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Over the years, I built a business that reached millions of people, and one of the questions I get asked most often is some version of the same thing: What tools do you actually use?
Not the theoretical ones. Not the ones you tried for a week and forgot about. The real ones, the daily-driver, my-team-would-mutiny-if-I-canceled-this-subscription tools that keep everything humming behind the scenes.
Because after running an online business for over a decade, I can tell you this: your systems are only as good as the tools you build them on. My small-but-mighty team is the cream of the crop when it comes to efficiency and productivity, but we have a secret. We do NOT do it alone. We lean heavily on a handful of carefully chosen platforms that let us punch way above our weight class.
So rather than scouring the internet, Googling “best business tools for entrepreneurs” and drowning in two million opinions, let me save you the time. These are the 12 tools I rely on to run everything from project management to email marketing to course delivery, and I’m breaking down exactly why each one has earned its spot.
P.S. Sharing is caring! Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. I only share tools I actually use and genuinely love, so you can trust every recommendation here is the real deal.
1. Monday.com for Project Management
If I had to choose just one tool for my entire business, it would be Monday.com. This is the hub, the heartbeat, the place where every project lives from the spark of an idea to the final publish date.
Monday.com lets us track projects from start to finish, assign team members, set deadlines, leave notes, and actually see where everything stands at a glance. Before we had it, things lived in scattered Google Docs and text threads and the occasional sticky note on my desk (okay, many sticky notes). Now everything is organized, visible, and on track.
Whether you’re a team of one or ten, a solid project management tool changes the game. It’s the difference between reacting to your business and actually running it.
Use code JK10% for 10% off your Monday subscription!
2. Flodesk for Email Marketing
If you’ve been around my world for any length of time, you know I believe your email list is your most valuable business asset, full stop. Social media platforms change their algorithms on a whim, but your email list? That’s yours.
Flodesk is the email marketing platform I trust to nurture that list, and honestly, it makes the whole process feel good. The templates are stunning (we’re talking drag-and-drop gorgeous without needing a designer), the interface is intuitive, and the flat-rate pricing means you’re never penalized for growing your list. Whether you have 500 subscribers or 50,000, the price stays the same.
I love that Flodesk makes beautiful emails accessible to everyone, not just people with a graphic design degree and a six-figure software budget. If you’re still piecing together your email strategy or your current platform makes you dread hitting send, this is the switch worth making.
Try Flodesk and see why I love it!
3. Kajabi for Online Courses and Digital Products
I’ve been on Kajabi for over a decade now, and that kind of longevity tells you everything. In a world where I’ve watched platforms come and go, Kajabi has been the rock-solid home for all of my online courses and digital products.
It’s an all-in-one platform that handles course hosting, sales pages, checkout, and student experience in one place. No duct-taping five different tools together and praying they talk to each other. When someone purchases one of my programs, Kajabi delivers the content, manages their access, and makes the whole experience seamless on both ends.
If you’re thinking about creating an online course, a membership, a digital download, or any kind of knowledge-based product, Kajabi is the platform I’d point you toward without hesitation. It’s built for creators who want to teach, not tinker with tech all day.
Check out Kajabi and start building your course!
4. Front for Inbox Management
Front is the tool that finally helped me achieve the mythical inbox zero, and if you’ve ever felt buried under a mountain of emails, you understand why that felt like a small miracle.
Front is an inbox management platform that lets me sort incoming emails, assign them to the right team member, and have internal conversations below each email thread without cluttering up anyone’s actual inbox. It turned email from a source of low-grade anxiety into a system that actually works.
For anyone managing customer inquiries, partnerships, sponsorship requests, or just the general flood of running a business online, this kind of shared inbox tool is a lifesaver. My team can collaborate on responses, nothing falls through the cracks, and I can see at a glance what’s been handled and what still needs attention.
5. GA4 and Looker Studio for Business Analytics
I’m a big believer in making decisions based on actual data, not just gut feelings (though gut feelings have their place too). Google Analytics 4 paired with Looker Studio dashboards has been instrumental in helping me understand what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next.
These tools let me create visual dashboards that track everything from website conversion rates and email list growth to sales trends and traffic sources. Instead of logging into seven different platforms to piece together the big picture, I can see it all in one beautiful, color-coded view.
The best part? Both tools are free. You don’t need to invest in expensive analytics software to start tracking the numbers that matter in your business. Start with the basics (where is your traffic coming from, what are people clicking, what’s converting) and build from there.
Learn how to set up your own analytics dashboards!
6. ManyChat for Automated Lead Generation
ManyChat is the tool that connected my content to tangible, measurable results in a way that honestly blew my mind. It’s a chat automation platform that integrates with Instagram and Facebook to create automated conversation flows and lead generation funnels.
You know when you see a creator say “comment FREEBIE to get the link”? That’s ManyChat working behind the scenes. It lets me engage with my audience, deliver resources, gather insights, and collect email addresses, even at 2 AM when I’m very much asleep. It turned my social media from a megaphone into an actual conversation, and the results have been staggering. We’ve used it to bring in over 50,000 new email subscribers and generate over $1.7 million in revenue.
If you’re creating content on social media and not connecting it to your email list and offers, ManyChat is the missing piece.
Sign up for a 30-day free trial of ManyChat and use the code “Jenna” to test it out risk-free!
7. HoneyBook for Client Management
If you run any kind of service-based business (photography, coaching, consulting, design, freelancing), HoneyBook is the tool that replaces about five others. It handles contracts, invoices, proposals, automated follow-up messages, scheduling, and even basic accounting, all in one platform.
HoneyBook has been my go-to for years, and I recommend it to every service provider I know. Instead of chasing down contracts in one app, sending invoices from another, and tracking payments in a spreadsheet, everything lives in one place. Your client experience feels polished and professional, and you spend less time on admin and more time doing the work you love.
Snag your free trial and save 30% off your annual HoneyBook subscription!
8. Showit for Website Design
Your website is your digital home base, and ShowIt is the platform I trust to make mine look exactly the way I want it to. ShowIt’s drag-and-drop builder gives you complete creative freedom without needing to know a single line of code.
What I love about ShowIt is that it doesn’t box you into rigid templates where every website ends up looking the same. You can customize every pixel, and because it’s built on WordPress for blogging, you get the best of both worlds: stunning design flexibility with powerful SEO functionality for your blog content.
Whether you’re building your first website or you’re ready for a redesign that actually reflects where your brand is now, ShowIt makes the process feel creative instead of frustrating.
Use code GOALDIGGER for 10% off an annual Showit subscription!
9. Tonic Site Shop for Website Templates
If you love my website, the secret is Tonic Site Shop. I’ve been working with Jen from Tonic for years, and she has gorgeously navigated every single evolution of me and my brand. Her templates are designed for creatives and entrepreneurs who want a website that looks high-end without the high-end price tag of a fully custom build.
A Tonic template paired with ShowIt is the combination I recommend to anyone who wants a website that actually looks like them, not a cookie-cutter version of everyone else in their industry. Jen’s design eye is unmatched, and her templates are built with strategy in mind, not just aesthetics.
Save 15% off your Tonic template with my link!
10. Canva for Graphic Design
Canva is the great equalizer. It’s a design tool (with a generous free plan) that I use for everything from social media graphics to workbooks, ad creatives, and presentation decks. You do not need to be a designer to make beautiful things in Canva, and that’s exactly the point.
The template library is massive, the drag-and-drop editor is genuinely intuitive, and Canva Pro gives you access to brand kits, background removal, and a content calendar that makes batch-creating so much faster. Whether you’re whipping up a quick Instagram story or designing a full lead magnet, Canva can handle it.
11. Searchie for Content Organization
Searchie is the tool that helped me organize years of content into something actually findable and useful. It lets you create your own searchable database, and I used it to import all of my podcast episodes (all 900+ of them) into a space where people can search for specific topics and find exactly the episode and timestamp they’re looking for.
If you create any kind of long-form content (courses, podcasts, video libraries, coaching calls), Searchie transforms it from a static archive into a living, breathing resource. Instead of your audience scrolling endlessly trying to find that one episode where you talked about Pinterest strategy, they can search for it and land right on the moment. Head to jennakutcher.com/ask to see it in action.
Start your free trial for Searchie!
12. Google Calendar for Time Management
Sometimes the simplest tool is the most powerful one. Google Calendar has become essential to the way I manage my time, protect my energy, and create a sustainable rhythm in my business and life.
I color-code everything (business tasks, personal appointments, kid activities, creative time, white space), do regular calendar audits, and set firm boundaries around when I work and when I don’t. It’s free, it syncs everywhere, and the act of actually blocking time for the things that matter has been more transformative than any productivity hack I’ve ever tried.
If your schedule feels chaotic, start here. Not with another app or system, but with the free tool you probably already have, used with a little more intention.
The Right Tools Won’t Build Your Business For You (But They’ll Free You Up to Do the Work That Will)
After over a decade of building an online business, the biggest thing I’ve learned about tools is this: the best ones disappear into the background. They don’t create more work. They don’t require a PhD to set up. They quietly handle the operational stuff so you can focus on the creative, strategic, human work that actually moves the needle.
These 12 tools have earned their place in my business because they’ve stood the test of time, and more importantly, they’ve helped my small team operate like a much bigger one without the burnout.
Give them a try. See what clicks. And if you want to see what other products I swear by beyond the business stuff, explore all my favorites here.
Want More Than Just Productivity Hacks?
Explore all my lifestyle faves to see how what tools I trust to help me design a business and life that work together!
