Guide
The small business tech stack, without the overwhelm.
A short, opinionated guide to the software categories that keep a small operation running — what each one is for, what to actually pick, and the mistakes that cost owners the most time.
Why the stack matters
Most small businesses do not have a software problem. They have a consistency problem — three tools that half-do the same job, no agreement on where the source of truth lives, and a founder who is the human integration between them.
A good stack is small, well-defined, and boring. Every tool has one job, one owner, and a written expectation of how the team uses it. That is the whole game.
The seven categories
You almost certainly need one tool in each of these buckets — and almost certainly do not need two.
Communication
Email, chat, and video should be boring, reliable, and unified. For most small teams, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 covers email, calendar, and video in one bill. Add Slack or Microsoft Teams only if async chat is genuinely replacing meetings — otherwise it's another inbox.
Our default pick: Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Add Slack or Teams only when async chat replaces meetings.
Documents & storage
One system of record — not five. Pick Google Drive or OneDrive/SharePoint and enforce a naming convention plus a folder structure your team can find things in six months from now. Version history, shared drives, and permission groups matter more than the specific vendor.
Our default pick: Google Drive or OneDrive/SharePoint. A written naming and folder standard beats a fancier tool.
Project & work management
Small teams get pulled toward the most popular tools; the right tool is the one your team will actually open. Asana, ClickUp, Trello, and Monday all work. What matters is a single source of truth for who is doing what by when — with due dates, owners, and a status your leadership can read at a glance.
Our default pick: Asana, ClickUp, Trello, or Monday. Pick one, standardize, and stop adding trackers.
Finance, invoicing & payroll
QuickBooks Online remains the default for a reason — every bookkeeper knows it. Pair it with a payments processor that fits how you actually get paid (Stripe for online, a card reader for in-person, ACH for larger invoices). For payroll, Gusto is the small-business standard; Rippling is worth a look if HR and IT are converging.
Our default pick: QuickBooks Online + Gusto covers 90% of small operations.
CRM & pipeline
Before you buy a CRM, write down the three questions you want it to answer (Who owes us a follow-up? What's in the pipeline? What did we promise this client?). HubSpot's free tier is generous. Pipedrive is simpler if sales is the whole point. Trades and home services teams often do better with a vertical tool like Jobber or Housecall Pro that combines CRM, scheduling, and invoicing.
Our default pick: HubSpot Free, Pipedrive, or a vertical tool (Jobber, Housecall Pro) for field-services teams.
Scheduling & dispatch
For internal meetings, Calendly or Google Appointment Schedules removes the back-and-forth. For field teams, scheduling belongs inside your CRM/dispatch tool so job info, crew, and invoice all move together. Do not run a construction schedule out of a shared calendar.
Our default pick: Calendly for meetings; vertical field-service software for crews.
Training & documentation
SOPs live and die by whether people can find them. A shared Notion, Google Sites, or Confluence workspace beats a folder of Word docs. Screen-recorded walkthroughs (Loom, Scribe) turn a 30-minute training call into a 3-minute video that new hires can rewatch.
Our default pick: Notion or Google Sites for SOPs. Loom or Scribe for training walkthroughs.
How to choose
- 1. Start from the workflow, not the tool. Write down the actual steps of the job first. Then pick software that fits those steps — not the other way around.
- 2. Pick the tool your team will open. A "worse" tool that gets used daily beats a best-in-class tool that no one logs into.
- 3. Consolidate before you add. Before buying anything new, ask what you can retire. Two tools doing 80% of the same job is worse than one tool doing 90%.
- 4. Write the SOP. A tool without a written expectation of how it's used is a tool that will drift within a quarter.
Common mistakes
- Buying the shiny tool. A tool your competitor uses is not a strategy. What problem are you actually solving?
- Skipping the write-up. Onboarding, permissions, and offboarding steps need to live somewhere other than the founder's head.
- Running everything in email. Inboxes are not project trackers, CRMs, or file cabinets. When email becomes the system of record, work goes missing.
- Delaying the training. The team is only as good as the last time someone showed them the tool. Recorded walkthroughs beat repeated one-on-one training calls.
Want help sorting out your stack?
We audit what you're using, retire what you're not, and write the SOPs so the tools you keep actually get used.
Start a conversation