The tools I actually pay for
Not a list of everything that exists. This is what's running in my own business right now, sorted by how ready you need to be. If something isn't here, it's because I don't use it.
Nothing on this page is sponsored and none of these are affiliate links.
Start here
If you're new, buy one thing off this list and nothing else.
Claude
The chat assistant I use for almost everything, and the one I teach on. Start at claude.ai in a browser. This is the on-ramp.
Claude Cowork
The version I train teams on directly. It's the layer where you don't need a developer to get real work done. This is where most of my workshop days happen.
ChatGPT
The other one. If you already pay for it, keep it and start there. This works the same in both, so switching before you've written anything down won't fix what's actually broken.
Granola
Records your meetings and writes them up. Every meeting I take gets recorded and later filed into the right client folder automatically. The easiest first win for anyone who takes calls all day.
1Password
Where every password and key lives, mine and my clients'. Not an AI tool. But once AI starts touching your accounts, this stops being optional.
When you're ready to build systems
You've written your brief and built one thing. This is what's next.
n8n
Visual workflow builder. You drag boxes and connect them, no code. This is how you get two tools that don’t talk to each other to talk to each other.
Readwise
Pulls the highlights out of everything I read and puts them back in front of me later. A small system that compounds quietly.
Blotato
Handles posting and distributing content. Built for marketers rather than developers, though it expects you to be comfortable wiring things together.
What runs my own business
Behind the scenes. You don't need any of this, and I'm listing it so you can see what the systems I teach are built on.
Claude Code
Claude with hands. It touches files and runs tasks on my computer instead of chatting about them. This writes, reviews, and ships nearly all of my own code and my clients’ code. Powerful, and a real learning curve.
Codex CLI
A second model from a different company, used for bulk work and for reviewing code. I never let the same vendor grade its own homework.
Vocal Bridge
The voice platform behind three of my products, including the one that phones me when my AI hits a decision only I can make.
Hermes
The engine behind my two always-on assistants, Joey and Mikasa.
Docker
How every one of those assistants gets packaged and deployed.
gog
Command-line access to Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Sheets, and Tasks. This is how my assistants actually touch my inbox and calendar.
Cloudflare Pages and Workers
Where nearly all my sites and products live, including this one.
Astro
The framework this website is built with.
Vercel and Supabase
Hosting and database for my photo capture product.
How to pick
Buy the chat assistant. Write your brief. Build one system with it. Only then look at anything in the second list, and don't look at the third list at all unless you've decided you want to build software.
Most owners I meet are paying for six tools and using one. The fix is usually cancelling, not buying.