Lovie AI: If you are hearing this message, you've listened to the entire episode and we say thank you. That brings us to the end of another episode of It's Just Business. We hope the strategies we discussed today give you the edge you need to build your business tool stack, also called a tech stack.

Lovie: Hey real quick everyone, start with a quick question. Would you run your business without a phone, email, website, try to track your customers with good old business cards and a notepad? Probably not. And let's not forget your website. You need a home base. Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, they're all solid. The one depends on how much control you want over the back end. Why are so many of us just winging it when it comes to tools that make running business possible? what we're gonna get in today ⁓ by the end of this, you're going to have a clear picture of exactly what you need. I'm go through this without the techie talk to get straight to it ⁓ and to able to help you build what's called a business stack.

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Lovie: Okay, so how are we actually going to build this? So welcome to It's Just Business with Lovie and I am Lovie and is the where we talk about real stuff. The business decisions, the systems and things nobody pulled you aside and told you you were gonna need when you're starting out. So putting it together without overwhelming yourself, here's how I want you to approach it. Start with identifying what you actually need. Write down everything you do in your business, daily, weekly, monthly. What are the tasks you need to do? What are the bottlenecks? What are the things that take up most of your time during the day? That list tells you which buckets to fill first. Today we're about your business tech stack. What is it, how to build that actually fits your business. Think of it a digital engine that keeps your business running smoothly. What a business tech stack? Let's get into it. Start small and add as you grow. We don't need to start with 10 tools at once. Start with your essentials. Get comfortable, then add on more as your business actually needs or as your business actually grows. A tool you're not using is just a subscription bleeding your finances. Stop them. A business stack is just a fancy way of saying the collection of software, and tools your businesses use on a daily basis. It's your business toolbox. Each tool has a job ⁓ and they help you serve your customers, manage your operations, and grow business. And here's why this actually matters to you, especially if you're a small business owner and if you're in the early stages of building. When you're starting out, single dollar and every hour is monitor them, before you pay. something you have to protect. right tools save both. They can automate the repetitive stuff that's eating your time, your bottlenecks. They can help you connected with your customers and honestly give you the ability to and operate like a much larger business. That matters. So how are we going to get through this? We're going to these in categories. Use the free the freemium tiers and the trials. If a tool only offers a seven day trial that honestly is not enough time to really know what works for you, in that case, go month to first and set a reminder and check in on yourself. Is that doing what I needed to do or is it just draining my account? Write it down. Keep it simple. Make sure we monitor how often we use it. So let's talk about what not to do. We have to resist buying those tools because they're popular. Like I say, the shiny toys. just because everybody is talking about something ⁓ doesn't mean it's right for you or your business. ⁓ Stay focused on what you need, not what looks good. Just think about the function. What does each part of your business to do? One, let's identify your core needs. Ask yourself, do I need to run my business every day? Usually the tools you'll need are for your communications, such as your emails, ⁓ your operations, and you're always gonna need marketing. So, communication. ⁓ How are you connecting with your customers and your Email, messaging, video calls, Google Workspace is a good go-to. is another one I really like, but both of them are very small business friendly. Don't skip the learning curve. You have the best tools out there and still not get any value from it. if you never really learned to use it, you're wasting your time and you're wasting your money. Give yourself permission to take time to figure it out and do not set it and forget it. Let's talk about project management or task management. Project management really depends on what type of business you have. These tools will help you keep track of needs to get done, and when. ⁓ And then depending your type business, you might also need a client management tool. A client management tool is used primarily service businesses. This will handle your contracts, your invoicing, ⁓ client workflows all in one place. ⁓ is one that comes to mind for Your business is going to grow and change. What you needed six months ago, you not need now. What you need now, you may need to expand this year, next year, ⁓ or as you continue to grow. ⁓ will continue to grow. first. Go it out see if there's a trial or free tier that lets actually test it before committing. For I highly recommend We Are Indy They have a free version that you to use before committing to subscription. Which brings me to the part I really you to take away Before I close, I'd like to share some action steps. It's something we actually work through in the It's Just Business with Lovie workshops. would love for you to join our mailing list to get notifications when we have our next workshop. Your relationship management tool also known as the CRM. ⁓ This is how going to track your leads, your customers, when is the last time you contacted them, when the last time they contacted you, who you need to follow up with and when so let's get into it. Every quarter, I want you to do a tech stack audit. Pull up that spreadsheet. Go through every tool that you've subscribed to and ask yourself three questions. Am actually using this? Is it doing what I need it to do? what I'm for, is it worth it? That's it, three questions. Marketing tools. How are you going to get in front of people for design? I love Canva. They have a free version and a paid version easy to learn. Here's the rhythm I recommend. At the start of the quarter, audit your finances. At the end of the quarter, look at your goals for the next one. What are building toward? ⁓ Do your tools still support that? And then at least once or twice a year, do bigger review. Step back, look at the full picture and ask whether your setup still makes sense or where your business is right now. Not where it was when you signed up for it. Canva and all of its integration tools is a good starting point for your marketing can actually do your media scheduling too. So consider that. go to finance and Choose tools that integrate. Keep it all documented. That's your trail. Keep it simple. ⁓ That spreadsheet doesn't to be fancy. It just needs to exist so you always know ⁓ what you have, you're spending, and whether it's working for you. you can consider QuickBooks, FreshBooks. one that's user-friendly for you. ⁓ need to know your money is going and it's definitely going to help you you're ready to do your business taxes. Your tech stack is something to be intentional about and not stress over. Start with what you need right now. Choose tools that work well together. Test before you Integration is important. accountant will thank you. payments. I'm a Stripe person It's clean, integrates with almost everything and it just works for me. PayPal is also an option depending on your Just figure out what fits customer experience. Then revisit because your deserves tools that are actually working for you. And now you have the framework to figure out exactly what that looks like see you next time on It's Just Business with Lovie If this episode gave you something you needed, share it with someone who's building also. Now go handle your business.