Want me to train your team on this stack?
If your operators are looking at this list and thinking “I want my team using these properly” — I run in-person training and team workshops on the operator stack.
Speaking + in-person training →My stack
The tools I use.
Real stack. No fluff. Every tool here either lives in my browser tabs every day or I'd put it on a client's stack tomorrow.
Some of the links below are affiliate links — if you sign up through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use in my work or would recommend to a client. Nothing here is on this page because somebody paid for placement.
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AI models3
The thinking layer. Pick one, get fluent, then add the others as you need them.
I useAnthropic - Claude.ai
Chat-based AI from Anthropic — my daily-driver for thinking, writing, and coding.
Claude reads my voice better than the others. I paste a transcript, a half-thought, a messy email — and what comes back sounds like me. That's the moat. The other ones write generic; Claude writes me.
Anyone — this is the place to start if you haven't picked an AI yet.
BeginnerFree tier real. Pro at $20/mo.I useGoogle - Gemini
Chat-based AI from Google — my daily-driver for images, youtube summaries, audio/video generation
Gemini just works. It is connected to email, Google Drive, and calendar. It is also my favorite for searching since it can connect to YouTube. I love how creative it is and the built-in photo/video tools.
Anyone
BeginnerFree Tier, Pro is $20I useOpenAI - ChatGPT
Chat-based AI from OpenAI — the one most people know.
I personally use ChatGPT the least, however it can generate images if you do not have Google Gemini. They do have some strong models for coding, and use it to double check my code as a 2nd opinion.
Anyone who wants a familiar starting point with strong image generation.
BeginnerFree tier real. Plus at $20/mo.
Meetings3
Capture, transcribe, search — so "what did we decide?" is a 5-second question.
I useMeetGeek
AI meeting transcription + searchable history of every call.
I've had every "what did Danny say in the call last month?" question answered by a one-line search. The summaries are good enough to send to a client immediately. Used to do this manually — never going back.
Anyone doing 5+ calls a week.
BeginnerFree tier real. Pro at $19/mo.I useLoom
Screen + face recording for quick walkthroughs.
I send three Looms a day. Faster than typing it, more useful than a meeting. The AI summaries on the recordings turn into great SOPs.
Anyone who manages a team or explains things to clients.
BeginnerFree tier real. Business at $15/mo per seat.I recommendGranola
AI meeting notes with a different UI than MeetGeek.
Cleaner interface; some operators prefer the notebook-style flow. I've put it on three client stacks and gotten zero complaints.
Operators who want notes without the meeting bot.
BeginnerFree tier real. Pro at $14/mo.
Productivity2
Work-on-the-work. Calendars, notes, capture — the small frictions that compound.
I usePlaud
A pocket AI voice recorder that transcribes everything you say.
I tested four. Plaud won because it actually works one-tap, the hardware is small enough to forget about, and the transcription quality holds up in a noisy room. The summaries beat the raw transcript half the time.
Anyone who has thoughts in the car, the shower, or on a walk.
BeginnerHardware ~$159 one-time. Pro features extra.I useVimcal
Calendar app for fast scheduling.
Cuts the "what about Tuesday at 3?" loop down to seconds. Slot picker that pastes into a thread, conflict detection that's smart, mobile that doesn't feel like a downgrade. Calendars are about speed — this is fastest.
Anyone scheduling more than three calls a week.
needs: You already keep a calendar — that's it.
BeginnerStarts at $15/mo.
CRM & automation1
The operational backbone. Where leads, contacts, follow-ups, and pipelines live.
Design & content3
When you need a page, a deck, or a newsletter. Operator-grade, no designer required.
I useGoHighLevelaffiliate
CRM + marketing automation + scheduling all under one roof.
I run my entire client business on GHL — and most of my clients' businesses too. Once you're past spreadsheets and Mailchimp, this is the next floor. I'm in the top 1% of users on the platform; I'll set yours up faster than you can read the docs.
Service businesses past spreadsheets, ready to operationalize.
needs: Landing pages, funnels, and forms are drag-and-drop. No automation knowledge required to ship a campaign page.
BeginnerStarts at $97/mo. Pro at $297/mo. (30 Day Free Trial By Using My Link)I useCanva
Design tool that doesn't require you to be a designer.
Not for the magazine cover. For the proposal hero image, the LinkedIn slide deck, the one-pager the client needs by 2pm. AI features now actually useful.
Operators who need pixel output without hiring a designer.
needs: No design background needed — templates do most of the work.
BeginnerFree tier real. Pro at $15/mo.I recommendLovableaffiliate
AI-assisted website builder — describe what you want, get a working site.
For operators who need a landing page or a small site without hiring a designer, this is the web builder I recommend starting with. It understands better than most tools I have tested and can even handle applications. If you want to build a website, it is my top choice for starting a new site or redesigning an existing one.
Operators without a designer who need a site live this week.
needs: Some product / web-design instinct. No code required, but you'll need to describe what you want clearly.
IntermediateFree tier real. Pro at $20/mo.
Dev & build1
The dev-curious operator layer. Ship code, deploy sites, build the thing yourself.
Want these wired into how you work?
The tools are the easy part. The real work is wiring them into how your business runs — that's what I do.
Book a discovery call →For tool builders
Building something operators should know about? Pitch me.
If you're building a tool that helps business owners and operator teams — especially in the spaces I work in (CRM and automation, AI workflow, meetings and follow-up, content and ops) — I'm happy to take a look.
The bar is simple: would I recommend it to a paying client? If yes, it could end up in the Recommend section above. If no, I'll tell you straight and we both save time.
What I need to look at it properly is below.
