Preface
If you've ever embarked on the journey of entrepreneurship, you're well aware that we're living in an era of abundance when it comes to solutions for solving business challenges and enhancing efficiency. This is particularly true in today's age of AI advancements. And as a founder — especially if you are a first-time founder — navigating this vast landscape of tools can feel like sailing the ocean without a compass. It’s hard to identify what to “subscribe” to, knowing that choosing the wrong tech stack can lead to unpleasant costs. The secret: You don’t need to over-engineer your operations. The moment your operational infrastructure gets too complex it slows the team down. Sticking to the basics with a little bit of automation magic is just right.
After working with many companies and building our internal fund infrastructure for Chapter One over the past few years, I was inspired to share a curated list of tools that have stood out to me. Some of these may or may not be obvious, and some are inspired by the GetProven and Builtfirst platforms. As a fun tip — Builtfirst also has a live marketplace where you can go and check out some of the latest vendor deals that are available for founders.
Keep in mind that your stack will change and evolve based on the type of product you’re building and the needs of your team over time. So, my highlights are a good starting point, but there is of course much more to consider as you build out your product. And, if you are venture-backed, ask your investors if they do have discounts and credits with every platform you are using so you can save on subscriptions and keep a healthy monthly burn (they’ll definitely love that).
Ok, let’s get into it.
The Ops Tech Stack
The below are only some of the tools that I resonate with. I’ve also woven in some tips on how to best utilize.
File Storage:
Google Drive: Great for real-time updates, sharing, and editing. I prefer it over MS Suite. Very collaborative and malleable.
Dropbox: I would use as your “hard drive” storage. If you create something in G-Drive and you want to save a “hard copy”, Dropbox is the place to do it. Box is also another option, check out the comparison between the two if you are curious about the differences.
Communication:
Discord: Believe it or not, discord can be more than just for gamers! It’s great for managing a lot of different functions and also great to build on top of if you want to innovate with your own software tools and bots within your server.
Slack: Slack is also a great option. Fun Fact: I recently discovered that the voice note function on Slack is even better than the one Apple has. Slack continues to amaze me with its various functionalities.
Email:
Superhuman: Goodbye folders and unnecessary tags! The more complex you make your email life, the less efficient you will be with it. I have found that having folders and specific tags for everything is the single distraction from the thing that you should really be focusing on when you open your inbox: “Just do it!” As in, just empty your inbox and get to inbox 0. Promise it’s satisfying. And yes, if you ask me, Superhuman is most definitely worth the extra cost/per month.
A-sync Collaboration:
Zoom: I tend to prefer Zoom over any other video platform. I’ve had the least amount of connectivity issues using it. However, I do recommend enhancing communication with good old-fashioned phone calls from time to time for teams who are remote. Or even having your video camera off once in a while. I’ve found that more spontaneous conversation happens when you’re on a walk and taking a call, or just eating lunch and speaking to someone on the team without video. Fun fact: Taylor Swift and her management team never have their video on during Zoom calls. Heard that in an interview once! She’s on to something…
Loom: If you can record your screen and send someone a Loom with a rundown instead of taking a time block off their calendar, do that! Sometimes you don’t need to meet, and that’s OK. Also: It’s ok to not schedule 30 minute meetings and meet for less. The standard is 30 minutes from a scheduling perspective but I’m a big advocate of practicing mindful scheduling. If you can get something done in under 30 - don’t schedule for 30 - schedule for 15. Time is invaluable, don’t waste it. And remember, it’s ok to say no to meetings or to question why they were created in the first place. Always tie meetings back to how the conversation will help you get closer to your north star.
Social Networking:
LinkedIn: It’s the best place to build on your own professional brand and learn from others as well.
Twitter / “X”: Twitter is good too. However, I use it more so for info gathering as opposed to posting. It’s a great way to get real-time info and data on what’s going on in the world amidst different social bubbles. Reddit is great for this too.
TikTok: Yes, TikTok. For those of you who aren’t on it yet, that’s ok. Just know when you are watching your Instagram reels, those are technically TikToks! Lol. But I would encourage you to make an anonymous TikTok account and at least see what others are posting about. Content creation, relatability, and creativity are the future. And people on platforms such as TikTok will dictate who has influence over products and how the world functions (really). It’s a great way to build your brand as well and to show the human side of company building and reveal yourself to the world on your terms.
Social Messaging:
I don’t have a preference here, and use all three. It just depends on who has what and the different use cases they are used for.
WhatsApp: Data linked to you: Too much to list. Free; business versions available for free, funded by Facebook. Not open-source, except for encryption. (source)
Telegram: Data linked to you: Name, phone number, contacts, user ID. Free, forthcoming Ad Platform and premium features, funded mainly by founder. Only partially open-source. (source)
Signal: Does not collect data, only your phone number. Free, no ads, funded by nonprofit Signal Foundation. Fully open-source. (source)
Creative Productivity:
Notion: I find that notion is great for planning, creating drafts and collaborating in a way that you can’t using Google Docs. It’s also great for databases if you aren’t as experienced there.
Project Management:
Jira / Asana / Monday / Trello: For these I would like to point to another blog post here that does a really great job of explaining the pros/cons of each.
Design and Creativity:
Canva: I don’t know a world without Canva. It’s one of my favorite products out there. It is my go-to for any creative inspiration and initial draft of any creative output of mine.
Figma: Great for collaboration and technically diverse in terms of functionality. I use it for more in-depth projects and final deliverables.
Spline: For any animation, Spline is my go-to.
Automation:
Zapier: I am obsessed with no code automation tooling. Zapier is definitely number one on the charts for me. They actually featured more no-code tools in this blog post here which highlighted best ones for app building. Great way to tap into friendly competition.
Doc Management:
Docusign: For anything legal or compliance, I prefer to send through docusign.
Docsend: Great for sending decks because it allows you to see who has viewed it and when.
Calendar:
Cron / “Notion Calendar”: I started using Cron (now known as Notion Calendar) and can never go back to Google Calendar. The user experience is phenomenal, and it is super sleek. The functionality around being able to select time blocks to create a calendar link with availability comes in handy a lot.
Calendly: I used to not be a big Calendly user but have discovered its appeal because you can have more than one person schedule meetings with you. With cron, you can only have one person book from the link you send - it’s not ongoing. So, I use both!
Password Management:
1Password: I use 1Password personally AND professionally. It’s the best.
Investor Relations:
Carta: If you’re managing your cap table well, then you’re probably already using Carta. It’s important to manage your equity well from the beginning.
Magna: It’s like the carta for web3. If you have a token, Magna is great for management and distribution.
Survey and Form Building:
Typeform: Better than google forms, *sometimes*. As in, when you want a fancy form with branding attached in a cleaner way, Typeform is the way to go.
Google Forms: If you’re just scrapping something together and don’t want to worry about branding or making something look a certain way, using google forms is OG and just works.
Event Management:
Partiful: Partiful is great for trendy and cool, more casual gatherings. It’s super simple and easy to use. Not to mention, the memes and graphic choices are so fun, hilarious, and very creative.
Paperless Post: Better for more formal gatherings. Feels like a “physical” invitation that has just been delivered digitally.
Email Marketing:
Mailchimp: I have been using mailchimp for a while now, so I will add it to this list because it is my go-to. However, would love to hear if anyone prefers something different. I’m on the market for a better email marketing experience!
Customer Support:
Zendesk: A CRM classic! Anyone have any other favorites? Hubspot, etc.
HR and Payroll:
Gusto: I am a Gusto fan. Their UI/UX is simple and easy to use.
Deel: If you are hiring internationally, Deel is a great option.
Team/Partner Gifting:
Goody: This is a good one because not only do employees get to pick their gifts, but the platform will also actually automate gifting and birthday congrats! This is great for large teams.
Thoughtfully x Knack: I recently received a gift from this platform and it was so great! They have a lot of variety and its fun to go through and select what you want.
Banking Solutions:
Mercury / Brex: Both are great! Check out the fine print for both on the types of accounts you can open and go from there. Ultimately it’s all about the right fit partnership. I also recommend (especially if you have raised a large amount of cash) developing a relationship with one of the more traditional brick and mortar banks such as a JP Morgan, or Chase, for example. It’s good to diversify where your funds are tied up just as a general insurance practice.
Ramp: I love ramp for spend management and corporate card management.
To-Do List Tips:
If you are an individual contributor, i’ve found that a simple desktop to-do list is most efficient. Check out the Apple App store for various options.
I also like to use pen and paper at times and/or my Remarkable because there is nothing better than physically writing something down.
Notetaking Tips:
For meetings, try keeping an ongoing google doc where you can add notes and building blocks (s/o new doc feature!) for every meeting. This way you have an outline and notes for every meeting you’ve ever taken.
I am sure there are a lot more solutions that I haven’t touched on in the list above. However, I’ll leave the rest to the free Builtfirst marketplace for all the many others! And if you have any other favorites, comment below!