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Things You’ll Learn in this Episode of Doing it Online:
- How much we spent on our tech last year. (It’s a big, shiny number.)
- Exactly what we’re using for our current tech stack (& why.)
- The only 3 pieces of tech you need to get started with a profitable online business. (PLUS: I recommend beginner friendly, budget friendly options to get you started right.)
One of the most common objections I hear from people wanting to start their online business?
Tech.
And you know what most people end up doing? They decide that it’s not worth investing in, so they just DIY their way through and give themselves more headaches.
Enuff!
Now, I’ve gotta make a confession. We spent over $25K on tech last year…Yep. But the good news for you?
You only need 3 pieces of tech to get your business up and running. And, spoiler alert: your investment in the right pieces of technology will pay you back 10 times over (or more). Plus, it’s going to make your life easier, help your business run smoothly, improve client experience and ultimately allow you to have more time to do the work you should be doing.
So, repeat after me: “I say no to DIY tech.”
I’ll share exactly what I recommend for beginner-friendly, budget-friendly tech in just a moment, but first, let me walk you through what our current tech stack looks like…
My tech stack
Email Service: Honestly? We’ve tried them all. But Active Campaign wins hands down and ticks all the boxes. Plus, you can get it for around $15 a month. Cha-ching.
Website and blog: So we use Showit for our website and keep our blog on WordPress, using a theme we’ve designed in Showit.
Webinar hosting: Demio. Demio. Demio. End of story, jazz hands. It’s actually stylish and well designed, (which is super hard to find!) The stats visibility and tracking aren’t amazing, but it still gets my vote over the other options out there.
I also deep-dive into what we use to host our courses, our customer service platforms, what we use for social and a few other bits and pieces. Plus, I share what is and isn’t working in the episode. So it’s worth checking that out.
So, yes, there’s a few. But! I’d rather have multiple platforms that are the best at what they do, then try and cut corners and save a few dollars here and there, but will also add to time costs or energy dollars from my team.
Because more often than not, those *free* tools you’re tempted to use? End up costing you far more than money. Click To Tweet
Speaking of dollars, our tech extravaganza costs us around $1200 a month. (Seriously, though, HASHTAG WORTH IT.)
But! I’ve built this up in my business over time. I didn’t jump out and set all of this up when I was starting. The truth is, you only need 3 things to get set up for a profitable online business. That’s it – just 3.
What I recommend for getting started
- You need an Email service: As I’ve said before, my 100% fave is Active Campaign. However, Mailchimp is the next best option.
- You need a website and page builder: If you’re looking for more design flexibility and control — Showit is the one for you. It’s only around $29 a month, (including hosting) which is a bargain in my mind. For the next best option, I’d recommend Squarespace.
- You need somewhere to host your course: I’d recommend looking at your options in Podia or Membervault. They have options for free and paid versions, they’re both easy to use and get up and running and have fab customer service. I go into a few of the key differences, features and benefits in the episode if you want to check that out.
Bonus
Then, when it’s time to automate, (hooray, that’ll be a good day!) You’ll need a countdown timer, like Thrive Ultimatum or Deadline Funnel.
And guess what? You can have ALL of this above for $44 a month. That’s all it’s going to cost you to get set up. And it’s going to be 100% worth it in terms of growing your business faster and with less stress.
Lastly…
My view on ‘All-in-One’ options
Ok, so yes there are also the monolith options that can do everything in one like Kartra, Simplero etc. And my view? I don’t love them. They’re often really fiddly and usually major on something really well and then the rest of the features are pretty average.
On the positive side, you don’t have to worry about integrations between your tech and getting everything talking to each other.
So there you have it! Your tech woes are no more. (Well, almost.) If you want to look a little more permission to stop diy-ing and start investing, check out this video right here. Do a little research and then? Make the call, babe. Don’t stay stuck. Go with your gut, choose your 3 pieces of tech and go forth and conquer.
