The tools I use.

I useClaude.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.

I useChatGPT

Chat-based AI from OpenAI — the one most people know.

I keep it open for one specific job: image generation and a few API tasks where its tooling is just better. Not my primary anymore, but I'd be lying if I said I never opened it.

Anyone who wants a familiar starting point with strong image generation.

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.

I useLoomaffiliate

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.

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.

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.

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.

I recommendNotion

Docs + database + wiki + project management — flexible workspace.

For operators who want a docs-first workspace. I don't use it daily anymore, but I've set up half a dozen client knowledge bases on it and they all stuck.

Operators who want a single home for SOPs, projects, and notes.

needs: Database-style thinking helps. Lots of power, mild learning curve.

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: CRM + marketing automation experience helpful. Deep platform — there's a learning curve. I'll shortcut it for you if you want.

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.

I useCanvaaffiliate

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.

I recommendBeehiivaffiliate

Newsletter platform — the modern Substack alternative.

For operators who don't live in GHL and just want a clean newsletter that grows. Built-in referral mechanics that actually work.

Operators starting or running a newsletter without a full CRM.

needs: Newsletter or email-marketing basics helpful.

I recommendLovable

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. Output is real React, not a hosted lock-in.

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.

I useVercelaffiliate

Deployment platform — where onlydans.ai and most of my client sites live.

I push code, the site goes live. Preview URLs per branch make review trivial. If you build a Next.js site, this is the host.

Anyone shipping a modern web app.

needs: Some dev background — knows git, comfortable in a terminal, has shipped a web app before.

I recommendCursor

AI-powered code editor — VS Code with AI baked in.

If you're even a little dev-curious, Cursor turns a productive day of coding into something that feels like cheating. Not for pure operators — for the operator who tinkers.

The dev-curious operator who wants to ship without a full dev team.

needs: Comfortable in a code editor. Not for non-coders — but if you tinker, this is the fastest way to ship.