My Startup Toolkit

Overview

These are the software tools I use whenever I start a new business. Maybe they can help you!

Last Updated: 3/17/20

Every time I start a new project, I try to remember the tools I’ve used in the past. This is not a good use of time, so I decided to compile a list of tools that I’ve used on a regular basis for some of my previous projects in the hopes to streamline this tool selection in the future and try to understand how much it will cost.

Not all of these tools will apply to all companies (and there are definitely a lot of tools missing!), just pick the tools that apply to your new business.

Productivity

• GSuite ($6/user/mo): Email, Calendar, Storage; used for collaborative documents / sheets / slide decks / forms
• 1Password ($3.99/user/mo): shared digital vault for passwords, keys, and other secure information
• Slack (free): Internal communication and various integrations
• Zoom (free): The best video calling
• Zapier (free): Automations for small tasks that add up

Development & Design

• Jira (free) or Trello (free): Scrum boards, product roadmaps, kanban boards
• Marvel (free): wireframing
• Github (free): Version control and source management
• VSCode (free): Code editor

Analytics & Growth

• Mixpanel (free): Tracks user interactions on web and mobile applications
• Google Analytics (free): Analytics for website traffic

Infrastructure

• WordPress (free): Content Management System (CMS)
• Bluehost ($3.95/mo): web hosting
• Cloudflare (free): Website security, performance, reliability
• Namesilo ($8.99/domain/year): domain registrar
• Stripe (2.9%+30¢/transaction): Payment Processor
• Shopify ($29/mo): Ecommerce

Sales & Marketing

• Mailchimp (free): Email list/marketing automation
• HubSpot (free): Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer Support

• Zendesk ($5/agent/mo): customer support ticketing
• Drift (free): Chat widget on website

Finance & Legal

• HelloSign (free): eSignature for contracts

What else am I missing? (hint, there’s probably a lot). The goal is to keep the tools down to the bare minimum while optimizing for free tools in order to save money. Send tools and rationale my way, and I’ll add them!