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TECH STACK

When I first launched my business, one of the most difficult things for me was figuring out the tech that I needed to get up and running.

As your business grows, your needs will evolve and change. You begin to understand the things that are crucial, the things that are “nice to have”, and others, not so important after all. This process is pretty individual, but I want to give you a list of the things I can’t live without, and you can test them out and see if they fit your needs.

Website.

OBVIOUSLY Squarespace!

I have always hosted my website on Squarespace. It’s an all-in-one solution that takes care of hosting, domain, templates, features, security, analytics dashboard, SEO tools, basically every aspect of your website. With 7.1 fluid engine there is now fantastic design freedom, and their drag-and-drop interface is easy to use.

And what I really love? Once your website is created, you can rest assured that it will continue running smoothly without any upkeep. This is a major benefit compared to WordPress, where you have to regularly update plugins to keep your website secure from hackers (or pay someone else to do it). 

Email.

I have three recommendations here because I think each platform offers excellent benefits depending on what your needs are.

flodesk:

Flodesk makes beautiful emails. It’s VERY user friendly, and if your business needs a platform where attractive emails are key, this is perfect for you.

It’s not as robust analytics-wise as some other platforms, so if this is important to your business I would go with my second reco. BUT Flodesk is always adding features, so you really can’t go wrong with this one.

convertkit

This is my other recommendation. The emails may not be quite as beautiful, but this is a really robust platform in comparison. So if tagging, segmentation, and deeper reporting are important to you, I would go with Convertkit.

mailerlite

I also recommend MailerLite. Key features include campaign reporting, email automation, subscriber list management, and result tracking. It’s user friendly and has great customer support.

CRM.

honeybook:

This solution helps users manage business processes all the way from inquiry through to invoicing. HoneyBook lets users manage projects, book clients, create proposals, sign contracts online, send invoices and handle payments. It’s interface is clean and clear, and creating everything you need is simple and straightforward.

Another favourite is Dubsado, and is worth checking out. Personally I really like Honeybook, but Dubsado is fantastic, and highly recommended by some of my biz friends.

Project management tool.

undecided:

This is a tough one because it’s VERY personalized and really just depends on how you like to work. I had some success with Notion, I do like Basecamp but it tends to be pricey… I have a friend who swears by Asana. I recommend you test out their free trials and see what works best for you.

For now, I rely on Honeybook and my Google calendar, and this system works just fine for me. If that ever changes, I’ll come back with an update!

Get Paid.

Stripe:

My favourite solutions for receiving payment for services online are Stripe and Transferwise.(Now called Wise.) Both are easy to set up and are great for accepting payments. Paypal is another online solution, however fees tend to be higher, and as of late there have been increasing complaints about the platform. (Mainly regarding fees and disputes.)

Some extras.

google docs:

I use Google Docs for SO many things!

It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating with other users in real time. Users can create, share, and store documents on their own devices, so they can access them ANYWHERE. It is cloud based, so your files are all stored remotely, meaning they can be accessed, edited, and shared via any device with an internet connection. 

canva:

If you’re new to the online space and haven’t heard of Canva yet, you definitely have to check it out. Experiment with the free version, but if you end up liking it and want to use it for everything from social posts to logo creation, the paid version is well worth it!

gmail/google workspace:

Definitely set up a Gmail BUSINESS account and link it to everything. It’s so much more professional to have a business name rather than “xxxxx@gmail.com.” Besides, free Gmail is designed for personal users, Google Workspace is specifically designed for business use, with business Gmail and team collaboration capabilities.

google extensions:

  • What font- Love a font that you’ve seen online but have no idea what it is? Here is the answer!

  • Color Pick Eyedropper- This is the same thing as What Font, only for colours. I love this extension and use it constantly.

  • Go Full Page- Need a screenshot of a whole page? This is the SHIZ. You can then save it as a PDF or PNG.

  • ProWritingAid (PWA) is a powerful online proofreading and editing software. It’s a grammar checker, plagiarism detector, writing coach, and overall editing tool in one. 

  • Squarespace ID Finder- This extension lets me quickly see the collection or block-id from the back-end Squarespace code. This is incredibly helpful if I want to target a specific page, section, or block to apply Custom CSS.

Coolers and adobe color:

These are both excellent for choosing colour palettes. Highly recommended.

loom:

Need to record videos?

Loom offers quick video messages and screen recordings, simply and efficiently. It comes with automatic transcriptions of your recording, the ability to add links within the video, background noise reduction, and video trimming options.

zoom or google meet:

I personally use Zoom, but Google Meet gets great reviews, and I plan to try it out. These are both great video conferencing apps. 

slack:

If you need a collaborative space for team members, or if you have a membership or mastermind and you need somewhere to “meet,” Slack is a great option with free and paid versions. There are alternatives, but this one has been my favourite so far.

chat gpt:

At this point, most people have heard of Chat GPT, and many have experimented with it! I find it to be exceptionally helpful with repetitive, data-driven tasks so I can free up resources for the more human and strategic work. The paid version is the way to go… the free version just isn’t as robust.

REMEMBER: AI is still known to “hallucinate,” so be cautious when using it. It has also been trained on information scraped from the internet, so it has a high probability of plagarized output. It can be helpful with writing projects, but it’s best used for brainstorming and organization. It’s unwise to use it’s content without heavily editing and making it your own.

If you want to stay current on all things AI, check out the Marketing AI Institute, and their podcast, The Marketing AI Show.

voxer:

Voxer is a walkie-talkie messaging app for your smartphone that allows you to communicate in real time, or catch the messages later when you are free to listen.

apple notes/ evernote/ One Note:

A Notes app on my phone has been incredibly helpful for info dumping, recording thoughts, social media ideas, etc. I use Apple Notes DAILY! (If you don’t have an iPhone, Evernote or One Note are also excellent. )

tiny png:

Easily compress photos to a smaller size for best website optimization.