CRM and automation
GoHighLevel
The place I use for lead capture, messaging and follow-up when a business needs more than somebody's memory.
Where I use it: Lead capture, Quote follow-up, Review requests.
Business Stack
The software I use across my businesses.
I use a lot of software. Some of it saves us time, some replaces work we used to do manually and some earns its place despite being frustrating. This is where I explain what I use, why I chose it and where I think it falls short.
Why I keep a close eye on the stack
Software has a habit of arriving as a solution and becoming another job to manage. I keep a tool when it removes a meaningful amount of manual work, keeps useful information together or gives somebody a more reliable next step. If it cannot do one of those things, I am happy to question whether we still need it.
I will not turn this into a directory of products I cannot answer questions about. A review belongs here only when I can explain the job it does, the frustrations that come with it and who I would be cautious about recommending it to.
Reviews
Tools I can speak about with some honesty.
There are no scores or best-of lists here. Each note covers the job I needed done, the trade-offs I have found and the type of business that may get value from it.
3 published notes
AI
ChatGPT
The general AI tool I use to get a first draft, a long document or a repeat task into a form I can work with.
Where I use it: First drafts, Document summaries, Data clean-up, Repeatable prompts.
Automation
Make
The automation tool I use when a workflow has enough branches that I need to see the logic and not just trust a connection in the background.
Where I use it: Enquiry routing, Multi-step automation, Data processing.
Notes from using the stack
The software is only useful when the work around it makes sense.
These pieces look at the decisions, hand-offs and habits that sit behind the tools.
Tools · Business stack roundup
The Tools I Use to Build and Run My Businesses
A growing software stack can quietly become another business problem. This is the test I use before a tool keeps its place.
Tools · How I use
How I Use GoHighLevel Across My Businesses
I use GoHighLevel where a lead needs a visible next step. It helps, but it will not fix an unclear sales process for you.
Technology · How I use
How I Use ChatGPT as a Business Owner
ChatGPT is useful to me when it gets a piece of work moving. The judgement, facts and final decision still stay with me.
Continue exploring
Read the decisions behind the tools.
The notes explain where a tool helps and where a process, conversation or clearer responsibility would be the wiser place to start.