Recommended Apps & Resources

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Email, Calendar, Contacts

There are lots of free or included email services out there, but we believe you should pay for business email. This is because it is such a critical part of your business, and $150 a year is a reasonable price for reliability and peace-of-mind. My personal choice is Google Workspace for Business due to the value of getting all of Google's services with your brand. If you are a hard-core Outlook user, you would be better off going with Microsoft Office 365. You can get Exchange Online for about $100/year/user which covers email, calendar and contacts. Another provider that is growing in popularity is Zoho.

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Domains

I use and recommend NameCheap for domains. I previously used Go Daddy because they included additional products and services with a domain purchase. They no longer have this, no longer offer the best prices, and have diminishing support.

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Web Hosting

The most important thing when choosing a web host is to know what you need.  While that can be a little hard when confronted with a list of numbers and features like bandwidth, here’s the cut to the chase.

For AI Generated Sites
Spacefast is a host for websites you vibe-coded witn your agent.

SiteGround - Shared Hosting+
If you are just starting out and looking for the best value, want to have the flexibility to have multiple sites, multiple platforms and like using CPanel, then I highly recommend SiteGround. I use them and recommend them to my clients.

WPEngine - WordPress Managed Hosting
If you are using WordPress and are looking for a fully managed host, then WPEngine is the way to go. They do cost more than typical shared hosting, but that is because they are set up from day 1 to be able to handle lots of traffic, give you kick-butt support and keep your site running smoothly.

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Website Builder

WordPress
For a full function, do-almost-anything website, there is no better choice than WordPress. Every shared hosting account I know of already comes with the WordPress application, you just have to install it. There is a fair amount to learn to get started, so if you aren’t all that interested in learning the platform, you can have someone build it for you. Be aware that while WordPress is an extremely powerful and flexible platform, it will require regular upkeep and maintenance.

Shopify, Squarespace, Webflow, Framer, Lovable, Replit, etc.
The days of choosing a platform for a website are quickly fading with the rise of AI and AI builders. And platforms are changing quickly. It is more important that ever to be very clear about what you need and how you want to work with it, so chat with your favorite AI agent about your needs, then have it build recommendations from that context.

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Email Marketing

There are many choices for Email Marketing services, and the right choice for you depends on what you need.

ActiveCampaign
I'm personally using ActiveCampaign now because it is amazing for automation and connects to a ton of other services. It's affordable to get started at $15/mo, and has just about every feature I want. For businesses that are in growth mode, this is an indispensable service.

MailChimp
I've found that the best all-around option for beginners or those in "bootstrap" mode is MailChimp. It is easy to use, offers an extremely robust feature-set and integrates with many other services.

Klaviyo
If you are doing ecommerce, especially if you are using Shopify, then Klaviyo is the hands-down best choice for email marketing.

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VPN (Virtual Private Network)

Private Internet Access
A VPN connection protects your Internet traffic from prying eyes when using public WiFi. I prefer a VPN service that uses the built-in network connections of an operating system (thus will work with nearly any device), so I use Private Internet Access. It is $39.95 a year, which is less than $4 a month to keep your information safe while enjoying the convenience of being connected anywhere.

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1
For personal use, Cloudflare offers a free VPN app called 1.1.1.1.

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Password Manager/Keeper

1Password

1Password is the gold standard for team password management. It securely stores passwords, credit cards, and sensitive documents, making it easy to share credentials with team members without email workarounds. Built for business security, it's worth the investment.

RoboForm is a great choice too. I’ve been using it for more than a decade and am so glad that all my passwords are safely stored together (and plus, it makes my husband really happy too).

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Scheduling Appointments

Booking meetings can be a huge time and energy drain. That's why so many people get their assistants to do it. Turns out, if you already have your calendar digitally, then just let the robots do it for you.

42 min
Perhaps the kindest thing you can do for someone else is make it easy-button simple to schedule a meeting with you. Whether it is a podcast interview, free assessment or paid consultation, 42 min makes it so easy to keep control of your schedule while enabling others to schedule time with you.

42 min connects to your calendar(s) (Google, Microsoft, iCloud, etc.) and then allows you to select specific times and dates for your availability. Brought to you by the makers of snov.io, it is free.

Google Calendar, Outlook & Hubspot
Appointment slots and booking calendars are beginning to be standard features built into the most common calendar providers, so check to see if you might already have this functionality with your current app.

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Meeting Recording

There are numerous AI-powered meeting note-takers available, each with its own set of unique features and integrations.

Plaud
Plaud Plaud is a dedicated AI note-taking device used to capture full data from in-person, live discussions. It records the session, transfers and transcribes the audio, and then synthesizes the content into detailed, actionable summaries for both individual participants and the overall group.

By incorporating an AI meeting note-taker into the work, our clients have been able to be fully present and utilize their skills and expertise during client meetings. This has resulted in fewer meetings and better information retention out of the meetings. Moreover, the overall client experience has improved significantly, as instant meeting summaries can be provided, and discussions don't need to be rehashed. Everyone can move through the project with clarity and confidence.

Notion, ClickUp, Zoom, Google Meet, Loom, etc.
Just about every other note-taking or meeting app has added meeting recording functionality. They all have about the same features at this point, so choose the one that is easiest for you to use and be sure to set it up so your recordings end up somewhere you will use them.

We use Plaud for all in-person meetings and ClickUp for all virtual meetings as ClickUp is our project management tool.

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Cloud Storage

Google Drive
If you have a Google account, and you probably do, then you already have 15GB of free storage with Google Drive. You just need to log into your Google account to set it up. To get the most out of it, install the Google Drive app on your computer. You can also use Google Docs with Google Drive, but even if you don't use their Office suite, you can use the Google Drive storage just like any other drive.

OneDrive
Another full-featured and surprisingly cross-platform option is OneDrive. OneDrive offers 15GB free and very reasonably priced plans. If you have Office 365 you get 1TB of storage space included with your subscription. Be sure to download and use the OneDrive app on your computer and mobile devices to access all the features.

All of these cloud storage providers have apps for Android and iOS so you can access your files while on the go.

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Project Management

ClickUp

If you're managing multiple projects, clients, and team workflows across different tools, you're spending energy just keeping track of everything instead of actually moving projects forward. ClickUp consolidates your tasks, timelines, documents, and team collaboration into one intelligent workspace. You get complete visibility into what's happening across your business. For businesses juggling design projects, client communications, and team coordination, ClickUp eliminates the scattered feeling of information living in a dozen different places.

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Business Cards

Moo.com
There are lots of options for online printers, but the best quality cards for the best price I've found are at Moo.com. Despite the funny name, these guys mean business delivering seriously awesome cards and other printed materials.

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Budgeting

FieryFX Marketing Budgeting Calculator

After [literally] years of winging it with my budget, I finally have a sound way, this budgeting calculator, of creating one that takes very little time to create, is easy to reference, is flexible, and more importantly - you'll actually use!

Looking for something not on the list? Check out our blog posts on other software and tech tools.