| name | tech-stack-recommendation |
| description | Recommends tech stacks for specific business types with tool selection rationale, costs, and implementation order. Use when building your business software foundation. |
| allowed-tools | Read Write Glob |
| metadata | {"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"} |
Tech Stack Recommendation
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Select a complete technology stack for a new business or project
- Recommend tools across multiple business functions (communication, finance, marketing, etc.)
- Design a phased implementation plan for adopting multiple tools
- Balance cost, capability, and simplicity for a solopreneur or small team
DO NOT use this skill for evaluating a single tool (use saas-evaluation), auditing an existing stack (use tool-stack-audit), or enterprise IT architecture. This is for small business tech stack design.
Core Principle
THE BEST TECH STACK IS THE SMALLEST ONE THAT COVERS YOUR NEEDS — EVERY ADDITIONAL TOOL ADDS COST, COMPLEXITY, AND MAINTENANCE. START WITH THE ESSENTIALS AND ADD ONLY WHEN A REAL PROBLEM DEMANDS IT.
Phase 1: Brief
Required Inputs
| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|---|
| Business type | "What kind of business? Service, product, SaaS, e-commerce, content?" | No default — must be provided |
| Business stage | "Pre-launch, launched, or scaling?" | Launched, under $100K revenue |
| Team size | "How many people need to use these tools?" | Solo (1 person) |
| Monthly budget | "What is your total budget for all software tools?" | Under $200/month |
| Current tools | "What tools do you already use and want to keep?" | Google Workspace or none |
| Priority needs | "What business functions need tools most urgently?" | No default — rank top 3 |
GATE: Confirm the brief before designing the stack.
Phase 2: Map Business Functions
Function Inventory
For the business type, identify which functions need tools:
| Function | Priority | Status |
|---|
| Communication (email, messaging) | Essential | |
| Website (hosting, CMS) | Essential | |
| Finance (invoicing, bookkeeping, banking) | Essential | |
| CRM / Contacts | High | |
| Project Management | High | |
| Marketing (email, social, ads) | High | |
| Content Creation (design, writing, video) | Medium | |
| Analytics (web, business) | Medium | |
| File Storage (documents, assets) | Medium | |
| Scheduling (calendar, appointments) | Medium | |
| Legal (contracts, compliance) | Low | |
| AI Tools (writing, automation, research) | Medium | |
Mark each as: Needed Now / Needed Soon / Not Yet / Not Applicable
GATE: Confirm which functions to address before recommending tools.
Phase 3: Recommend
Stack Recommendation Format
For each function, recommend one primary tool:
## Recommended Tech Stack
### Communication
**Tool:** [Name] — $[X]/month
**Why:** [One sentence rationale]
**Alternative:** [Runner-up if budget or needs differ]
### Website
**Tool:** [Name] — $[X]/month
**Why:** [One sentence rationale]
**Alternative:** [Runner-up]
[Repeat for each function...]
Stack Archetypes
The Bootstrap Stack (under $50/month):
- Google Workspace ($7/month) — email, docs, storage
- Carrd or WordPress ($0-12/month) — website
- Wave or Stripe ($0) — invoicing and payments
- Notion ($0-10/month) — CRM, project management, docs
- Canva Free ($0) — design
- Mailchimp Free ($0) — email marketing
- Claude Free ($0) — AI writing and research
The Growth Stack ($100-200/month):
- Google Workspace ($14/month) — email, storage
- WordPress + hosting ($20-30/month) — website
- QuickBooks ($30/month) — accounting
- Notion or ClickUp ($10-15/month) — project management
- ConvertKit ($29/month) — email marketing
- Canva Pro ($13/month) — design
- Claude Pro ($20/month) — AI
- Calendly ($0-8/month) — scheduling
- Zapier ($20/month) — automation
Cost Summary
## Monthly Cost Summary
| Function | Tool | Cost |
|----------|------|------|
| Communication | [Tool] | $[X] |
| Website | [Tool] | $[X] |
| Finance | [Tool] | $[X] |
| CRM / PM | [Tool] | $[X] |
| Marketing | [Tool] | $[X] |
| Design | [Tool] | $[X] |
| AI | [Tool] | $[X] |
| **Total** | | **$[X]/month** |
| **Annual** | | **$[X]/year** |
Phase 4: Polish
1. Implementation Order
Sequence tool adoption to avoid overwhelm:
| Phase | Timeline | Tools to Set Up | Why First |
|---|
| Week 1 | Essential | Email, website, invoicing | Revenue-enabling |
| Week 2 | Operations | Project management, file storage | Workflow foundation |
| Week 3 | Growth | Email marketing, CRM | Customer relationships |
| Week 4 | Optimization | Design, AI, automation | Efficiency gains |
2. Integration Map
Show how recommended tools connect:
[Website] → leads → [Email Marketing] → nurtures → [CRM]
[CRM] → projects → [Project Management] → invoices → [Finance]
[Automation] connects [all tools] via triggers and actions
3. Quality Checklist
## Tech Stack Checklist
- [ ] All priority business functions have a recommended tool
- [ ] Each tool has a clear rationale (not just "it is popular")
- [ ] Total monthly cost is within budget
- [ ] Alternatives provided for key tools (in case of preference)
- [ ] Implementation is phased over 4 weeks (not all at once)
- [ ] Integration points between tools are identified
- [ ] Free tiers and trials are leveraged where possible
- [ ] Stack avoids redundancy (no two tools for the same job)
- [ ] Data portability checked (can you export and leave each tool?)
- [ ] Annual cost calculated for budget planning
Example
Business: Freelance copywriter, just launched, $100/month budget
## Recommended Stack — $87/month
| Function | Tool | Cost |
|----------|------|------|
| Email + Docs | Google Workspace | $7 |
| Website | Carrd | $9 |
| Invoicing | Stripe Invoicing | $0 (per-transaction fees) |
| CRM + PM | Notion | $10 |
| Email Marketing | MailerLite | $0 (free up to 1K subscribers) |
| Design | Canva Pro | $13 |
| AI Writing | Claude Pro | $20 |
| Scheduling | Calendly | $0 (free tier) |
| Contracts | HelloSign | $15 |
| Automation | Zapier | $20 |
| **Total** | | **$94/month** |
Implementation order: Week 1: Google Workspace, Carrd, Stripe. Week 2: Notion, Calendly. Week 3: MailerLite, HelloSign. Week 4: Canva, Claude, Zapier.
Anti-Patterns
- Enterprise tools for solo businesses — Salesforce for a one-person business is like using a firehose to water a houseplant.
- Adopting everything at once — setup fatigue is real. Phase the implementation over 4 weeks minimum.
- Choosing tools your friends use — tool selection should match YOUR business needs, not someone else's.
- Ignoring free tiers — many tools offer generous free plans. Use them until you outgrow them.
- Building instead of buying — unless your business IS software, buy the tool. Your time is better spent on clients and revenue.
Recovery
- Budget too tight for recommendations: Start with free tiers only. Google Workspace, Notion Free, Canva Free, and Mailchimp Free cover 80% of needs at $0.
- User is overwhelmed by options: Pick ONE archetype (Bootstrap or Growth) and implement it as-is. Customize later.
- A recommended tool does not fit after trying it: Swap with the alternative. Most tools in the same category are interchangeable.
- User already has tools they want to keep: Build the stack around their keepers. Fill gaps only.
