People always ask me: "What tools do you use to run your business?"
They expect some massive list of expensive software and complicated systems.
The truth? My entire tech stack costs less than $200/month. And it generates $20,000+ consistently.
I've tried hundreds of tools over the years. Wasted thousands on unnecessary subscriptions. Spent countless hours learning platforms I never needed.
This is what survived. The tools I actually use every single day. The ones that drive real results.
No affiliate links. No sponsored content. Just the honest truth about what works.
The Core: Email Marketing ($29-49/month)
ConvertKit ($29/month for up to 1,000 subscribers)
My cost: $29/month (1,000 subscribers tier)
What I use it for: Email marketing, automation, landing pages, forms
Why this one: ConvertKit is built for creators. The automation is visual and intuitive. Setting up sequences is easy. The deliverability is excellent.
Alternatives: ActiveCampaign (more features, steeper learning curve) or MailerLite (cheaper for small lists)
Could I live without it? Absolutely not. This is the foundation of everything.
Email is 90% of my business. Without a solid email platform, nothing else matters.
I chose ConvertKit because it does exactly what I need without overwhelming me with features I'll never use.
The visual automation builder is worth the price alone. I can see my entire funnel at a glance.
Website & Hosting ($4-20/month)
WordPress + SiteGround Hosting ($4.99/month first year, then $14.99/month)
My cost: $14.99/month
What I use it for: Blog, content hub, SEO
Why this combo: WordPress is flexible, SEO-friendly, and I own everything. SiteGround is fast and reliable.
Alternatives: Ghost (cleaner, simpler) or Webflow (if you want design control)
Could I live without it? Technically yes, but I'd lose a major traffic source.
My blog drives 40% of my traffic. Every article I publish continues bringing in subscribers for years.
I use a simple theme (GeneratePress, free) and keep everything minimal. No fancy plugins. No bloat.
Landing Pages & Funnels ($97 one-time OR $47/month)
ThriveCart ($495 one-time payment)
My cost: $0/month (paid once, own forever)
What I use it for: Checkout pages, upsells, order bumps, affiliate center
Why this one: One-time payment instead of monthly subscription. Handles everything from cart to affiliate tracking.
Alternatives: Samcart ($49/month) or ClickFunnels ($147/month—way too expensive)
Could I live without it? Yes, but it would cost me money. The built-in upsells and bumps easily add 30-50% to my average cart value.
The one-time payment made this an easy decision. In two years, I've saved thousands compared to monthly funnel builders.
Plus, the built-in affiliate system means I don't need separate software to manage partners.
Content Creation ($12.99/month)
Canva Pro ($12.99/month)
My cost: $12.99/month
What I use it for: Social graphics, lead magnet covers, presentation slides, thumbnails
Why this one: Brain-dead simple. Professional results in minutes. Massive template library.
Alternatives: Adobe Creative Suite (overkill unless you're a designer) or free Canva (good enough honestly)
Could I live without it? Yes, but my content would look worse and take longer to create.
I'm not a designer. Canva makes me look like one.
Every lead magnet cover, social post, and blog header is created in Canva. Usually in under 10 minutes.
Analytics & Tracking (FREE)
Google Analytics + Google Search Console (FREE)
My cost: $0/month
What I use it for: Website traffic analysis, SEO performance, user behavior
Why these: Free, comprehensive, industry standard
Alternatives: None needed. These are the best and they're free.
Could I live without it? Technically yes, but I'd be flying blind.
I check these weekly to see:
- Which blog posts drive the most traffic
- Where my visitors come from
- Which pages convert best
- What keywords I'm ranking for
Data-driven decisions beat guesses every time.
Link Management (FREE)
Bitly (FREE plan)
My cost: $0/month
What I use it for: Shortening links, tracking clicks, organizing campaigns
Why this one: Simple, reliable, free tier is plenty for my needs
Alternatives: Pretty Links (WordPress plugin) or Rebrandly (custom domains)
Could I live without it? Yes, but click tracking would be harder.
Social Media Management ($0-15/month)
Buffer (FREE plan) or Later ($15/month)
My cost: $0/month (using Buffer free)
What I use it for: Scheduling social media posts across platforms
Why this one: Free plan lets me schedule up to 10 posts per platform. That's enough.
Alternatives: Hootsuite (more expensive) or just post manually (time-consuming)
Could I live without it? Yes. Social media isn't my primary traffic source.
I batch-create content once a week, schedule it, and forget about it.
Social media brings in maybe 10% of my traffic, so I don't invest heavily here.
File Storage & Backup (FREE)
Google Drive (FREE - 15GB)
My cost: $0/month
What I use it for: Storing documents, lead magnets, course materials, backups
Why this one: Free, reliable, accessible everywhere
Alternatives: Dropbox (better sync) or OneDrive (if you use Microsoft)
Could I live without it? Need SOME cloud storage. Google Drive is free and works great.
Communication ($0/month)
Gmail (FREE)
My cost: $0/month
What I use it for: All business email
Why this one: Free, reliable, integrates with everything
Alternatives: Google Workspace ($6/month for professional email domain)
Could I live without it? Need email. Gmail is free and excellent.
Payment Processing (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction)
Stripe (Pay per transaction)
My cost: ~$400/month in fees (on $20K revenue = 2%)
What I use it for: Processing credit card payments
Why this one: Industry standard, works with everything, transparent pricing
Alternatives: PayPal (similar fees, less professional)
Could I live without it? Need to accept payments somehow. Stripe is the best.
Yes, $400/month in fees sounds like a lot. But it's 2% of revenue, which is standard. And it means I'm making $20,000.
I'll happily pay that.
Optional Tools I Actually Use
Grammarly (FREE version)
My cost: $0/month
What I use it for: Catching typos and basic grammar errors
The free version is plenty. I write thousands of words per week. Grammarly catches embarrassing mistakes before they go live.
LastPass ($3/month)
My cost: $36/year ($3/month)
What I use it for: Password management
I have 100+ accounts. Remembering passwords is impossible. LastPass generates and stores everything securely.
Tools I DON'T Use (And Why)
ClickFunnels ($147/month): Way too expensive. ThriveCart does everything I need for a one-time payment.
Kajabi ($149/month): All-in-one sounds great until you're locked in. I prefer best-of-breed tools.
HubSpot: Overkill for a solo operation. Great for teams, unnecessary for me.
Fancy SEO tools ($99-199/month): Google Search Console is free and tells me everything I need.
Social media schedulers beyond Buffer: I don't post enough to justify $50/month.
Course platforms ($39-199/month): ThriveCart + WordPress handles digital products just fine.
The Anti-Shiny-Object Rule
Before buying any new tool, I ask: "Will this directly make me money or save me significant time?" If the answer isn't a clear yes, I don't buy it. This rule has saved me thousands.
The Total Monthly Cost Breakdown
Total Monthly Cost
ConvertKit: $29
SiteGround: $15
Canva Pro: $13
LastPass: $3
Buffer: $0
Google Suite: $0
Bitly: $0
Grammarly: $0
$60/month
+ Stripe fees (~2% of revenue)
+ ThriveCart (one-time $495, amortized = $8/month over 5 years)
Total: ~$68/month recurring
$68/month in tools generates $20,000/month in revenue.
That's a 30,000% ROI on tools alone.
The Bigger Expenses (Worth It)
Beyond tools, here's where I actually spend money:
Virtual Assistant ($600/month): Handles customer support, social posting, basic admin. Frees up 15 hours/week for me. Worth every penny.
Solo Ads ($500-1000/month): Buying targeted traffic to grow my list. This is marketing, not tools.
Education ($100-300/month): Courses, masterminds, books. Investing in knowledge pays infinite ROI.
What Would I Change If Starting Over?
I'd start with even less. You don't need half of these tools on day one.
Start with:
- ConvertKit (or free MailerLite for under 1,000 subscribers)
- Free WordPress.com blog (upgrade later)
- Free Canva
- That's it. $0-29/month total.
Add tools only when you hit a real constraint. Don't buy tools hoping they'll solve problems you don't have yet.
The Mindset Shift
Here's what took me too long to learn: Tools don't make you money. Strategy and execution make you money.
I've seen people with $2,000/month tool budgets making $1,000/month.
I've seen people with $50/month tool budgets making $50,000/month.
The tools matter, but not nearly as much as what you do with them.
Master one tool completely before adding another. Most people use 10% of their tool's capabilities while constantly shopping for new tools.
Stop shopping. Start executing.
Your Action Plan
If you're just starting:
- Get an email platform (ConvertKit or MailerLite)
- Start a free WordPress.com blog
- Use free Canva for graphics
- Focus on creating content and building your list
- Add tools only when you need them
If you're already making money:
- Audit your current tool stack. Cancel anything you don't use weekly.
- Consolidate where possible (one tool doing three jobs beats three tools)
- Invest in tools that save you time or directly increase revenue
- Consider hiring a VA before buying more tools
The Bottom Line
You don't need fancy tools to build a successful online business.
You need:
- A way to collect email addresses (email platform)
- A way to publish content (blog or social media)
- A way to accept payments (Stripe + basic checkout)
- A way to stay organized (Google Drive, Gmail, etc.)
Everything else is optional.
My entire business runs on less than $200/month in tools. Yours can too.
Stop shopping for tools. Start building your business.
The right tools will make themselves obvious when you actually need them.
