Tools I Use in my Business

As an IT or technical person, running a business brings its own challenges - but TECH and applying it correctly isn't one of them! I have provided a comprehensive list of the tools used in my business for anyone that wishes to do the same (or something similar). I have provided them to you because a talk about them a lot in my content and simply so you can benefit from using them too!

Cloudflare is where I purchase all my domains, and host all my DNS. As a business you'll want at least one domain to look professional. Buying it through Cloudflare is probably the cheapest you're going to find it without being locked in to the company (like GoDaddy or IONOS) - which you will later regret!

Systeme.io is the CRM and all-in-one management tool I use to run the sales in my business. This has everything I need to do what I do, and I use the lowest paid tier (only $17 per month!) I understand a lot of you will be thinking there are free and open source tools that will achieve the same thing.

And you're right - there are!

But at the expense of HOURS of your time trying to connect things together and tweak things when they change. I made this mistake early on. Its really not worth it! Remember: you're becoming and IT leader and you will need to move away from spending all your time on the tech! However, I do agree that alternatives such as Kajabi or GoHighLevel are too expensive for entry level businesses. That's exactly why I choose Systeme.io - a fantastic middleman that has all the basics in the cheapest tier!

I run all my emails, store all my data, and keep myself protected using Microsoft 365. This is more of a personal choice, and Google offer the same tools with a free tier, so you may opt for that if you're just getting started. However, I've been around Microsoft products my whole life, and it feels intuitive for me to stay in this world. I personally pay for the Premium licence because working in IT and I want to lead by example. However, if you're just starting, you can get the Business Basic licence for a few pounds a month, or even the family package for less.

Monday.com is a project management tool and I run all my marketing and sales as a project. Its collected in Systeme, but planned in Monday - it's just how I work best. I use the free version of Monday to keep things organised and it works well!

Xero is an accountancy software that links to my bank account (I use Tide). Xero organises my expenditure and profits accordingly (into nominal accounts) and I'm able to report month-on-month and look back over time to identify patterns or trends within set periods. It also handles all the complicated stuff with HMRC when the time comes - for example, filing taxes or filing statements. I used the basic entry-level tier here (£16) however, if your just starting they usually have deal for new signups.