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Every tool in my stack earns its place. I’ve cut a lot of things that seemed useful but added friction without enough return. What’s left is a tight set of tools I use daily to run content production, client work, project management, and communication — without a team.
This is the stack I’d build again from scratch today. I’ll tell you what each tool does, what I pay for it, and what I’d cut if I had to start over.
The Core Stack
Project Management: ClickUp
ClickUp is my command center. Everything I’m working on lives here — client tasks, content calendar, launch checklists, and daily priorities. I run a simple system: one list per active project, weekly review every Monday, daily task check every morning.
Why not Notion for this? Notion is better for knowledge management. ClickUp is better for task management. I use both for different things.
Cost: Free plan handles most solopreneur needs.
[AFFILIATE LINK: ClickUp] → Start free
Knowledge Base: Notion
Notion is where I store everything that needs to be referenced later — SOPs, research notes, content ideas, client reference docs, and planning documents. Think of it as my external brain.
What I use it for: Smarterhacks planning, content research notes, systems documentation, and client knowledge bases.
Cost: Free plan is sufficient for most solo operators.
[AFFILIATE LINK: Notion] → Start free
AI Writing and Thinking: Claude
Claude is my primary AI tool for writing and reasoning. Blog post drafts, newsletter issues, outlines, business strategy — it runs through Claude first. It’s not a replacement for my thinking, it’s an accelerant.
What I use it for: Content drafts, research synthesis, outline building, and working through complex problems.
Cost: Claude Pro at $20/month.
[AFFILIATE LINK: Claude Pro] → Try Claude
Automation: Zapier
Zapier connects everything. New blog post → social promotion. New subscriber → logged to a Google Sheet. Payment received → onboarding sequence triggers. These automations run in the background and save me hours every week.
What I use it for: RSS-triggered social posting, subscriber logging, onboarding sequences, and site health checks.
Cost: Free plan for 5 Zaps. Starter plan at $20/month for more.
[AFFILIATE LINK: Zapier] → Start free
Email Marketing: Kit (ConvertKit)
Kit runs the Smarterhacks email list. Welcome sequences, weekly newsletters, and subscriber tagging all live here. The free plan goes up to 10,000 subscribers, which gives me a long runway before I pay anything.
Why not Beehiiv? I use Beehiiv for a separate newsletter. Kit has stronger automation for digital product delivery and welcome sequences.
Cost: Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Paid from $33/month.
[AFFILIATE LINK: Kit] → Start free
Design: Canva
Canva handles all visual production — blog featured images, social graphics, PDF lead magnets, and presentation slides. I built a template library for Smarterhacks that keeps everything consistent without starting from scratch each time.
Cost: Free plan is solid. Canva Pro at $13/month adds brand kits and better asset management.
[AFFILIATE LINK: Canva Pro] → Try Canva
Idea Capture: AmpleNote
AmpleNote is my quick capture tool. Any idea, article worth reading, or note worth keeping gets dumped here immediately. I process it weekly into Notion or the ClickUp editorial calendar. The friction of capturing needs to be near zero or ideas evaporate.
Cost: Free.
What I Cut and Why
Tools I removed from my stack and wouldn’t put back:
- Slack: Unnecessary overhead for a solo operator. Email and direct messages handle what I actually need.
- Asana: Redundant with ClickUp. Picked one and committed.
- Multiple AI subscriptions: I tested everything. Settled on Claude as primary, ChatGPT as secondary. Anything beyond that is redundant cost.
- Fancy email tools before I had an audience: Built the list first, optimized the platform later.
Monthly Cost Breakdown
- Claude Pro: $20/month
- Zapier Starter: $20/month (or free with 5 Zaps)
- Canva Pro: $13/month (or free tier)
- Kit: $0 (free to 10K subscribers)
- ClickUp: $0 (free plan)
- Notion: $0 (free plan)
Total: $33-$53/month depending on tiers used. That’s it.
The Principle Behind the Stack
Every tool should do one of three things: save time on recurring tasks, improve the quality of output, or enable revenue. If a tool doesn’t clear one of those bars, it’s clutter. The goal isn’t to have a sophisticated tech stack — it’s to have a lean one that actually runs.
