The Only Tools You Actually Need to Run a One-Person Business

There's a cottage industry of people selling you on tools. Course creators, YouTubers, newsletter writers — everyone has an affiliate link to something. I have one too (for MadeThis), so I'll be upfront about that. But I'm also going to tell you something that most "tool stack" content won't: you probably need far fewer tools than you think.

I've been running a one-person digital product business for a few years. I've tried probably 30+ tools in that time. Here's what actually stayed in my stack.

The Core: MadeThis

Everything else is built around this. MadeThis is where my products live, where customers pay, and where files get delivered. It handles the merchant side of my business so I can focus on creating and marketing.

If you're selling digital products — ebooks, templates, mini-courses, audio files, anything digital — and you don't have a selling platform yet, this is where to start. I've written a full breakdown in my MadeThis review.

The key thing MadeThis does is collapse a bunch of tools into one: you don't need a separate payment processor, a file hosting service, and a checkout page builder. It's all one thing.

Email: One Tool, Not Five

I use ConvertKit. One email tool, one account, one set of automations. I've connected it to MadeThis so new buyers get tagged and entered into the right sequences automatically.

I've seen people use Mailchimp AND ActiveCampaign AND Drip AND a Substack newsletter. That's four email tools for one business. That's not a system — that's chaos. Pick one and commit.

Content Creation: Canva + ChatGPT

Canva for visual assets (product covers, social graphics, presentation slides). ChatGPT for writing assistance (outlines, first drafts, copy improvements). Both have functional free tiers.

I want to be specific about ChatGPT: it's an assistant, not a ghostwriter. I don't publish content that I haven't read, edited, and made sound like me. But it cuts the time I spend on writing significantly, and that time savings compounds.

Organization: Notion

One workspace. Everything in it: product ideas, editorial calendar, revenue tracking, launch checklists, customer feedback notes. I've tried project management tools like Asana and Trello and they've never stuck for me. Notion is flexible enough to build whatever I need without forcing a structure on me.

The free personal plan is fine unless you're collaborating with a team.

Analytics: Google Analytics + Search Console (Free)

Both free. Both essential. Google Analytics tells me where my traffic comes from. Search Console tells me how I'm ranking in Google and what queries bring people to my site.

I don't use any paid analytics tools. The free Google stack gives me everything I need to make content and SEO decisions.

Calls (When Needed): Zoom Free

If I ever need to jump on a call with a customer or partner, Zoom's free tier covers it. I rarely use it — most of my business runs async — but it's there when needed.

What I've Dropped

Here's the list of tools I tested and stopped using:

• Clickfunnels: Overkill, expensive, unnecessary for selling digital products
• Mailchimp: Switched to ConvertKit, haven't looked back
• Calendly premium: Overkill when I barely take calls
• Multiple SEO tools: One is enough; I use Ahrefs and nothing else
• Webinar platforms: I don't run live webinars. If you do, maybe worth it. I don't.
• Social media schedulers: I post manually when I post. Scheduling tools added complexity without adding results.

The Full Lean Stack

Total monthly cost (bare minimum): under $10 if you're just getting started.

The Principle Behind This

Every tool you add to your stack is a decision to make, a login to manage, a notification to process, and potentially a monthly cost. The complexity isn't free.

One-person businesses win by being lean and fast. The founders I see struggling the most are often the ones with the most tools and the least time actually building or selling.

Check out my post on best tools for scaling to $10K/month if you're at the point where the lean stack isn't enough and you're ready to invest in more infrastructure.

And if you haven't started yet, begin with MadeThis. Everything else can wait.

Sign up free at MadeThis.com and get your first product listed this week.