The tools I've discovered, tested, and learned from in my journey from PM to building real products. Honest takes on what works, what doesn't, and what I'd do differently.
2 tools
2 tools
1 tool
3 tools
3 tools
1 tool
Domain registration with an excellent Google Workspace bundle deal I discovered on my third domain purchase.
Pro tip: Look for the bundled deals - they're significantly cheaper than buying separately!
Professional email and the full Google suite, including Forms for my contact page. Essential for looking legitimate.
The Starter tier has everything you need to begin. Upgrade when you actually need the extra features.
Low-cost hosting for applications with direct repo integration and automatic deployment from commits.
Perfect for hosting applications. The auto-deploy feature from Git commits is a game-changer.
The hosting platform I use for this blog. Excellent for static sites and Next.js applications with zero-config deployment.
My go-to for static sites and blogs. The deployment experience is incredibly smooth.
Migrated from Bitbucket after I hit blockers while trying to clone locally on my Mac. GitHub Desktop just works.
Learn how to use GitHub. The ecosystem and tooling support is unmatched.
My journey through AI coding tools. Started with Claude, got excited about Lovable's capabilities, and ready to graduate to Cursor.
Each tool has its place. Claude for learning, Lovable for quick prototypes, Cursor for real development.
Email subscription system for the newsletter. Easy setup with great embedded form options that I could style to match my site.
Works perfectly for subscription management. API and high limits on free tier.
PostgreSQL database with real-time features and easy authentication. Supabase also has an S3 equivalent with bucket storage. 🪣
If you need a database and auth system, Supabase is incredibly developer-friendly.
Payment processing system. The gold standard for accepting payments online with excellent documentation and testing tools. This also provides a set of early-stage BI tools to analyze your business.
If you need to collect money, Stripe is worth the learning curve. Nothing else comes close.
The OG analytics platform for tracking website traffic. Also evaluating other options but using this for now.
I'm all ears for new recommendations on this tooling, but GA is a great start.
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