Essential Tools & Platforms

Let's talk about tools. Because I know what's about to happen: you're going to Google "how to create digital products" and you're going to get overwhelmed by 47 different platforms, software options, and technical requirements.

So let me save you weeks of confusion and analysis paralysis.

Here are the ONLY tools you need to create and sell your first digital product:

1. CANVA (For Design)

Cost: Free version is perfect. Pro is $15/month if you want more features.

What it does: Creates professional-looking graphics, ebooks, planners, course slides, social media posts—everything visual.

Why you need it: You don't need Photoshop. You don't need design skills. Canva has thousands of templates that make you look professional in minutes.

What you'll use it for:

  • Ebook covers and interior pages
  • Planner pages and worksheets
  • Course slide decks
  • Social media graphics
  • Lead magnet designs

Getting started:

  1. Go to canva.com
  2. Sign up for free
  3. Search for templates (e.g., "ebook template," "planner template")
  4. Customize colors, fonts, and text
  5. Download as PDF

Pro tip: Stick to the free version initially. Upgrade to Pro only when you're consistently making sales and need premium features like transparent backgrounds or brand kit.

2. GOOGLE DOCS (For Writing)

Cost: Free

What it does: Word processing, auto-saves, accessible anywhere, easy collaboration.

Why you need it: It's free. It auto-saves. You can access it from any device. Perfect for writing your ebook content, course scripts, or planner prompts.

What you'll use it for:

  • Writing ebook manuscripts
  • Drafting course lesson scripts
  • Creating worksheet content
  • Outlining your product structure

Getting started:

  1. Go to docs.google.com
  2. Create a new document
  3. Write your content
  4. Export as PDF or copy/paste into Canva

Pro tip: Use Google Docs for ALL your writing first. Then design it in Canva. Never try to write and design simultaneously—it kills productivity.

3. GUMROAD or STAN STORE (For Selling)

OPTION A: GUMROAD (Best for Beginners)

Cost: Free to set up. Takes 10% + payment processing fees per sale.

What it does: Hosts your product, processes payments, delivers downloads automatically.

Why it's perfect for beginners:

  • Simple setup (literally 10 minutes)
  • No monthly fees (you only pay when you make sales)
  • Handles payments and downloads automatically
  • Clean, professional checkout experience
  • Works for ebooks, templates, courses, memberships

What you'll use it for:

  • Selling your digital products
  • Processing credit card payments
  • Automatically delivering downloads to customers
  • Managing your customer list

Getting started:

  1. Go to gumroad.com
  2. Sign up free
  3. Click "New Product"
  4. Upload your file (PDF, ZIP, etc.)
  5. Add title, description, price
  6. Publish

Cons: 10% fee per sale adds up once you're making consistent revenue.

OPTION B: STAN STORE (Best for Social Media Creators)

Cost: $29/month

What it does: Creates a single "link in bio" storefront for all your products.

Why it's great:

  • Perfect for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube creators
  • Beautiful mobile-friendly design
  • One link for all products
  • Built-in email capture
  • Course hosting included

When to use it: If you already have 1,000+ social media followers and are actively promoting products through social channels.

Getting started:

  1. Go to stan.store
  2. Sign up ($29/month)
  3. Add your products
  4. Customize your storefront
  5. Put the link in your bio

My recommendation: Start with Gumroad. It's free to set up and you only pay when you make sales. Once you're making $500+/month consistently, consider Stan Store if you're heavy on social media.

4. CONVERTKIT or MAILERLITE (For Email)

You need an email platform to build your list, send your lead magnet, and nurture customers.

OPTION A: CONVERTKIT

Cost: Free up to 1,000 subscribers

What it does: Email marketing specifically built for creators. Easy automation, landing pages, forms.

Why it's great:

  • Designed for creators (not corporations)
  • Simple, intuitive interface
  • Powerful automation
  • Free up to 1,000 subscribers

What you'll use it for:

  • Sending your lead magnet
  • Email sequences that sell your product
  • Newsletters to your audience
  • Tagging and segmenting subscribers

Getting started:

  1. Go to convertkit.com
  2. Sign up free
  3. Create a form for your lead magnet
  4. Set up automation sequence
  5. Connect to your website

OPTION B: MAILERLITE

Cost: Free up to 1,000 subscribers

What it does: Email marketing with a simpler interface than ConvertKit.

Why it's great:

  • Even simpler than ConvertKit
  • Beautiful email templates
  • Easy automation
  • Great for beginners

My recommendation: Both are excellent. Pick one and stick with it. ConvertKit is more powerful for advanced automation. MailerLite is simpler for beginners. Either works perfectly.

5. STRIPE (For Payments)

Cost: Free to set up. Takes 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.

What it does: Processes credit card payments.

Why you need it: Gumroad and Stan Store handle this automatically for you, but if you ever want to sell directly from your own website, you'll need Stripe.

Getting started:

  1. Go to stripe.com
  2. Sign up free
  3. Connect to your bank account
  4. Link to your selling platform

Pro tip: You don't need to set this up immediately. Gumroad handles payments for you. Set up Stripe later when you're ready to sell on your own website.

THAT'S IT. SERIOUSLY.

You don't need:

  • Fancy video editing software (unless creating video courses)
  • Expensive website builders
  • Complicated membership platforms
  • Photoshop or Adobe Creative Suite
  • Project management tools

Start with these 5 tools:

  1. Canva (design)
  2. Google Docs (writing)
  3. Gumroad (selling)
  4. ConvertKit or MailerLite (email)
  5. Stripe (payments—automatic with Gumroad)

Create your first product. Make your first sale. THEN upgrade if needed.

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE BEGINNERS MAKE

They spend 3 weeks researching tools and never actually create anything.

Don't be that person.

Here's what to do TODAY:

✅ Sign up for Canva (free)
✅ Sign up for Gumroad (free)
✅ Sign up for ConvertKit or MailerLite (free)
✅ Spend 30 minutes exploring each platform
✅ Watch a 5-minute YouTube tutorial if needed

Get familiar with the interfaces. Play around. Make mistakes. Learn.

Because tomorrow, we're going to outline your product. And I want you ready to actually build it.

COST BREAKDOWN

Let's be real about money:

STARTING OUT (Month 1):

  • Canva: $0 (free version)
  • Google Docs: $0 (free)
  • Gumroad: $0 (only pay 10% per sale)
  • Email platform: $0 (free up to 1,000 subscribers)
  • TOTAL: $0 to start

SCALING UP (When making $1,000+/month):

  • Canva Pro: $15/month (optional)
  • Gumroad: Still only 10% per sale
  • Email platform: Still free until 1,000 subscribers
  • TOTAL: $15/month (optional)

You can literally start this business with $0 upfront investment.

ALTERNATIVES (If You Want Them)

For selling:

  • Gumroad (recommended)
  • Stan Store ($29/month)
  • Teachable (for courses only, $39+/month)
  • Podia (all-in-one, $39+/month)

For email:

  • ConvertKit (recommended)
  • MailerLite (also great)
  • MailChimp (avoid—too complicated)

For design:

  • Canva (recommended)
  • Adobe Express (Canva alternative)
  • Affinity Designer (Photoshop alternative, $70 one-time)

Stick with the main recommendations. Don't overcomplicate.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Complete your tool setup:

  1. ✅ Create Canva account
  2. ✅ Create Google Docs account (or use existing Gmail)
  3. ✅ Create Gumroad account
  4. ✅ Create ConvertKit OR MailerLite account
  5. ✅ Spend 15 minutes exploring each platform
  6. ✅ Watch one YouTube tutorial for each tool (search: "Canva for beginners," "Gumroad tutorial," "ConvertKit getting started")

Don't overthink it. Just pick one and go.

You're not married to these tools. You can always switch later.

But you can't create anything without getting started.

Tomorrow: We outline your product using a proven framework that prevents creator's block.

See you then.

Lesson Summary

The text discusses the importance of building a location-independent business with a lean tech stack to achieve significant savings by using tools costing under $100 monthly. The author shares their tech stack, which covers various aspects of business operations:

  • Communication tools
  • Client management tools
  • Payment tools
  • Financial management tools
  • Project & client delivery tools
  • Marketing & content tools
  • Automation & efficiency tools
  • Learning & growth tools

The philosophy advocated is to start with free or cost-effective tools and only upgrade when necessary to avoid unnecessary expenses. The text provides recommendations and insights on essential tools for a successful location-independent business and advises new entrepreneurs to prioritize tools that save time or directly generate revenue.

Recommendations for tools in various categories are provided:

  • Communication
  • Client management
  • Payments
  • Financial management
  • Project delivery
  • Marketing
  • Automation
  • Learning and growth

The author details their own tech stack, highlighting the importance of being selective with technology investments to prioritize tools offering time savings or revenue generation. Recommendations for a tech stack in different business growth phases are given:

  • Year 1 Phase 1 (costing between $30-60 per month):
    • Google Workspace
    • Calendly
    • Zoom
    • Stripe
    • Wave
    • Notion
    • Google Drive
    • PandaDoc
    • Carrd or Wix

The text also provides guidance on avoiding common mistakes in tool selection and integration, focusing on practicality over features. It advises on setting up tools, managing costs, integrating systems, auditing usage, and efficient learning. Examples of personal tech stack evolution are shared, stressing the importance of choosing tools that are suitable without pursuing perfection.

The text concludes by underlining the significance of finalizing tech stack selection to prepare for implementing client management strategies effectively.

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