Stacks On: Free tools for your tech stack

One of the most common growing pains for a start-up is knowing when to bring on a new tool, and which one is the right fit. So much tech, so little time.?

It’s risky going from spreadsheets and notepads to a fully loaded CRM with all the bells and whistles. So, before you go jumping into the Rolls Royce – as beautiful and impressive as it may be – don’t skip the Yaris. Right now, you probably just needed something to get you safely from A to B.?

I’m a big fan of serious software like HubSpot, but if you bring these kinds of systems on board too early, you can end up putting a very expensive cart before the horse and getting stuck in contract purgatory.

If you’re a tiny team, a scrappy start-up or a solopreneur, there are plenty of free or affordable tools out there to supercharge your tech stack and make you look good. Here are some of my favourites:

?? Notion

For: documentation | project and task management?

No mucking around here: we’re kicking off with the best. I’m ~obsessed~ with Notion. I’ve used it in the workplace as our source of truth for wikis, onboarding, and all kinds of internal processes. I’ve used it to project manage home renovations and overseas trips. And I’m currently using it to keep track of all my MBA assessments and freelance work.?

It’s free if you’re flying solo, but even paid plans are next to nothing. The templates are excellent and it’s as good in the browser as it is on the desktop or IOS app. Get amongst it.?

?? Slack

For: team communications | collaboration

Okay, we’ve all heard of Slack. And apologies to the Microsoft-based businesses out there who are stuck with Teams. But even if you use Slack, are you really using Slack? You might have added some custom emojis and use your ‘do not disturb’ status, but have you levelled up and tried…

• Setting reminders for yourself or channels
• Sorting and grouping channels
• Integrating with apps like JIRA, Zapier, Salesforce…
• Building workflows (e.g. automated check-in with team members)
• Using Slackbot to auto-respond based on trigger words
• Installing fun apps like Polly (polls) or Donut (mentoring)

?? Loom

For: screen recordings | onboarding and training

Seriously, how cool is Loom? I’ve recently used Loom for team onboarding and my own handover, creating a series of videos demonstrating specific tasks. The best thing? It automatically adds a title and summary, and breaks the video into sections so viewers can easily skip through.?

Even with my oftentimes broad North Queensland accent, it does a mighty fine job of picking up what I'm putting down. I've only used the free version, which I think gives you 25x 5-minute videos.?

?? ClickUp

For: project management | productivity

I feel like I’m giving away trade secrets here, but I’ve seen and heard of some pretty sizeable companies basically running their whole organisation on ClickUp. I personally don’t rate Monday (except for their SEO and SEM prowess) and while I’m a fan of Asana, it can be a little full on.?

ClickUp is still new-ish (they scaled around 2021) and it just keeps getting better. Dashboards, Kanbans, Gantts, Automations… it’s got it all, and the UI is very aesthetically pleasing.?

?? Canva

For: design. duh.?

Oh, it's just some little Aussie start-up, you’ve probably never heard of it. There’s a reason Canva is worth all those billions upon billions of dollars: it’s the best, Jerry. The best.?

The paid version is obviously far superior (and really not expensive at all), but you can definitely get away with the freebie for basic social posts like LinkedIn carousels, fancy pitch decks, schmick resumes, even simple animation and video content. Canva makes us mere marketers look good.?

?? If your boss is adamant they want a PPT file, did you know you can design a PowerPoint preso in Canva and download it as a PPT? Just make sure your fonts are compatible and all the formatting holds up.?

Those are my Top 5, and now the rest...

?? Pomofocus

For fans of the Pomodoro technique, Pomofocus is a nifty little browser app I’ve found helpful when chipping away at my 3,000-word MBA reports.?

?? Clockify

Clockify is a free time-tracking app I’ve been using to log my time for freelance clients. I must admit I haven’t used it a lot as yet, but so far so good.?

??? Calendly

If you’re in a role where you’re booking a lot of meetings with external folks Calendly is a must. No more "what day or time is good for you?" It's super helpful for scheduling interviews.?

?? ChatGPT

“It’s not a phase, mom!” But seriously, ChatGPT isn’t just a trend. Use it for research and brainstorming, writing those difficult your emails, or figuring out what to make for dinner with a tin of chickpeas and wilty greens.

?? Prezee

A bit of a rogue addition here because it’s not exactly ‘free’, but I couldn’t not include Prezee. You can shout your team little (or big) treatos from $5, and it's such a nice surprise when you do. Shouta is another similar service.

What have a missed? Let me know in the comments!

TL;DR You don’t need to break the budget to have a sweet tech stack. There are plenty of free and affordable tools out there to make you look good. Try Notion for documentation and tasks, Loom for video recordings, and ClickUp for project management.?