Tools I Recommend for Running a Small Online Business

These are affiliate links. If you sign up through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only list tools I've used or would genuinely point a friend toward.

Here are the tools and apps I keep coming back to when people ask what I use to run things behind the scenes. Some I use every day, some I've tested, and some are solid options worth knowing about. Pick what fits where you are.

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• Sunsama
  A daily planner that pulls tasks from your calendar, email, and to-do apps into one place so you plan a realistic day instead of staring at a scattered list. Good for solo business owners who overcommit. ​Try Sunsama​​
• QuickBooks
  Accounting software for tracking income, expenses, and taxes. Keeps your books clean so tax season isn't a scramble. ​Try QuickBooks​​
• Todoist
  A simple task manager for capturing everything you need to do before it falls through the cracks. Works well when you're running projects on your own. ​Try Todoist​​
• Flippa
  A marketplace for buying and selling websites, apps, and online businesses. Useful if you want to buy an existing income stream or eventually sell what you've built. ​Browse Flippa​​
• Pipedrive
  A sales CRM for tracking leads and deals. Helpful if you sell services and need to follow up without letting prospects slip away. ​Try Pipedrive​​
• Circle
  A platform for running a paid community, course, or membership. A good fit if you want to build recurring income around your audience. ​Try Circle​​
• Streak
  A CRM that lives inside Gmail. Tracks clients, pitches, and follow-ups right where you already handle your email. ​Try Streak​​
• Xero
  Accounting software for invoicing, expenses, and reconciliation. A solid alternative to QuickBooks for keeping the books in order. ​Try Xero​​
• SaneBox
  An email tool that sorts your inbox and moves low-priority mail out of the way. Saves real time when your inbox runs your day. ​Try SaneBox​​
• 1Password
  A password manager for storing logins and sharing them securely. It matters more than you'd think once you're juggling a dozen business accounts. ​Try 1Password​​
• SurveyMonkey
  A survey tool for collecting feedback from customers or your audience. Helps you make decisions based on what people actually want, not what you assume. ​Try SurveyMonkey​​
• PropertyReach
  A property and real estate data lookup tool for owner info, contact details, and property records. Useful if your business touches real estate research or lead generation. ​Try PropertyReach​​
• ElevenLabs
  AI voice generation that turns text into natural-sounding speech. Handy for video voiceovers or making an audio version of your content. ​Try ElevenLabs​​
• FreshBooks
  Invoicing and accounting built for freelancers and service businesses. Makes getting paid and tracking expenses simple. ​Try FreshBooks​​
• Later
  A social media scheduler for planning and posting your content ahead of time. Lets you batch a week of posts instead of showing up to post every day. ​Try Later​​
• ShipAccel
  A shipping platform for comparing rates and printing labels. Useful if you sell physical products and handle your own orders. ​Try ShipAccel​​
• Notion
  An all-in-one workspace for notes, docs, projects, and databases. A lot of small businesses run their entire operation inside it. ​Try Notion​​
• SitesGPT
  An AI website builder that generates a site from a prompt. A fast way to get a simple business site live without hiring a developer. ​Try SitesGPT​​
• Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
  The email marketing platform I use to run my own newsletter. Newsletters, forms, and automations in one place, with a free plan to start. ​Try Kit​​
• Toggl
  Time tracking for seeing where your hours actually go. Helps you price your work and spot where time leaks out of your week. ​Try Toggl​​
• GetResponse
  An email marketing and automation platform with landing pages built in. A good option if you want email and funnels together. ​Try GetResponse​​
• KrispCall
  A cloud phone system for business calls and texts. Useful if you want a separate work number without carrying a second phone. ​Try KrispCall​​
• Manychat
  Chat automation for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Helps you automate replies and capture leads from your social DMs. ​Try Manychat​​