’t increase as your list grows).
Cost: $38/month (flat rate, unlimited subscribers).
Who should use it: Anyone who wants email to look good without spending hours designing.
Community & Membership: Skool
What I use it for: Hosting The Quiet Systems Society. It’s where members access content, ask questions, and connect.
Why I love it: Clean interface. Easy for members to navigate. Built-in gamification keeps people engaged.
Cost: $99/month.
Who should use it: Anyone running a paid membership or community.
Scheduling: TidyCal
What I use it for: Letting clients book calls without the back-and-forth email dance.
Why I love it: One-time payment (not subscription). Does everything Calendly does for way less money.
Cost: $29 one-time payment (lifetime access).
Who should use it: Everyone. Seriously. Stop paying monthly for scheduling.
Payments & Checkout: ThriveCart
What I use it for: Selling my offers, processing payments, managing subscriptions.
Why I love it: One-time payment (no monthly fees). Clean checkout pages. Integrates with everything.
Cost: $495 one-time payment (lifetime access).
Who should use it: Anyone who’s tired of paying monthly fees for payment processing.
Team Communication: Slack
What I use it for: Communicating with my team and contractors. Keeping conversations organized by project.
Why I love it: Better than email for quick back-and-forth. Everything is searchable.
Cost: Free plan works. Paid plans start at $7.25/user/month.
Who should use it: Anyone with a team or regular contractors.
Instagram Automation: ManyChat
What I use it for: Automating DM responses, delivering lead magnets, nurturing Instagram leads.
Why I love it: Automates the repetitive DM stuff so I’m not manually responding to the same questions.
Cost: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $15/month.
Who should use it: Anyone who gets a lot of Instagram DMs or uses Instagram for lead gen.
Automation: Zapier
What I use it for: Connecting all my tools so they talk to each other. Example: When someone fills out my contact form, it creates a new entry in my Notion CRM.
Why I love it: Set it up once, runs forever.
Cost: Free plan works for basic automations. Paid plans start at $20/month.
Who should use it: Anyone using multiple tools that need to work together.
Design: Canva
What I use it for: Creating graphics for social media, blog images, presentation slides, everything visual.
Why I love it: Easy to use. Thousands of templates. I’m not a designer and it makes me look like one.
Cost: Free plan works. Canva Pro is $13/month.
Who should use it: If you’re creating any kind of visual content, use Canva.
Website: Showit
What I use it for: My actual website. Drag-and-drop builder, fully customizable.
Why I love it: I can design exactly what I want without code. Works with WordPress for the blog.
Cost: $24/month (or $19/month if paid annually).
Who should use it: Service-based business owners who want a custom site without learning code.
My Full Tech Stack Summary
- Client management: Notion
- Email marketing: Flodesk
- Community: Skool
- Scheduling: TidyCal
- Payments: ThriveCart
- Team communication: Slack
- Instagram automation: ManyChat
- Automation: Zapier
- Design: Canva
- Website: Showit
Total monthly cost: ~$150/month (after one-time purchases for TidyCal and ThriveCart)
The Biggest Mistake I See
Using too many tools.
You don’t need 15 different apps. You need a core stack that works well together.
Every time you add a new tool, you add complexity.
Pick your core tools and stick with them so only add something new if it solves a real problem.
Want My Complete Tech Stack List?
I created a free downloadable tech stack cheat sheet with every tool I use, what I use it for, and pricing.
Download the Tech Stack Cheat Sheet →
Need Help Setting Up Your Tools?
[Join The Quiet Systems Society] — Get tutorials on how I set up Notion, Flodesk, and all my tools, plus templates you can use for $37/month.
[Book a Done-With-You Backend Build] — This is where I set up your tools with you in six weeks so everything actually works together.
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