15 Business Tools I Actually Use Every Day (+ What I Ditched)

I've tested over 50 business tools while running my online businesses. Most were disappointing. Some I kept using out of habit. But a handful? These changed everything.

As someone with a PhD who ran a nonprofit for a decade before jumping into entrepreneurship, I'm allergic to hype. I need tools that work when I'm managing businesses solo, raising kids, and building something real.

Here's my actual tech stack - the tools still open on my computer right now. Not the ones I signed up for and forgot about. Not the ones gathering dust. The ones I actually use.

The Tools I Can't Live Without

Systeme.io - My All-in-One Platform

$27-$97/month

Why I love it: This runs my entire email marketing operation, sales funnels, and lead magnet delivery for Women Who Launch. I chose it over ClickFunnels ($147/mo) and Kajabi ($149/mo) because it does 90% of what they do for a fraction of the price. Yes, the interface isn\'t as sexy. But it works, it\'s reliable, and I\'m not paying $300/month for prettier buttons.

Shopify - Running Era Luxe Boutique

$29-$299/month

Why I love it: This is the backbone of Era Luxe Boutique. After years in ecommerce, I\'ve learned that Shopify is expensive for a reason - it actually works. The app ecosystem is incredible, support is solid, and it scales without breaking. If you\'re serious about selling products online, this is worth the investment.

Tailwind - My Pinterest Automation

$14.99-$24.99/month

Why I love it: Pinterest drives 60%+ of my traffic to Women Who Launch. Without Tailwind, I'd spend 2 hours a day pinning. With it? I batch-create pins once a week and Tailwind handles the rest.

The SmartSchedule feature alone is worth the price - it posts at optimal times automatically.

N8N - My Secret Weapon

FREE (self-hosted)

Why I love it: This is like Zapier on steroids. I\'ve built workflows that automatically post blog content to Pinterest, track affiliate clicks, update my revenue dashboard, and send me alerts when products sell. Warning: there\'s a learning curve. But once you understand it, you\'ll automate hours of manual work.

Notion - Where Everything Lives

FREE - $10/month

Why I love it: This is my second brain. Content calendars, product planning, business strategy, research notes - it all lives in Notion. I tried Evernote, Roam, Obsidian. Notion won because it's flexible enough for anything but structured enough to stay organized.

Bonus: Notion completely replaced Monday.com for me. Does everything Monday does but free for solo use. Game changer.

Perplexity - Better Than ChatGPT for Research

FREE - $20/month

Why I love it: I use this daily for competitor research, trend analysis, and fact-checking before publishing anything. Unlike ChatGPT, Perplexity actually cites its sources with real links, so I can verify information instead of just trusting AI output. When I\'m writing content that needs to be accurate - like comparing business tools or writing about marketing strategies - this is non-negotiable. The free version is solid, but I upgraded to Pro ($20/month) for unlimited searches and access to Claude and GPT-4. Worth every penny for content creators who need to back up their claims.

The Tools I Used And Are Worth Mentioning

ClickUp - Good Alternative to Monday

FREE - $12/month

Why I like it (not love it): Better automation than Monday.com, generous free plan. But the interface is overwhelming and it's slower. I use it for specific automation workflows where Monday can't keep up.

Monday.com - Too Expensive for Solo

$8-$16/user/month

My honest take: I used this and liked the visual boards. But it's too expensive for solopreneurs. If you have a team, it's great. If you're solo? ClickUp or Notion will save you money.

Tutor LMS - Good If You're Technical

$149-$399/year

Why I like it: Full control over course delivery on WordPress. But it requires technical knowledge. If you're not comfortable with WordPress, use Systeme.io or Teachable instead.

What I Ditched & Why

Kajabi ($149/mo) - Switched to Systeme.io, saved $1,464/year. Overpriced for what I needed.

ClickFunnels ($147/mo) - Same reason. Systeme does it cheaper and I wasn't using the advanced features.

GoDaddy - Moved to Siteground after my site crashed three times in a month. Never going back.

Tools I ditched that are actually good (I just didn't need them):

Monday.com - Great tool, just too expensive for solo use. Notion does everything I need for free.

QuickBooks - Solid accounting software but overkill for my current revenue. I'll go back when revenue grows.

Brevo - Good email platform, but I consolidated everything into Systeme.io to reduce tool sprawl.

My Honest Take on Tool Selection

Stop buying tools you think you "should" have.

I see entrepreneurs spending $500/month on software before they're making $2,000/month in revenue. That's backwards.

Here's my rule: A tool must either save me time, make me money, or keep me organized/legal.

If it doesn't do one of those three things, I don't need it.

Time savers: Tailwind, N8N, Notion

Money makers: Systeme.io (email = sales), Shopify (product sales), Interact (lead gen)

Organization/legal: Siteground (reliable hosting), FounderPass (cost savings)

Everything else is optional.

The Bottom Line

You don't need 27 tools to run a business. You probably don't even need 15.

But the ones you DO use? They should actually make your life easier.

This is my real stack. The tools still open on my computer. The ones I pay for every month without resenting it.

Start small. Add strategically. And never buy a tool just because it's on sale.

I occasionally share affiliate links for tools, resources, or products I genuinely believe in. If you decide to purchase through one of these links, it helps support my work and our shared mission to reimagine wellbeing—thank you for being part of it.