Tech Tools Recommendations

There is no shortage of tech stack lists online. Most are either trying to sell you software or overwhelm you with options.

This list focuses on tools that work well for service businesses, consulting firms, and coaching practices where reliability matters, time is limited, and unnecessary complexity becomes expensive fast.

A tool makes this list if it:

  • works reliably under pressure
  • is manageable without a dedicated IT team
  • scales without forcing premature upgrades
  • delivers value that matches its cost

If a tool adds complexity before it adds clarity, it did not make the cut.

AI meeting notes

  • Granola
    Privacy-focused AI meeting notes that run locally instead of joining calls as a bot. Useful when conversations involve sensitive client information or NDAs.
    Cost: ~$19 CAD per month
  • Fireflies
    Bot-based meeting transcription with shared, searchable notes. Works well for teams that need visibility across calls.
    Cost: free plan available, paid plans ~$14 CAD per user per month

Internal research and synthesis (AI used carefully)

  • NotebookLM
    Best used for summarizing and analyzing your own documents. Upload discovery notes, questionnaires, research files, or audit reports and ask questions grounded in that source material.
    Cost: free

Business email

  • Email included with your hosting plan
    Often enough for early-stage businesses that just need professional email.
    Cost: included with hosting
  • iCloud+ Custom Email Domain
    Lets you use your own domain for email if you already pay for iCloud storage. Simple and low maintenance.
    Cost: ~$1.39 CAD per month
  • Proton Mail
    Privacy-focused email with strong encryption. Very limited integrations, but useful when privacy is a business requirement.
    Cost: free tier available, paid plans ~$7 CAD per month

Collaboration without full Google Workspace

  • Google Workspace Essentials Starter
    Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Meet without hosting email on Google. Common in consulting and agency environments where collaboration matters more than inbox consolidation.
    Cost: free

Forms and structured data

  • Google Forms
    Simple forms for intake, market research, surveys, and basic data collection.
    Cost: free
  • Jotform
    More advanced forms with conditional logic for onboarding and assessments.
    Cost: free tier available, paid plans ~$54 CAD per month
  • Airtable
    A better option when responses need to live in a structured database and be analyzed over time.
    Cost: free tier available, paid plans ~$28 CAD per user per month

Email marketing

  • MailerLite
    Straightforward email marketing with solid automation and good deliverability when set up correctly.
    Cost: free tier available, paid plans ~$14 CAD per month
  • Flodesk
    Design-forward email for brands that care more about visuals than complex workflows.
    Cost: ~$53 CAD per month

Scheduling

  • Tidycal
    Simple scheduling with a one-time payment. Covers the basics without ongoing fees.
    Cost: ~$40–$68 CAD one-time
  • Cal.com
    Flexible scheduling with a genuinely useful free plan. Supports multiple event types and routing logic.
    Cost: free plan available, paid plans as needs grow

Contracts and signatures

  • DocHub
    Document editing and e-signatures without enterprise pricing.
    Cost: free tier available, paid plans ~$8 CAD per month

Internal documentation

  • Notion
    Flexible space for SOPs, internal docs, and planning. Works best with intentional structure.
    Cost: free tier available, paid plans ~$11 CAD per user per month

Websites and landing pages

  • Lovable / Imagine.dev
    AI-powered site builders for getting something live quickly.
    Cost: ~$21–$42 CAD per month
  • Carrd
    One-page sites for waitlists, service pages, and focused conversions.
    Cost: free tier available, Pro ~$26 CAD per year

Domains and hosting

  • Cloudflare
    Domain registration with strong DNS and security controls. More technical, but very reliable.
    Cost: ~$11–$21 CAD per year
  • Web Hosting Canada
    Canadian hosting with local support, CAD pricing, and bundled email options.
    Cost: hosting from ~$11.95 CAD per month

Office software (no subscriptions required)

  • Microsoft Office (one-time license)
    Word, Excel, and PowerPoint without a Microsoft 365 subscription.
    Cost: ~$160 CAD one-time
  • LibreOffice
    Free, open-source office software for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Offline-friendly and no account required.
    Cost: free

Password management

  • Bitwarden
    Secure password management with affordable pricing.
    Cost: free tier available, paid plans ~$14 CAD per year
  • 1Password
    Shared vaults and access controls for teams managing many logins.
    Cost: ~$4 CAD per user per month

How to use this list

Do not install everything.

Start with the biggest source of friction in your business. Fix that first. Set the tool up properly. Learn how it works. Then move on to the next improvement.

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