And there I was in the middle of Dick’s Sporting Goods having a full-blown panic attack while trying to contain my two feral children.

This past spring, my son decided he wanted to play baseball which I was totally on board with. I wanted him to become more outgoing, run out some energy and make new friends.

It all sounded dreamy until the coaches emailed us a list of equipment that we needed to buy. My knowledge of baseball is super slim, I’ll watch the Phillies every once in a while and I love going to the games because who can pass up $10 beers and a hotdog?

So I ran out with the kids a couple of days before the first practice while my husband was working. With my list in hand, this should be an easy trip…right?

Nope, I was completely wrong. Who knew there were 20202 types of baseball bats?! I was completely overwhelmed by not knowing what exactly I was looking for. With no one available to help me, I left the store with nothing.

Maybe you’ve felt the same way when trying to choose the right tools for your online business. There are a ton of options available which is great because that means that there are a lot of options, but also frustrating because there are a lot of options.

I bet when you decided to open your own business, you didn’t know that you would also need to be a tech wizard. 

But here you are, needing to build out your tech stack.

“What is a tech stack?”

Tech Stack:  the platforms that you use in your business to keep things running, in most cases a tech stack would include:

• Email (inbox)

• Email Marketing Platform 

• CRM (Customer Relationship Management) 

• Invoicing

• Task Management

• Website 

• Messaging Platform

For many entrepreneurs, we are looking for that unicorn platform that does it all and most times we end up feeling disappointed and hop into using another tool. And the cycle continues.

The truth is that there is no perfect tool, a lot comes down to personal preference and finding your “perfect” stack may take some trial and error.

But here are some key factors for you to consider when building your tech:

Features 

What are the essential functions that you’re looking for this tool to do? Can it grow with your business? Is it easy to use?

For example:

Email Marketing: How many subscribers can you have? What design elements are available?

Course Platform: Does it offer landing pages, checkout options, and a member-only area?

Bonus Features

These are the extra features that would make you fall in love with a platform.

Things like: customer support, webinars & training, ability to use your branding, will it scale with your business as you grow?

Automation & Integration

Can your tools work together through apps like Zapier? This can make your workload so much lighter.

Price

Of course, price is going to be a big consideration, especially when you are first starting out. To be safe, opt for the free trial first so that you can test things out and not have buyer's remorse.

Will this tool help you achieve your goals and growth?

At the end of the day, you want this to be a tool that makes your life easier not make you want to lose your mind.

I wish I could tell you exactly which tools to use in your business but as you can see, it’s very subjective. I hope that these questions help you in your search for the 🦄 tool you need.

Hi friend! I’m so happy you made it over to my blog. If we haven’t met yet, I’m Krystle a Launch Tech Specialist & Digital Marketing Assistant for ambitious course creators &  online business owners who are overwhelmed with trying to do all of the things alone.

I’d love to have you hang with me more! Here are some ways to connect with me outside of this lovely blog:

Follow me on Instagram where I share simple tips that you can apply right away and I also have some fun content to lighten things up because social should be fun, right?

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Browse my services and see if you’d like to partner up on your next launch or if you need a VIP Day to get some of your tech in order. I’m your girl.

Wanna chat more? Send me an email hello@krystlestraubco.com or send me a DM.

Cheers to our new friendship!