My Exact Online Business Tech Stack (Tools I Actually Use)

If you have ever wondered what tools an online business actually needs versus what everyone on YouTube is recommending, this is what I actually use.

Not a sponsored list. Not a curated selection based on affiliate commission rates. Just the tools I run my business on every day, what each one does, and why I kept it over the alternatives.

I keep my tech stack lean by design.

Every tool I add creates maintenance, cost, and switching overhead. There is always a new tool getting traction. There is always someone making a case for why you need it.

The ones I keep are the ones I would notice if they disappeared tomorrow. If I cannot answer what this tool does that nothing else in my stack covers, it gets removed.

Here is what is left.

Everything administrative runs through Google. Email on my own domain, Google Drive for file storage and sharing, Sheets for tracking anything that needs a spreadsheet, Docs for written assets.

It is $18 per month for one user on the Business Starter plan. For what you get, including professional email on your domain, the value is obvious.

Most people already use Google tools personally. Using Workspace versions for business means one fewer thing to learn and everything stays in one ecosystem.

Systeme is my customer-facing platform. My blog is hosted here. My sales pages and checkout flows are here. My email list and sequences live here. My digital products are delivered through email or the course portal.

All of that in one platform. One monthly subscription. No integrations needed between a separate blog host, email platform, and course platform.

This is the one that replaced the most tools when I switched. I was previously paying for separate services for most of those things.

You can read my full honest review of Systeme here if you want more detail on what it does and does not do well.

Airtable is my business operating system. It is where I track everything.

Projects and tasks. Content planning. Timesheets and invoices. Expense tracking. Blog posts and their status. Helpdesk tickets. Products. All of it lives in one Airtable base.

I describe it as a database that does not look like one. Tables are linked together so you can see how everything connects. A task links to a project. A timesheet links to an invoice. A blog post links to the content hub topic it came from.

Before Airtable, I used Notion. The constant temptation to redesign the visual layout was a real problem for me. Airtable does not really encourage that. The structure stays stable and you actually use it.

Claude is the AI layer. But not in the standard chatbot way.

Through the Cowork feature, Claude connects to my Gmail, Google Calendar, and Airtable. It can read and send emails with my approval, update Airtable records, check what is on my calendar, and pull data from any table.

Every morning it runs my daily briefing. It checks what is overdue, surfaces anything urgent in my inbox, and tells me what I need to focus on. No manual checking of three different tools.

It also handles workflows I have set up as skills. Processing invoices, running the helpdesk, publishing blog posts, planning the week. These used to be manual processes. Now they run through Claude.

If you want more detail on exactly how I use Claude day to day, I have written about that here.

Make is my automation layer. It connects tools that do not have native integrations, or handles complex workflows that a simple Zapier automation would not cover.

It also connects claude so claude can assist in creating basic automations really quickly.

Make has a learning curve. It is not as instant as Zapier. But it connects to more tools, including Etsy, and the logic builder is more capable for complex automations.

HNRY is the tool I recommend to anyone who works independently in New Zealand or Australia.

It is a financial services app for sole traders. Every payment I receive goes through HNRY. It automatically calculates and withholds my tax, GST, and levies, and pays them on my behalf. At the end of the year, they file my taxes.

I never worry about setting aside money for tax. I never scramble at tax time. It just happens.

The fee is 1% of income, capped annually. For most people in the early stages of business, this is cheaper than an accountant and significantly less stressful.

No dedicated project management tool. Airtable handles projects and tasks fine. There is no need for Asana or Trello.

No separate social media scheduler. I use the blog for long-form content. Social content is scheduled directly through the platforms.

No separate course platform. Systeme handles digital product and course delivery.

No expensive keyword research tools. I track what I am targeting and how posts perform in Airtable. The actual research happens with Claude and manual checking.

Keeping a lean stack means occasionally missing a feature a more specialised tool would have. The Systeme blog editor is not as flexible as WordPress. Airtable is not as visual as Notion. Make has a learning curve that Zapier does not.

These trade-offs are worth it to me because the alternative is complexity, high costs, and tools that do not reliably talk to each other. A lean stack with tools I actually understand is more valuable than an impressive-looking stack I only half use.

Is this stack right for someone just starting out?

If you are just starting, you do not need all of this from day one. Start with your selling platform, Google Workspace for email, and add tools as you actually hit the need for them.

How much does this stack cost per month?

Roughly: Google Workspace $18, Systeme up to $97 depending on plan, Airtable $24 and up, Claude $20 to $40, Make $9 to $16. Total in the $170 to $200 range per month, varying with plan sizes. HNRY is separate and fee-based.

Can I use Notion instead of Airtable?

Yes. Notion works well for many people. My switch was personal. If Notion works for you, there is no urgent reason to change.

Do I need Make or can I use Zapier?

Zapier works for most basic automations and is easier to start with. Make becomes worth it if you are connecting to Etsy (Zapier does not have a native Etsy integration) or building complex multi-step automations.