Tools I Actually Use

My Favorite Tools for Running a Systems-Powered Business

I’ve been building an online business since 2016 and I’m very picky about what stays in my stack. If it’s on this page, it’s something I genuinely use. Some links are affiliate links — I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of my links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I genuinely use in my own business.

🧰 Tech Stack

The core tools that keep my business running. These are the ones I’d rebuild my stack around if I had to start over today.

Airtable

The operational backbone of my entire business — and the platform my products are built on. I use Airtable for content planning, product tracking, financial dashboards, affiliate management, and JV partner outreach. If you’re a Creator Ops Hub customer, you already know this one. It’s the most flexible database tool I’ve found that doesn’t require coding.

Try Airtable

Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

My email marketing platform for Creator Ops Hub. Kit is what I use to manage my list, send broadcasts, and run automated sequences. The segmentation and tagging system is genuinely built for creators — and with 50% commission for your first 12 months as an affiliate, it’s one of the best programs out there too.

Try Kit

ClickUp

My project management tool for tasks, launches, and keeping everything moving. I tried a lot of PM tools before landing here. ClickUp hits the right balance of power and usability for how my brain works — and it’s flexible enough to work for a solo operator or a team.

Try ClickUp

Kadence

The WordPress theme powering this site. Kadence is lightweight, fast, and has powerful block-based design tools — which means I can build beautiful pages without needing a developer. If you’re on WordPress and want a theme that won’t slow you down or lock you in, this is the one I’d start with.

Try Kadence

🤖 AI Tools

This is the section I get asked about most. These are the AI tools woven into how I actually run Creator Ops Hub every day — not just tools I’ve tried, tools I use regularly.

Wispr Flow

AI voice-to-text that works inside any app — not a dictation box, but smart transcription that cleans up self-corrections, handles punctuation, and produces ready-to-send text. I use it for drafting emails, prompts, and notes without ever opening a blank doc. It works on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android and it’s one of those tools that feels like a cheat code once you start using it.

Try Wispr Flow for Free

Lovable

A vibe-coding platform that lets you build real apps by describing what you want in plain English. I’m currently using Lovable to build the affiliate management app for Creator Ops Hub. If you’ve ever thought “I wish I had a tool that did X” but assumed you’d need a developer to build it — Lovable is how you do it yourself, without writing code.

Try Lovable

Make.com

My automation layer for connecting apps together — Airtable, Kit, WordPress, and more. If something runs automatically in my business, there’s a Make scenario behind it. More flexible than Zapier for complex multi-step automations, and the pricing is much more manageable for solopreneurs who need a lot of tasks done.

Try Make.com

Claude + Cowork

My primary AI assistant for writing, strategy, research, systems design, and basically everything that involves thinking. I use Claude inside Projects (which keeps context about my business across sessions) and Cowork, Claude’s desktop app built for ongoing work sessions. The difference between Claude and other AI tools, for me, is that it actually thinks rather than just autocompletes — which matters a lot when you’re doing strategy and legal-adjacent work.

Try Claude

ChatGPT / Codex

I use OpenAI’s API — specifically Codex — to power automations inside my Airtable systems, including the internal link inserter inside the Content Ops Hub. For API-level automation and coding tasks, OpenAI’s models are reliable, well-documented, and integrate cleanly with the tools I already use.

Try Codex

📧 Email Marketing

Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

Yes, Kit earns its own spot in two sections because it genuinely does two jobs in my business: it’s both a core tech stack tool and my email platform. I use it for everything from welcome sequences to promotional campaigns to broadcast emails. If you’re serious about building a list that actually converts, Kit’s tagging and segmentation system is worth the investment. The affiliate program is one of the best around — 50% commission for the first 12 months on every paid customer you refer.

Try Kit

Kit MCP

Kit’s Model Context Protocol integration lets you connect Kit directly to AI tools like Claude — so you can manage your email list, pull subscriber data, create broadcasts, and trigger automations all from inside your AI assistant. If you’re already using Kit and AI in your workflow, this is the layer that connects them. It’s newer, it’s genuinely useful, and it’s the direction email marketing is going.

Learn About Kit MCP

🎬 Video & Audio

Vimeo

Where I host course and product training videos. Ad-free, clean player, and the privacy controls let me restrict videos to members and customers only — no YouTube rabbit holes pulling people away from my content mid-lesson. Worth every penny for a professional course and product experience.

Try Vimeo

HappyScribe

Automated transcription and subtitle service for audio and video — fast turnaround and high accuracy. I use it to repurpose video and audio content into written formats without spending hours transcribing manually. If you create any kind of video or podcast content, this is the tool that makes repurposing actually happen.

Try HappyScribe

ScreenPal

My screen recording and video editing tool for tutorials, product walkthroughs, and how-to content. It’s easy to use without a steep learning curve, and it doesn’t require a separate app for every step of the process. Great for quickly recording a walkthrough to send to a customer or batch-recording course lessons.

Try ScreenPal

✍️ Content & SEO

RightBlogger

A suite of 80+ AI-powered tools built specifically for bloggers and content creators — from keyword research and article writing to YouTube video repurposing and SEO optimization. If you create content regularly, RightBlogger is built for your workflow in a way most general AI tools aren’t. The affiliate program pays 50% for the first three months on every paid customer you refer.

Try RightBlogger

Google Search Console

Free and essential. GSC shows you exactly which search queries bring people to your site, which pages rank, and where your biggest SEO opportunities are hiding. Before you invest in any paid SEO tool, make sure you’ve set this up and are actually looking at it. It’s the most useful data you’re probably ignoring.

Set Up Google Search Console (Free)

🌐 Website & Scheduling

Kadence

The WordPress theme powering this site — and the one I’d recommend for any creator who’s serious about their WordPress setup. It’s fast, flexible, and has block-based design tools that let you build pages that look custom without hiring a developer. This page was built with Kadence blocks.

Try Kadence

BigScoots

Premium managed WordPress hosting with exceptional speed, security, and genuinely white-glove support. If your site is slow or you’re tired of hosting support tickets going nowhere, BigScoots is the upgrade. I moved here and it made a noticeable difference — both in site performance and in the quality of help I get when something comes up.

Try BigScoots

TidyCal

My scheduling tool for booking calls and appointments. It’s simple, clean, integrates with Google Calendar, and doesn’t charge you monthly for basic functionality. If you’re still sending back-and-forth emails to schedule things, TidyCal is the fix. Their affiliate program runs through AppSumo — worth checking out if you recommend it often.

Try TidyCal