Secret Weapons for Business #Winning
Save yourself the hundreds of hours I've wasted and start off with the best tools in existence...
I'm hopelessly addicted to comparing software & marketing tools -- help!
Save yourself the hundreds of hours I've wasted and start off with the best tools in existence...
GoHighLevel sounds too good to be true - an all-in-one business toolbox where everything just integrates & works right out of the box. But I can vouch...it's the real deal! Site/Page Builder, CRM, email & text marketing, marketing automation. It's all here, and it's not expensive. GHL's simplicity has some limitations, but it mostly leaves you with nothing to do but actual marketing.
ChatGPT was amazing when it first launched, but in my experience has been continually dumbed down as it got more popular (likely due to how expensive more complex conversations are). Now I use TypingMind to send conversations directly into OpenAI's Assistant API, which allows me to have more complex conversations again.
I replaced my expensive setup with this ultra-simple video camera & wireless mic combo in the name of simplicity, and couldn't be happier!
Need to find profitable products to get started selling on Amazon? Jungle Scout is the best & most accurate product research tool that exists. Their suite of seller tools also includes other helpful tools like a verified supplier directory, listing grader, sales tracking, and more. But we mainly use it for Amazon product research.
An absolutely huge suite of tools to help Amazon sellers at every stage of their business. Jack of all trades, but master of none (except keyword research). Perfect for new sellers who want keep expenses low while growing their Amazon sales. Nearly a necessity for all Amazon Sellers.
All-in-one toolset for Amazon sellers who outgrow Helium-10. These guys innovate more than anyone when it comes to Amazon feedback/review management. We also use them for listing alerts & automation.
While Sellerise is an all-around better tool, it can become expensive in certain high-volume situations. If you're ever looking for an alternative, check out Seller.Tools - they have similar features (though not as good as Sellerise).
We recently switched from HelloProfit to SellerBoard for profit & loss dashboard. It also has many of the same features as Sellerise & Seller.Tools. Worth checking out (or if you're like me, use all 3 
)
I'm a complete Cloudflare junkie. I buy all my domain names through them. I run all my websites through them. I use a ton of their features. Must-have for anyone who has a website.
If you don't want to use Cloudflare to buy domains (they're cheaper), then Porkbun is the next best place.
All my WordPress websites are hosted on a single WP Engine dedicated server. They're expensive, but they're the best (for WordPress). Incredible performance, security and support.
All my e-commerce sites are built & hosted on Shopify. Completely scalable (great for everybody from newbies to pros). Easy to get started, huge marketplace of apps to grow into.
Remember: Depending on your project, you may not need web hosting. For instance, you can often use the page builders below to build & host entire websites…then just point them to a custom domain name.
I use this no-code page builder to quickly create beautiful, interactive web experiences (sites & landers) that feel truly next-generation. Many of my favorite websites are built on Framer (that's how I found them).
Before I found Framer, I used Webflow as my main page builder. It's got more power & flexibility than Framer, and can be perfect for more complex sites (especially e-commerce sites). As of now it's also easier to find Webflow templates to build on. But I personally am using Framer way more than Webflow now.
GoHighLevel sounds too good to be true - an all-in-one business toolbox where everything just integrates & works right out of the box. But I can vouch...it's the real deal! Site/Page Builder, CRM, email & text marketing, marketing automation. It's all here, and it's not expensive. GHL's simplicity has some limitations, but it mostly leaves you with nothing to do but actual marketing.
I've worked with the creator of this theme for years, and he's implemented every good idea I've had into his theme. My personal favorite WP Theme.
I've personally moved away from WP Page Builders. But Elementor is simply the best one. Compatible with most themes, but you can also use Elementor to build your entire WP site.
Auto-magically keep your WordPress site on the cutting edge of SEO. I use this plugin on ALL my WordPress sites (the free version for small/useless sites, the paid version on big/money sites).
Auto-magically optimize your WordPress site to make it blazing fast, and also keep it on the cutting edge of performance technology. I use this plugin on ALL my WordPress sites.
Must-have plugin for anybody doing affiliate marketing on a WordPress site. Link management, performance analytics, broken link checks, beautiful display options.
Easily manage internal links across all your content. Any large WordPress site focused on SEO should be using this.
Auto-magically resize & optimize all images as you upload them to your WordPress site. Most people can get away with the free plan.
I run this alongside WP Rocket, but only use a few features. Most useful is their script manager, which allows you to control which scripts load on specific pages.
Cutting edge payment system for selling digital products (courses, SaaS, software, etc). Instantly gives you beautiful, modern checkout pages with tons of payment options (Apple Pay, PayPal, Stripe, whatever). Manages subscriptions, affiliates, taxes and more. Amazing user experience for customers & you. Free to get started, but takes > 5% commission on all revenue. So gets expensive as you grow.
Before using GoHighLevel's built-in billing system, I used PayKickstart. It's much more powerful & flexible overall. Subscriptions, checkout pages, affiliate management, and lots more. Great for selling any digital products (and has some physical product integrations). Especially if Lemon Squeezy is getting too expensive (PayKickstart became cheaper for me at ~$54k/yr in revenue).
GoHighLevel sounds too good to be true - an all-in-one business toolbox where everything just integrates & works right out of the box. But I can vouch...it's the real deal! Site/Page Builder, CRM, email & text marketing, marketing automation. It's all here, and it's not expensive. GHL's simplicity has some limitations, but it mostly leaves you with nothing to do but actual marketing.
Surfer is the most cutting edge AI SEO Tool, and their on-page optimization tools are incredibly effective. The best tool for creating new content & optimizing existing content.
Ahrefs is an absolute beast. Last I heard, their in-house super computer was the 30th most powerful in the world. Nobody can touch the amount of SEO data Ahrefs lets you analyze.
OptinMonster remains the best tool to quickly create high-converting pop-ups & on-site lead gen campaigns. But it can be expensive for what it is, so I only use it on my most profitable sites.
Make it easy for customers to leave reviews about your product, and automatically show those testimonials using different widgets (which are all designed beautifully).
Allows you to build personality test style quizzes to use for lead generation (which usually end up being among my highest performing campaigns).
When you start running paid ads & want increase insight into what's actually making visitors convert into customers - Hyros is the best advanced web analytics system.
GoHighLevel sounds too good to be true - an all-in-one business toolbox where everything just integrates & works right out of the box. But I can vouch...it's the real deal! Site/Page Builder, CRM, email & text marketing, marketing automation. It's all here, and it's not expensive. GHL's simplicity has some limitations, but it mostly leaves you with nothing to do but actual marketing.
Email newsletters are one of the hottest online business models right now, and Beehiiv is the most purpose-built tool to start, run & grow them. Lots of awesome features specifically for newsletters. Free to get started with. No brainer if you're launching a newsletter, but for most businesses I'd use HighLevel for my email marketing.
If you're concerned about email deliverability, then you need InboxAlly. It's expensive becuase it's the only platform using automated actions to train email services on the actual emails you're sending. InboxAlly claims they can double your open rates within 1-2 weeks, which I thought was crazy. But I tried it, and I got even better results than that.
I replaced my expensive setup with this ultra-simple video camera & wireless mic combo in the name of simplicity, and couldn't be happier!
I use Loom to quickly create screen recordings on any platform, and then edit in Descript. Great for sales, support, training, etc.
Use cutting edge AI tools to quickly edit video like you're in the future. This is ALL I use to edit talking-head & screen-share videos.
I use Restream to push a single live stream out to multiple locations (YouTube + Facebook Groups + Zoom).
The best keyword research tool for YouTube. I am using this less as Google relies more on AI to rank video.
The best channel management & optimization platform for YouTube. I am using this less as Google relies more on AI to rank video.
I end up using OBS whenever there's something more complex that my other tools can't handle. It's free and awesome.
Full breakdown of all my office studio gear coming soon!
ChatGPT was amazing when it first launched, but in my experience has been continually dumbed down as it got more popular (likely due to how expensive more complex conversations are). Now I use TypingMind to send conversations directly into OpenAI's Assistant API, which allows me to have more complex conversations again.
I have LastPass on ALL my devices, and use it to generate & manage all my passwords. None of my passwords are the same, and they're all ultra-secure. Whenever I hit a login page, LastPass automatically logs me in. I don't know how people live without this (honestly).
I've been using RescueTime for over a decade, but recently switched over to Rize for personal time tracking & analysis. It's more innovative & has a better UI that I tend to use much more.
I've tried every to-do list system out there, and TickTick is the only one that's kept me. It's lightweight & has enough easy shortcuts that you'll actually use it. Doesn't bog you down at all. And it's super flexible - you can keep it simple, or build it into a complex & personalized productivity system.
Keep all your business communications centralized & organized inside the best messenger system for teams. Useful even before you have employees (drop freelancers in here, set up notifications from other tools, etc).
I've tried almost every productivity app, and nobody on my team ends up using them. ClickUp is the one exception. You can start light and slowly build up to an ultra-complex & ultra-personalized system. For some reason, it just works for us.
As your team starts to grow, you'll need a shared email inbox. HelpScout is the best one. Also acts as a lightweight customer support system (help docs site, live chat widget, etc). Has always been perfect for me (ZenDesk & Intercom are too complex).
Imagine Google abandoned it's entire business and just focused on spreadsheets. That's basically Airtable. It's an unbelievably flexible & powerful tool, and I use it often. Everything from simple spreadsheets & CRMs to building no-code apps.
Automated time tracking & team productivity analytics. A must-have if you have remote workers in other countries (VAs, support staff, etc) - so you can track that they're actually working & automate payments to them.
I end up using Upwork to find all sorts of freelance & contract workers. Website maintenance / changes, implementing ideas I have for spreadsheets or complex marketing tools, etc.
Avoid any sexy new accounting system and stick with old faithful - Quickbooks. When it comes time to sell your company, you'll be happy you did. Most potential buyers will be more comfortable with QB than anything else.
Hiring full-time employees in the US is complicated. Gusto makes it simple as it should be. Automates everything from the actual payments to quarterly & annual tax filings. Also makes it easy to offer employee benefits & automate compliance.
Need to send money to remote workers in other countries? Wise will likely be the easiest & cheapest way to do it. Integrates directly with Hubstaff to fully automate remote worker payments.
Also check out my full breakdown of which credit cards to use to maximize cash-back / points for your business!
Extremely health-focused specialty-grade coffee brand. Has the highest antioxidant content & the most testing done to avoid mold / contamination. And it just tastes better than anything else (get the Protect blend for maximum health benefits).
Commission-free stock & options trading within a beautiful app. Recently launched tax-advantaged retirement accounts with big bonuses. Keep your nest egg at Vanguard, but Robinhood is best for the casual trading junkie.
Use this to integrate your tools together to automate your workflows and become exponentially more productive. Provides 3rd-party integrations between 1,000+ different apps. Extremely useful to patch together apps and create automations, notifications, etc.