Week 1
Week 2 of 6
Week 3 Exit Slides

Week 2: Tech Stack

Choosing the right tools for your business

The foundation question

Could you run your entire business in a spreadsheet right now?

For most early-stage startups, the answer is closer to yes than founders want to admit.

Apps vs platforms

Apps solve one problem:

  • Single, focused purpose
  • Easy to evaluate and replace

Platforms offer flexibility:

  • Multiple use cases supported
  • Harder to migrate away from

Core vs specialized stack

Core stack:

  • Required regardless of what you sell
  • Should be minimal and proven

Specialized stack:

  • Only add when you have proven requirements
  • Should directly enable revenue or save significant time

Your minimum core stack

Five categories cover essentials:

  • Email
  • Documents
  • Video and voice
  • Research and AI
  • Customer and payment tracking

Resist adding more until you have concrete needs.

When not to add tools

  • Every subscription costs more than the monthly fee
  • Manual work early reveals patterns automation would hide
  • Your core stack likely covers it
  • Cannot measure ROI

When you might add tools

  • Reversible decision?
  • Low barrier to test?
  • Genuinely exciting to you?
  • Solves an urgent problem?

Digital product and eCommerce

  • Shopify, Gumroad, WooCommerce
  • Online storefront and checkout
  • Digital delivery systems

Start simple. Most founders need far less than they think.

Physical products

  • Inventory tracking
  • Shipping automation
  • Fulfillment coordination
  • Supplier management

Manual processes work longer than you expect. Resist premature complexity.

Growth and marketing

  • Email marketing platform
  • Analytics and measurement
  • Customer acquisition tools
  • Retention and engagement systems

Add only after you have proven channels.

Finance and resource management

  • Accounting software
  • Invoicing and payment processing
  • Time and project tracking
  • Cash flow visibility

Get accounting right early. Everything else can wait.

The 7-step evaluation process

Stop relying on marketing pages. Use AI to research systematically.

Step 1: Document your context

Before researching, create a business context document:

  • What you sell and to whom
  • Current tools you use
  • The specific problem you need to solve
  • Realistic budget range

Step 2: Requirements discovery

Have AI interview you to clarify needs.

Let it ask questions about what you are trying to accomplish, pain points, must-haves versus nice-to-haves.

Step 3: Landscape comparison

Get honest comparison of four or more options:

  • Who each tool actually serves
  • True total cost including fees
  • Ease of use for your skill level
  • The catch

Step 4: Integration analysis

How does each option connect to what you already use?

  • Native integrations versus third-party glue
  • Connection costs and complexity
  • Data sync reliability

Step 5: Direct comparison

Force head-to-head comparison of finalists:

  • Total cost at current volume
  • Total cost at 5x growth
  • Realistic setup time
  • What you gain and lose with each choice

Step 6: Future-proofing

Stress-test choices against realistic growth:

  • What happens at 10x current scale?
  • How painful to migrate away?
  • Can you export data in standard formats?

Step 7: Make the decision

Create a framework where you decide:

  • Score options on 3-5 criteria that matter most
  • Identify real risks with each choice
  • Design quick experiments to break close calls

AI informs. You decide.

Best practices

  • Choose the simplest tool that works
  • Define the job first
  • Test before committing
  • Learn from similar founders
  • Audit quarterly

Critical evaluation questions

  • Does it have an API for future flexibility?
  • Can I export all my data in standard formats?
  • What is the true total cost?
  • At 5x my current volume, what changes?
  • How painful would switching be?

The core principle

Technology decisions should follow business understanding.

Never choose tools before you understand your actual requirements.

The best tech stack is the simplest one handling your real needs.

Workshop

What you will create:

  • Business context document ready for AI research
  • Complete tool comparison using the 7-step framework
  • Decision matrix with your weighted criteria
  • Documentation of your reasoning

Questions?

Next week: AI Basics - Communication and voice profiles