
There are, at a rough estimate, about 9 quadrillion SaaS tools available. As a startup or scaleup founder or operator desperate to grow the business you love (or, you know, tolerate because they pay you), it can be tempting to adopt every new tool that promises increased productivity or efficiency. It can all be very overwhelming.
As a COO managing multiple businesses, I’ve found my stride by focusing on a lean, effective tech stack that gets the job done without unnecessary complexity. Because I love to share, I’m going to tell you all about my approach, the tools I use, and why more tools don’t always mean things get fixed faster.
The Core of My Small Business Tech Stack
I rely on a selection of tools that integrate and play really nicely with each other. They give me everything I need to manage projects, communication, finances, and creative tasks.
Here’s how each tool fits into my workflow:
1. Gsuite (Google Workspace)
Gsuite interacts with most parts of my operation. We've got Gmail for communication, Google Calendar for scheduling, Google Drive for file storage, and Google Docs and Sheets for collaborative work, and Google Meet for video calls. The whole suite covers most essential office tasks. Everything is cloud-based, which means I can access all of that from anywhere on any device and it makes it easier for me to do meaningful work on the go (I do sometimes go outside).
2. Asana
Asana is my go-to project management tool (slash best friend). It helps me track tasks, deadlines, and project progress across multiple companies. By organising work into projects, assigning tasks, and setting dependencies, I ensure that nothing falls through the cracks whilst I'm balancing a complex portfolio of work. I have it integrated with all the other tools, either through native integrations or through Zapier, and it acts like the central operating system.
3. Slack
Communication is the lifeblood of any business and the importance of getting it right cannot be overstated. Interestingly, Slack isn't my most-used communication tool (that's Asana - I keep all task-related communications attached to the task). I do, however, use Slack a lot for networking communications. I'm a member of a lot of really useful communities (like Operations Nation) and a lot of those communities are built on Slack, so it's a great tool for helping me stay up-to-date on all the relevant chats. I much prefer it to Whatsapp where work mixes too much with personal chats for my liking.
4. Miro
For brainstorming and visual collaboration (a huge part of the process of Strategy design), Miro is indispensable. It's digital whiteboard, which means it's perfect for mapping out ideas, workflows, and strategies with remote teams. I find it to be particularly useful during team meetings or planning sessions, because the visualisations that I build make complex ideas much easier to understand.
5. Mailchimp
Email marketing is a critical channel for how I engage with my customers and network (sign up to my newsletter, The Operating Table, here if you want to join us). Mailchimp helps to simplify the process of creating, sending, and analysing my newsletter and it also plays nicely (via Zapier) with Wix to help me fulfil orders for things like Business Coaching or one of my four books.
6. Canva
I love Canva almost as much as I love Asana. I make all my own graphics - from the website, to the images that go along with social media posts, to the header of this article, even to my books - I made it all myself. And I am NOT a graphic designer (though I am a little obsessed with the visual identity of my brand). Canva makes it really easy for me to quickly create content to promote the business without it costing a fortune.
7. Zapier
Zapier is the glue that connects all my tools. I can automate repetitive tasks by creating workflows (called Zaps) that link different applications. For example, it can automatically create an Asana task for me to review when someone buys a Coaching package or a book or it can add Mailchimp subscribers from my newsletter subscription link in Wix. I have a LOT of automations running in the back of the business and that saves me a ton of time - which means I can take on more clients and keep the costs of my services down.
8. Streamyard
I make a lot of audio and video content and Streamyard is my preferred platform for both Startup Breakdown (the podcast I co-host with CMO extraordinaire Caroline Sumners) and any of the webinars I host. It’s easy to use, supports multiple participants, and has quick tools for creating clips to help me promote the things I'm working on. It's a little spenny, if I'm entirely honest, but it's pretty damn convenient.
9. FreeAgent
Before I met my wonderful accountant (hit me up for a recommendation if you're looking for one, she's amazing), I did all my own finances. I would NOT recommend that. I messed a few things up. But it was possible to unpick my mistakes because everything was in Free Agent. Now that I have an accountant in place, I mainly use it for generating invoices and tracking payments so I can keep an eye on cashflow.
10. Wix
Wix is the platform that this very website is sitting on. It's pretty user-friendly (the drag-and-drop builder is how I built this website entirely myself) and it's really easy for me to quickly make updates to the main content or to write articles like this one. It has a bunch of great features like products and services so I can sell things directly through my website.
Why Less Is More In A Small Business Tech Stack
Too many tools really easily can mean inefficiencies, confusion, and snowballing costs. Here are some things to consider when thinking about bringing in a new tool for your business
1. Fewer tools mean less time spent learning and managing software. Team members can focus on their work rather than juggling multiple platforms.
2. Each new tool will probably mean some kind of integration work with existing ones. For instance, my tech stack connects seamlessly via Zapier, but we still have to manually build those automations and change existing ones when we add a new tool in.
3. Every tool comes with a price, whether it’s a subscription fee or the hidden cost of the time it's going to take you to set it up.
4. When teams are overwhelmed by too many tools, they may resist using them altogether. A streamlined stack can mean consistent use of the ones you really, really need.
5. The right tools should support your Objectives, not distract from them. It's very easy to spend time doing things that feel like work (like setting up a new tool), but that are actually distracting you from the real priorities.
Building Your Ideal Small Business Tech Stack
Try to think about the following to make sure you're staying as lean as possible in your small business tech stack.
Choose tools that work well together to avoid silos.
Begin with essential tools and expand only when you really, really need to.
Periodically review your tools to make sure they’re still meeting your needs.
Despite what the 100 messages a day I get from B2B SaaS sales people say, I don't need a large tech stack to succeed. I promise you that it’s possible to manage operations effectively without technical complexity. Stay lean to save time, money, and effort, so you can focus on what matters most: growing your business.
If you want to chat through your tech stack and how it can be integrated more efficiently give me a shout via the link below - we often map tech stacks for our clients and get everything integrated and working together.
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