June 24, 2025 • 22 mins
In this episode, I break down how to simplify your tech stack and trim unnecessary monthly subscriptions. Learn how to audit your current tools, avoid hidden costs of convenience and comparison, and choose systems that support your business stage.
Why You Should Listen
- Audit your software expenses for better cash flow – Learn to identify unused or duplicative tools, take control of your tech budget, and cancel subscriptions you don’t need.
- Avoid hidden costs of convenience & comparison – Discover how comparing yourself to others or adding tools for future use can bloat your stack and drain your resources.
- Simplify with tools that actually bring you joy – Swap clunky systems for easy-to-use options (like ConvertKit, Squarespace, ThriveCart), and only keep what adds value now.
- Know the right times to reassess your stack – Whether you’re launching new offers, changing team size, or shifting your model, I share the perfect moments to pause and prune.
Ready to streamline your business? This episode shows you how to audit, cancel, and consolidate effectively.
Links mentioned:
- Blog Article: My Current Tech Stack (as of 2025)
- Kit (formly known as ConvertKit)
- Squarespace
- ThriveCart
- MemberVault
- TidyCal
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello there.
I am actually quite surprisedthat today's topic is what it is
talking all about how tosimplify your tech stack, what
I'm using right now, and how youcan simplify your tech and tools
and software.
But this has been a questionthat I have.
Keep getting in my dms when I'veopened up q and a and you know,
(00:20):
office hours on my Instagramstories, it is one of the most
requested questions and Irecently published a blog
article on my website justdetailing out what my tech stack
is for 2025, and it has handsdown become in the top three
most viewed pages on my website.
I'll make sure to include thatin the show notes for you as
well, but I'm like, okay, let'sjust give it a dedicated episode
(00:42):
because.
You keep asking for it.
Okay.
Um, I was giving you somecontext.
I think this is prettyinteresting too because I have
been on both sides.
You know, I.
Have been in the early stages ofstarting a business, trying to
figure out what tech to use.
I have coached clients at alldifferent stages of business,
and usually we do have torecommend or at least offer some
tech suggestions.
(01:04):
I've been at the peak of mybusiness where, you know, multi
seven figures a year, full-timeteam members, independent
contractors, where I wasprobably at the height of my
software tech stack.
To me now having descaledeverything and then having to
reevaluate and analyze all of mytech.
Let's just say I've been throughit, okay?
And I've been doing this for along time.
I'm in my ninth year ofbusiness.
(01:25):
I have been in software, leftsoftware, tried out multiple
software.
So I feel like I have someexperience here, but I want to
get into like the hidden cost ofconvenience and typically why
this issue typically happens.
Um, this is really from thewords of the mouths of the
people who have requested thisquestion from me.
Um, what I did to clean it allup.
(01:46):
What my current tech, my currenttech stack is and why I have it
the way that it is.
How to audit your own tech stackand you know, really leaving it
from there.
I think this is a really hottopic.
I don't, I think it's alwaysjust interesting, unless some of
us are just nosy though, likewhat are other people using?
And I think that's the firstthing is like, not only the
hidden cost of convenience, butthe hidden cost of comparison.
(02:08):
I think that it is so common forus to get on threads or get on
Instagram or.
Be on YouTube and see what otherpeople are using in their tech
stack and shiny object syndromeis at an all time high.
We may not like an a fraction ofwhat our current software is
doing for us, and then we seesomebody else hyping up,
bragging about posting how theirsoftware is working for them and
(02:32):
we are ready to jump ship.
I have done that or at leastthought about doing that
multiple times over the years,but I do think that is.
A huge reason that many of usget into an issue where our tech
stack gets out of hand.
Um, the other thing is that thehidden cost of convenience, I
think a lot of the time, myselfincluded.
Is that we will run into anissue with one thing.
(02:53):
We will not look to see if ourcurrent tech stack or the
current software that we use cansatisfy that problem.
And then we will go buy a newsoftware that now comes with a
monthly subscription to do thatone thing.
And now we have a bunch ofsoftware that's doing one
function and the tech stackreally adds up.
Or what ends up happening, andthe, I see this happen a lot of
(03:13):
time, this happen for myselftoo, is that we have a ton of
software that we're either notusing or severely under
utilizing, and we are paying formultiple softwares that, you
know, you're paying forduplication and it's just, it's
adding up in your businessexpenses.
So I don't know where you're at,but things can get really
bloated, really unnecessary,really complex, really quickly.
(03:35):
And I guess if you're listeningto this, you probably are in
that situation or you're tryingto avoid it so.
I wanna talk about what I did toclean things up.
Um, just speaking from my ownexperience when I took my year
off for my sabbatical, whichyou've been hearing me talk
about all this year in 2025 andhow I've been coming back and
what that's looked like, one ofthe first things I had to do was
audit my current tech stackbecause I was like, we, I had so
(03:57):
much software that wasunnecessary, no longer needed.
My business model had changed.
My team size had changed, whichmeans that my systems looked
different'cause I was the onenow doing it.
It wasn't, you know, anassistant or a full-time team
member doing it on my behalf.
And that's a huge, that has ahuge impact on what systems and
software you need.
(04:18):
'cause when you're running yourown system, you probably need
different software and tech thenif somebody else is doing it on
your behalf because the processlooks different.
So I do wanna say that, like youprobably know, it's probably a
good time to audit your softwarewhen you change your offers.
When you change your businessmodel, like I went from selling
higher ticket group coachingwhere we were enrolling about
(04:39):
150 clients a year.
To working primarily withprivate one-on-one coaching
clients doing virtual VIP weeks,doing one-off intensives, where
I'm working with maybe 20 to 30clients a year.
So when my business modelchanged, I, it was a good time
to look at my software when myoffers changed.
A good time to look at yoursoftware.
Also, when the amount of clientsthat you work with changes, like
(05:03):
if you are working with about 30to clients a year, your software
stack might look different thanwhen you're working with maybe
60 to 70 clients a year.
And similarly, when you areworking with a hundred plus
clients a year, that's anothergood time to audit your tech
stack.
The other time to audit yourtech stack is based off of what
your enrollment cadence is ifyou're doing live launches
(05:23):
versus if you are like alwaysselling, that will impact the
type of type of tech stack thatyou probably need, um, or what
you get, you know, long term,which is versus what you might
buy on a month to monthsubscription and cancel.
So those are all like.
Opportunities or moments in timein your business where it's
probably good for you to audityour software, and I would just
(05:43):
really recommend building in acadence like when you are
working on the business versuswhen you are working in the
business.
This should be one of thosetasks that is like working on
the business.
I'd recommend that you do thisat least annually or every six
months.
Just auditing your software,making sure that you are still
using what you have, making surethat you are not, um,
underutilizing what you have, ormaking sure that you're not
(06:05):
paying for duplication in thetech and the software that you
are using.
So what I did, and I had mynotes pulled up here, was that
when I did come back, the nicething that I had to work from is
that I was working from a cleanslate.
So I, you know, I had taken ayear off.
I had no clients that werecurrently on the roster.
I was starting from.
Scratch ish.
And I do think that was to mybenefit'cause I did everything
(06:27):
manual for the first handful ofclients so that I had a very
clear line of visibility andline of sight in regards to what
I actually needed.
Um, I understand that you mightnot be in that situation.
You might be in the thick ofclients and all of that, but go,
and actually first step is goactually look at what you're
currently using.
What I've noticed when I'mcoaching my clients on this,
(06:49):
when we're getting through,we're looking at cash flow,
trying to evaluate their profitmargins, like looking at their
overhead.
This is something that alwayscomes up and we realize like,
girl, you paying for software,you haven't logged into in how
long?
I.
You're paying for software thathas not triggered an automation
or triggered, uh, an actioninside of it for how long.
And I think a lot of the timeit's just that many of us do not
(07:11):
have healthy rhythms for when weare looking at our cash flow,
which in turn creates reallyunhealthy rhythms for how often
we're looking at our expenses,which in turn mm-hmm.
Creates an unhealthy cadence forwhen we're actually looking at
the line items of our expenses.
So I would highly recommend thatyou.
Open up your bank statementsfrom the last quarter or the
(07:32):
last six months, and actuallylist out every piece of tech
software that you currentlyhave, how much you are paying
for it, and what type ofsubscription it's on.
Is it on a monthly subscription?
Is it on an annual subscription?
And actually know how much areyou paying every single year in
tech and software, and thatneeds to make sense for the size
(07:52):
of business that you have.
What I've noticed oftentimes isthat clients of mine that are
maybe making.
And you know, somewhere betweena hundred and$400,000 a year
could be paying more in softwarethan some of my clients who are
making 600,000 to a million.
Reason being, I think it goesback to what I mentioned
earlier, like the hidden cost ofconvenience and comparison and
(08:15):
just like not having that lineof sight to pay attention to
when things.
End when they don't end when youneed to cancel.
Things like just not payingattention because you're so busy
trying to market, sell, anddeliver your service that you
really don't have a lot of timeor you're not dedicating a lot
of effort to actually looking atyour expenses when you're
analyzing your cash flow.
So go and look at what you'recurrently paying for.
(08:36):
And then after that, look atwhat you're actually using and
the frequency of how often youuse these things.
And I think that can be really,really helpful.
'cause what I have noticed, andthis is something I used to
struggle with too, early stagesof my business, is that I'd be
paying for software to solveproblems that were not real in
the business today.
Because I would be worried aboutthe future.
I would be worried that, ohwell, when we start scaling, I'm
(08:58):
gonna need this.
So I'm gonna get it now so I canbe prepared.
Mm-hmm.
You don't need to do that.
Okay.
The software company ain't goingnowhere.
Stop paying for stuff you arenot using because you are
worried about not being prepareda year from now.
Okay?
Trust yourself to know that youwill resource yourself in the
way that you need when you needit.
Um, I don't, there's very fewtimes where I can see the
(09:20):
benefit to proactively payingexcessive amounts of software
prematurely.
Um, I just, there's very fewinstances where I felt that's
actually worth.
Like worth the effort, worth themoney, but also worth the time
you're gonna spend probablybuilding it out or setting it
up.
And I also notice this happen alot with my clients whose
comfort zone is playing withsystems and tech and software.
(09:42):
So they will procrastinate fromdoing sales and marketing
related activities.
By tinkering around watchingYouTube videos, learning
different softwares, joiningcoaching programs that teach'em
about different softwares thatthey're not actively using as a
means of procrastination andavoidance.
So if that is you, maybe.
(10:03):
You know, maybe, maybe listenin, tune in here.
Okay.
Take that to heart, but payattention to that and then start
to evaluate based off of whatyou are actually using and the
frequency of what you use it.
Also look at are there anysoftwares that you currently
have that are serving asduplications and where you
could, you're using this but youreally don't need to because
(10:24):
another software that you havealso does it evaluate for that
as well?
Um, and then especially if yourteam size changed, look at what
software you might be using thatyou only need because a team
member was there.
And that really was the case forme in a lot of situations.
There was some software that Ihad that like, when we didn't
have a team member, we no longerneeded the system or no longer
needed the tech.
(10:45):
And then the last thing, kind ofwhat I mentioned earlier is what
do you need right now based offof what you're actually doing
and what is actually working?
And start to drill that down.
And once you start to nail thatin, you'll probably have a list
of tech that you no longer needand can cancel.
What I like to do, especially ifyou're paying for an annual
subscription, is reach out tothat company and say, Hey, that
(11:07):
you need to cancel.
Can I get a refund for theremainder of the time on my
subscription?
I have not had any issues withany software denying it, but you
normally have to ask versus ifyou go through the website.
And click cancel subscription.
Oftentimes it'll say, cool, youjust won't renew, but you're
still gonna pay the balance forthe remainder of the year.
At least reach out to the techcompany and see if they will
(11:29):
give you a refund for theportion that you are not using.
Um, so that's like what I woulddo to audit my tech.
Okay.
The next thing is what mycurrent tech stack is.
So I did share a comprehensivelist on my blog, so make sure if
you wanna like see exactly whattech I'm using, why I'm using
it, I will link that in the shownotes.
Or you can just go to ishahawk.com/blog.
(11:51):
And yes, I started a blog.
I had don't.
Really have a posting cadence,but I wanted to have some
permanent place for like some ofthis more longer form type of
discussions for you.
Um, especially around likefrequently asked questions that
I get.
So it'd be really easy for me toreference people to it.
So definitely go check that out.
Um, but my quick rundown forwhere I'm at now is I'm very
(12:14):
fortunate'cause I have a few.
Things that are a lifetimelicense, so I only had to pay
one time for the tech versusmonthly subscriptions, and that
is something that I would highlyrecommend, like I use
thrivecart.
I have Member Vault for my likecontent management system, my
learning management system.
And I also use Tidy Cal, whichis a call scheduling software.
(12:35):
So similar to like AcuityScheduler or Can ly.
Tidy Cal is a onetime paymentfor the software.
Thrivecart was a one-timepayment in thrivecart is a
payment processing checkoutpages, that type of thing.
You pay for it one time, younever have to pay for it again.
And then Member Vault, I gotlucky.
I knew, um, the owners when theyfirst launched the software and
(12:56):
I purchased a lifetime license,it was like part of how they
were raising capital to actuallybuild the software.
And I've just never left.
So those are some softwares thatI have that I have a lifetime
license on.
I do not have to pay monthlysubscriptions.
That saves me a ton of money.
Um, I used to use SamCart and Iused one other payment processor
besides thrivecart, but child.
(13:18):
I'm not trying to pay no ahundred dollars a month to
collect money.
Um, so I've really appreciatedthose lifetime license.
The other thing that I didswitch up this year is I used to
be on active campaign for myemail marketing system.
I had been using Active Campaignfor like the last five years.
Active campaign to me isconfusing af on the backend.
From a user experienceperspective, yes, it can do any
(13:40):
and everything under the sun.
It has all the data, all theautomations, all the fancy tick,
you know, all the things it cando.
My business ain't thatcomplicated.
I don't need that level ofsegmentation.
I don't, you know, and the userface did not work for me.
So that was one thing when Idid, you know, rebuild my tech
stack this year, I told myselfif the tech.
Does not bring me joy.
(14:01):
I am getting rid of it.
If I cannot use it withoutasking somebody else for help, I
am, I'm getting rid of it.
If I have any tech that I'mcurrently using, that gives me a
headache, that prevents me fromactually using it.
'cause it don't make no sense tome.
I'm getting rid of it.
And I'm like, if it's notbringing me joy, it's, it is.
It's not bringing me peace.
It's got to go.
So I got rid of Active Campaign.
(14:22):
Active campaign.
Worked really well beforebecause my team members used to
run it.
I never sent an email throughActive Campaign.
Somebody else on my team did.
My other team members loved it.
I'm like, be, be great.
Okay.
Go out there and be blessed.
'cause I, I, I'm lost.
So I switched from ActiveCampaign to ConvertKit, now
known as Kit.
It's interesting because Istarted my business off in
(14:44):
ConvertKit and loved ConvertKit.
I loved the user experience inthe backend.
Left for active campaign'cause Iwas, you know, worried about
scaling and wanted to make surewe had a system that could grow
with us and I hated it.
I, I basically ran my businessfor five years and barely sent
out any emails because I didnot, like, I hated using active
campaign.
So I switched to Kit when Iredid my tech stack and I'm so
(15:08):
grateful I did.
'cause I feel like Kit has.
Totally evolved their platform.
It does everything that I needit to do.
It is easy for me to use.
It is a 10 out of 10 and it'ssignificantly cheaper than
active campaign.
The other thing I also, um,switched was my website host.
So I used to be on WordPresssimilar to Active campaign.
(15:30):
Yes, it can do everything, but Ihated WordPress.
I hated making edits in there.
I would usually like.
Just not send people to mywebsite.
'cause I didn't really like it.
Um, and I didn't really know howto use it.
So I decided when I did myrebrand this year in 2025, I'm
like, okay, I wanna switch to awebsite that is really easy for
me to use.
Like I'm really big on userexperience.
(15:52):
So I switched to Squarespace andI, fug Squarespace has been a
breeze from a user experienceperspective and just like how my
brain needs to visually seestuff.
So those are some changes Imade.
And like I said, if you want thefull tech stack, just check out
the blog article on my site.
So those are just some rulesthat I have, like if I am
avoiding logging into thesoftware because it don't make
(16:13):
no sense to me or I'm avoidingusing the software because it,
I, it just, you know, it doesn'twork or it's clunky for me, like
get rid of it.
Yes, it might be able to domore, but if it's not doing the
basics of what you need it todo, it's inefficient.
It's not needed.
Like, and I think that'ssomething that when it comes to
tech and software, we can getkind of in our heads about,
we're like, oh my gosh, you cando all this.
(16:34):
But it's like, do you even needto do all that?
And I'm really big on like havethis software that matches the
level of scale.
That your business is at, like,yes, this thing might be able to
do more, but if you don't, if itcan do more, but it's not doing
what you need right now, it's,it's, it's a waste of money, a
waste of time, a waste ofeffort, and it's a waste of like
the time it's going to take foryou to figure out the learning
(16:56):
curve, to like learn thesoftware.
So that is what I'm on now.
Um, and again, if you need toaudit your own tech stack, make
sure you do that.
Like I just think that it is agood business practice to one,
be reviewing your expenses andseeing where your money is
going, especially around techand software.
'cause when we're runningdigital businesses, it is just
(17:18):
like, it's so easy for thatstuff to add up.
So, like I said, pull your bankstatements, look at every
recurring business charge thatyou have, and evaluate whether
or not you need it or not.
Make a list of every tool andask yourself, am I actively
using this?
Is this solving a problem that Ihave right now?
Or is it creating new problemsthat I don't need to be having
in my business right now?
And is this the best tool forthe job or just one that I
(17:41):
happened to grab two years agoand haven't reopened, or really
haven't utilized or thought Iwould need, but we never really
got around to it.
Um, the third thing is cancelanything you haven't used in the
last 60 or 90 days.
And I think that that is huge.
Okay.
Reach, again, reach out to thoseplatforms, see if you can get a
refund if you're on an annualsubscription.
But if not, get rid of thesoftware and then consolidate.
(18:04):
See what software you might behaving duplications in.
Can one platform do the job ofwhat two or three others are
currently doing?
Um, and then document whatstays.
And I really do like to havethis inside of my project
management system.
I use Asana for that so that Iknow like this is the software
that we've canceled and whywe've canceled it.
(18:25):
This is the software that we'rekeeping, um, that type of thing.
I like to have some record ofthat and in case like a new team
member does come on, or in caseI get shiny object syndrome
again, I need to remind myselfof why I made these decisions.
Um, or you can put it in aGoogle Doc or that type of
thing.
And then I think it's alsoreally helpful once you now have
this list, actually put thisinto cashflow projection or
(18:46):
budgeting for the year so thatyou know when those annual
payments are going to hit andwhat your monthly recurring
expenses will be for tech andsoftware ongoing.
I have had some clients wherethey got really strategic with
this, where they changed theirbilling date for their annual
subscription.
For their tech and software.
So it would all hit maybe inJanuary, or it would all hit in
(19:06):
June, or they would spread itout throughout the year versus
it being like all random wherethere's one going in February,
one in June, one in.
September type of thing.
Um, and you can do that.
You can reach out to thesecompanies, ask if you can change
your billing date.
They will have no problem doingthat for you so that you can
have better forecasting and cashflow management.
So these may be bigger annualsubscriptions are happening, you
(19:29):
know, when you have large influxof cash coming in because of
your launch cycle or somethinglike that.
So.
Those are all the things that Irecommend when it comes to
auditing your tech stack.
Again, if you wanna see my techstack, you can just go check
that out on myblog@ishahawk.com.
And again, I will link it in theshow notes.
Um.
But you need tools that willsupport you, not stress you out,
(19:51):
and I cannot emphasize thatenough.
It is safe for you to simplify.
It is safe for you to descaleyour software and your systems.
It is safe for you tounsubscribe.
'cause sometimes growth lookslike subtraction.
Okay.
So that is a wrap for thisepisode.
Again, if you have submittedthis question into me, I hope
that this episode answers all ofyour questions.
And just, um, if you ever wantme to answer your question here
(20:14):
on the podcast, just send me aDM over on Instagram or, you
know, whenever I'm doing myInstagram story, office hours
and q and a.
Feel free to submit a question.
I, I love being able to answeryour questions directly.
Um, but thank you guys fortuning in.
Until next time, keep it simple.
Okay.
Be intentional and.
Keep building a business thatfits your actual life.
(20:36):
I will talk to you soon.
Hello there.
I am actually quite surprisedthat today's topic is what it is
talking all about how tosimplify your tech stack, what
I'm using right now, and how youcan simplify your tech and tools
and software.
But this has been a questionthat I have.
Keep getting in my dms when I'veopened up q and a and you know,
(00:20):
office hours on my Instagramstories, it is one of the most
requested questions and Irecently published a blog
article on my website justdetailing out what my tech stack
is for 2025, and it has handsdown become in the top three
most viewed pages on my website.
I'll make sure to include thatin the show notes for you as
well, but I'm like, okay, let'sjust give it a dedicated episode
(00:42):
because.
You keep asking for it.
Okay.
Um, I was giving you somecontext.
I think this is prettyinteresting too because I have
been on both sides.
You know, I.
Have been in the early stages ofstarting a business, trying to
figure out what tech to use.
I have coached clients at alldifferent stages of business,
and usually we do have torecommend or at least offer some
tech suggestions.
(01:04):
I've been at the peak of mybusiness where, you know, multi
seven figures a year, full-timeteam members, independent
contractors, where I wasprobably at the height of my
software tech stack.
To me now having descaledeverything and then having to
reevaluate and analyze all of mytech.
Let's just say I've been throughit, okay?
And I've been doing this for along time.
I'm in my ninth year ofbusiness.
(01:25):
I have been in software, leftsoftware, tried out multiple
software.
So I feel like I have someexperience here, but I want to
get into like the hidden cost ofconvenience and typically why
this issue typically happens.
Um, this is really from thewords of the mouths of the
people who have requested thisquestion from me.
Um, what I did to clean it allup.
(01:46):
What my current tech, my currenttech stack is and why I have it
the way that it is.
How to audit your own tech stackand you know, really leaving it
from there.
I think this is a really hottopic.
I don't, I think it's alwaysjust interesting, unless some of
us are just nosy though, likewhat are other people using?
And I think that's the firstthing is like, not only the
hidden cost of convenience, butthe hidden cost of comparison.
(02:08):
I think that it is so common forus to get on threads or get on
Instagram or.
Be on YouTube and see what otherpeople are using in their tech
stack and shiny object syndromeis at an all time high.
We may not like an a fraction ofwhat our current software is
doing for us, and then we seesomebody else hyping up,
bragging about posting how theirsoftware is working for them and
(02:32):
we are ready to jump ship.
I have done that or at leastthought about doing that
multiple times over the years,but I do think that is.
A huge reason that many of usget into an issue where our tech
stack gets out of hand.
Um, the other thing is that thehidden cost of convenience, I
think a lot of the time, myselfincluded.
Is that we will run into anissue with one thing.
(02:53):
We will not look to see if ourcurrent tech stack or the
current software that we use cansatisfy that problem.
And then we will go buy a newsoftware that now comes with a
monthly subscription to do thatone thing.
And now we have a bunch ofsoftware that's doing one
function and the tech stackreally adds up.
Or what ends up happening, andthe, I see this happen a lot of
(03:13):
time, this happen for myselftoo, is that we have a ton of
software that we're either notusing or severely under
utilizing, and we are paying formultiple softwares that, you
know, you're paying forduplication and it's just, it's
adding up in your businessexpenses.
So I don't know where you're at,but things can get really
bloated, really unnecessary,really complex, really quickly.
(03:35):
And I guess if you're listeningto this, you probably are in
that situation or you're tryingto avoid it so.
I wanna talk about what I did toclean things up.
Um, just speaking from my ownexperience when I took my year
off for my sabbatical, whichyou've been hearing me talk
about all this year in 2025 andhow I've been coming back and
what that's looked like, one ofthe first things I had to do was
audit my current tech stackbecause I was like, we, I had so
(03:57):
much software that wasunnecessary, no longer needed.
My business model had changed.
My team size had changed, whichmeans that my systems looked
different'cause I was the onenow doing it.
It wasn't, you know, anassistant or a full-time team
member doing it on my behalf.
And that's a huge, that has ahuge impact on what systems and
software you need.
(04:18):
'cause when you're running yourown system, you probably need
different software and tech thenif somebody else is doing it on
your behalf because the processlooks different.
So I do wanna say that, like youprobably know, it's probably a
good time to audit your softwarewhen you change your offers.
When you change your businessmodel, like I went from selling
higher ticket group coachingwhere we were enrolling about
(04:39):
150 clients a year.
To working primarily withprivate one-on-one coaching
clients doing virtual VIP weeks,doing one-off intensives, where
I'm working with maybe 20 to 30clients a year.
So when my business modelchanged, I, it was a good time
to look at my software when myoffers changed.
A good time to look at yoursoftware.
Also, when the amount of clientsthat you work with changes, like
(05:03):
if you are working with about 30to clients a year, your software
stack might look different thanwhen you're working with maybe
60 to 70 clients a year.
And similarly, when you areworking with a hundred plus
clients a year, that's anothergood time to audit your tech
stack.
The other time to audit yourtech stack is based off of what
your enrollment cadence is ifyou're doing live launches
(05:23):
versus if you are like alwaysselling, that will impact the
type of type of tech stack thatyou probably need, um, or what
you get, you know, long term,which is versus what you might
buy on a month to monthsubscription and cancel.
So those are all like.
Opportunities or moments in timein your business where it's
probably good for you to audityour software, and I would just
(05:43):
really recommend building in acadence like when you are
working on the business versuswhen you are working in the
business.
This should be one of thosetasks that is like working on
the business.
I'd recommend that you do thisat least annually or every six
months.
Just auditing your software,making sure that you are still
using what you have, making surethat you are not, um,
underutilizing what you have, ormaking sure that you're not
(06:05):
paying for duplication in thetech and the software that you
are using.
So what I did, and I had mynotes pulled up here, was that
when I did come back, the nicething that I had to work from is
that I was working from a cleanslate.
So I, you know, I had taken ayear off.
I had no clients that werecurrently on the roster.
I was starting from.
Scratch ish.
And I do think that was to mybenefit'cause I did everything
(06:27):
manual for the first handful ofclients so that I had a very
clear line of visibility andline of sight in regards to what
I actually needed.
Um, I understand that you mightnot be in that situation.
You might be in the thick ofclients and all of that, but go,
and actually first step is goactually look at what you're
currently using.
What I've noticed when I'mcoaching my clients on this,
(06:49):
when we're getting through,we're looking at cash flow,
trying to evaluate their profitmargins, like looking at their
overhead.
This is something that alwayscomes up and we realize like,
girl, you paying for software,you haven't logged into in how
long?
I.
You're paying for software thathas not triggered an automation
or triggered, uh, an actioninside of it for how long.
And I think a lot of the timeit's just that many of us do not
(07:11):
have healthy rhythms for when weare looking at our cash flow,
which in turn creates reallyunhealthy rhythms for how often
we're looking at our expenses,which in turn mm-hmm.
Creates an unhealthy cadence forwhen we're actually looking at
the line items of our expenses.
So I would highly recommend thatyou.
Open up your bank statementsfrom the last quarter or the
(07:32):
last six months, and actuallylist out every piece of tech
software that you currentlyhave, how much you are paying
for it, and what type ofsubscription it's on.
Is it on a monthly subscription?
Is it on an annual subscription?
And actually know how much areyou paying every single year in
tech and software, and thatneeds to make sense for the size
(07:52):
of business that you have.
What I've noticed oftentimes isthat clients of mine that are
maybe making.
And you know, somewhere betweena hundred and$400,000 a year
could be paying more in softwarethan some of my clients who are
making 600,000 to a million.
Reason being, I think it goesback to what I mentioned
earlier, like the hidden cost ofconvenience and comparison and
(08:15):
just like not having that lineof sight to pay attention to
when things.
End when they don't end when youneed to cancel.
Things like just not payingattention because you're so busy
trying to market, sell, anddeliver your service that you
really don't have a lot of timeor you're not dedicating a lot
of effort to actually looking atyour expenses when you're
analyzing your cash flow.
So go and look at what you'recurrently paying for.
(08:36):
And then after that, look atwhat you're actually using and
the frequency of how often youuse these things.
And I think that can be really,really helpful.
'cause what I have noticed, andthis is something I used to
struggle with too, early stagesof my business, is that I'd be
paying for software to solveproblems that were not real in
the business today.
Because I would be worried aboutthe future.
I would be worried that, ohwell, when we start scaling, I'm
(08:58):
gonna need this.
So I'm gonna get it now so I canbe prepared.
Mm-hmm.
You don't need to do that.
Okay.
The software company ain't goingnowhere.
Stop paying for stuff you arenot using because you are
worried about not being prepareda year from now.
Okay?
Trust yourself to know that youwill resource yourself in the
way that you need when you needit.
Um, I don't, there's very fewtimes where I can see the
(09:20):
benefit to proactively payingexcessive amounts of software
prematurely.
Um, I just, there's very fewinstances where I felt that's
actually worth.
Like worth the effort, worth themoney, but also worth the time
you're gonna spend probablybuilding it out or setting it
up.
And I also notice this happen alot with my clients whose
comfort zone is playing withsystems and tech and software.
(09:42):
So they will procrastinate fromdoing sales and marketing
related activities.
By tinkering around watchingYouTube videos, learning
different softwares, joiningcoaching programs that teach'em
about different softwares thatthey're not actively using as a
means of procrastination andavoidance.
So if that is you, maybe.
(10:03):
You know, maybe, maybe listenin, tune in here.
Okay.
Take that to heart, but payattention to that and then start
to evaluate based off of whatyou are actually using and the
frequency of what you use it.
Also look at are there anysoftwares that you currently
have that are serving asduplications and where you
could, you're using this but youreally don't need to because
(10:24):
another software that you havealso does it evaluate for that
as well?
Um, and then especially if yourteam size changed, look at what
software you might be using thatyou only need because a team
member was there.
And that really was the case forme in a lot of situations.
There was some software that Ihad that like, when we didn't
have a team member, we no longerneeded the system or no longer
needed the tech.
(10:45):
And then the last thing, kind ofwhat I mentioned earlier is what
do you need right now based offof what you're actually doing
and what is actually working?
And start to drill that down.
And once you start to nail thatin, you'll probably have a list
of tech that you no longer needand can cancel.
What I like to do, especially ifyou're paying for an annual
subscription, is reach out tothat company and say, Hey, that
(11:07):
you need to cancel.
Can I get a refund for theremainder of the time on my
subscription?
I have not had any issues withany software denying it, but you
normally have to ask versus ifyou go through the website.
And click cancel subscription.
Oftentimes it'll say, cool, youjust won't renew, but you're
still gonna pay the balance forthe remainder of the year.
At least reach out to the techcompany and see if they will
(11:29):
give you a refund for theportion that you are not using.
Um, so that's like what I woulddo to audit my tech.
Okay.
The next thing is what mycurrent tech stack is.
So I did share a comprehensivelist on my blog, so make sure if
you wanna like see exactly whattech I'm using, why I'm using
it, I will link that in the shownotes.
Or you can just go to ishahawk.com/blog.
(11:51):
And yes, I started a blog.
I had don't.
Really have a posting cadence,but I wanted to have some
permanent place for like some ofthis more longer form type of
discussions for you.
Um, especially around likefrequently asked questions that
I get.
So it'd be really easy for me toreference people to it.
So definitely go check that out.
Um, but my quick rundown forwhere I'm at now is I'm very
(12:14):
fortunate'cause I have a few.
Things that are a lifetimelicense, so I only had to pay
one time for the tech versusmonthly subscriptions, and that
is something that I would highlyrecommend, like I use
thrivecart.
I have Member Vault for my likecontent management system, my
learning management system.
And I also use Tidy Cal, whichis a call scheduling software.
(12:35):
So similar to like AcuityScheduler or Can ly.
Tidy Cal is a onetime paymentfor the software.
Thrivecart was a one-timepayment in thrivecart is a
payment processing checkoutpages, that type of thing.
You pay for it one time, younever have to pay for it again.
And then Member Vault, I gotlucky.
I knew, um, the owners when theyfirst launched the software and
(12:56):
I purchased a lifetime license,it was like part of how they
were raising capital to actuallybuild the software.
And I've just never left.
So those are some softwares thatI have that I have a lifetime
license on.
I do not have to pay monthlysubscriptions.
That saves me a ton of money.
Um, I used to use SamCart and Iused one other payment processor
besides thrivecart, but child.
(13:18):
I'm not trying to pay no ahundred dollars a month to
collect money.
Um, so I've really appreciatedthose lifetime license.
The other thing that I didswitch up this year is I used to
be on active campaign for myemail marketing system.
I had been using Active Campaignfor like the last five years.
Active campaign to me isconfusing af on the backend.
From a user experienceperspective, yes, it can do any
(13:40):
and everything under the sun.
It has all the data, all theautomations, all the fancy tick,
you know, all the things it cando.
My business ain't thatcomplicated.
I don't need that level ofsegmentation.
I don't, you know, and the userface did not work for me.
So that was one thing when Idid, you know, rebuild my tech
stack this year, I told myselfif the tech.
Does not bring me joy.
(14:01):
I am getting rid of it.
If I cannot use it withoutasking somebody else for help, I
am, I'm getting rid of it.
If I have any tech that I'mcurrently using, that gives me a
headache, that prevents me fromactually using it.
'cause it don't make no sense tome.
I'm getting rid of it.
And I'm like, if it's notbringing me joy, it's, it is.
It's not bringing me peace.
It's got to go.
So I got rid of Active Campaign.
(14:22):
Active campaign.
Worked really well beforebecause my team members used to
run it.
I never sent an email throughActive Campaign.
Somebody else on my team did.
My other team members loved it.
I'm like, be, be great.
Okay.
Go out there and be blessed.
'cause I, I, I'm lost.
So I switched from ActiveCampaign to ConvertKit, now
known as Kit.
It's interesting because Istarted my business off in
(14:44):
ConvertKit and loved ConvertKit.
I loved the user experience inthe backend.
Left for active campaign'cause Iwas, you know, worried about
scaling and wanted to make surewe had a system that could grow
with us and I hated it.
I, I basically ran my businessfor five years and barely sent
out any emails because I didnot, like, I hated using active
campaign.
So I switched to Kit when Iredid my tech stack and I'm so
(15:08):
grateful I did.
'cause I feel like Kit has.
Totally evolved their platform.
It does everything that I needit to do.
It is easy for me to use.
It is a 10 out of 10 and it'ssignificantly cheaper than
active campaign.
The other thing I also, um,switched was my website host.
So I used to be on WordPresssimilar to Active campaign.
(15:30):
Yes, it can do everything, but Ihated WordPress.
I hated making edits in there.
I would usually like.
Just not send people to mywebsite.
'cause I didn't really like it.
Um, and I didn't really know howto use it.
So I decided when I did myrebrand this year in 2025, I'm
like, okay, I wanna switch to awebsite that is really easy for
me to use.
Like I'm really big on userexperience.
(15:52):
So I switched to Squarespace andI, fug Squarespace has been a
breeze from a user experienceperspective and just like how my
brain needs to visually seestuff.
So those are some changes Imade.
And like I said, if you want thefull tech stack, just check out
the blog article on my site.
So those are just some rulesthat I have, like if I am
avoiding logging into thesoftware because it don't make
(16:13):
no sense to me or I'm avoidingusing the software because it,
I, it just, you know, it doesn'twork or it's clunky for me, like
get rid of it.
Yes, it might be able to domore, but if it's not doing the
basics of what you need it todo, it's inefficient.
It's not needed.
Like, and I think that'ssomething that when it comes to
tech and software, we can getkind of in our heads about,
we're like, oh my gosh, you cando all this.
(16:34):
But it's like, do you even needto do all that?
And I'm really big on like havethis software that matches the
level of scale.
That your business is at, like,yes, this thing might be able to
do more, but if you don't, if itcan do more, but it's not doing
what you need right now, it's,it's, it's a waste of money, a
waste of time, a waste ofeffort, and it's a waste of like
the time it's going to take foryou to figure out the learning
(16:56):
curve, to like learn thesoftware.
So that is what I'm on now.
Um, and again, if you need toaudit your own tech stack, make
sure you do that.
Like I just think that it is agood business practice to one,
be reviewing your expenses andseeing where your money is
going, especially around techand software.
'cause when we're runningdigital businesses, it is just
(17:18):
like, it's so easy for thatstuff to add up.
So, like I said, pull your bankstatements, look at every
recurring business charge thatyou have, and evaluate whether
or not you need it or not.
Make a list of every tool andask yourself, am I actively
using this?
Is this solving a problem that Ihave right now?
Or is it creating new problemsthat I don't need to be having
in my business right now?
And is this the best tool forthe job or just one that I
(17:41):
happened to grab two years agoand haven't reopened, or really
haven't utilized or thought Iwould need, but we never really
got around to it.
Um, the third thing is cancelanything you haven't used in the
last 60 or 90 days.
And I think that that is huge.
Okay.
Reach, again, reach out to thoseplatforms, see if you can get a
refund if you're on an annualsubscription.
But if not, get rid of thesoftware and then consolidate.
(18:04):
See what software you might behaving duplications in.
Can one platform do the job ofwhat two or three others are
currently doing?
Um, and then document whatstays.
And I really do like to havethis inside of my project
management system.
I use Asana for that so that Iknow like this is the software
that we've canceled and whywe've canceled it.
(18:25):
This is the software that we'rekeeping, um, that type of thing.
I like to have some record ofthat and in case like a new team
member does come on, or in caseI get shiny object syndrome
again, I need to remind myselfof why I made these decisions.
Um, or you can put it in aGoogle Doc or that type of
thing.
And then I think it's alsoreally helpful once you now have
this list, actually put thisinto cashflow projection or
(18:46):
budgeting for the year so thatyou know when those annual
payments are going to hit andwhat your monthly recurring
expenses will be for tech andsoftware ongoing.
I have had some clients wherethey got really strategic with
this, where they changed theirbilling date for their annual
subscription.
For their tech and software.
So it would all hit maybe inJanuary, or it would all hit in
(19:06):
June, or they would spread itout throughout the year versus
it being like all random wherethere's one going in February,
one in June, one in.
September type of thing.
Um, and you can do that.
You can reach out to thesecompanies, ask if you can change
your billing date.
They will have no problem doingthat for you so that you can
have better forecasting and cashflow management.
So these may be bigger annualsubscriptions are happening, you
(19:29):
know, when you have large influxof cash coming in because of
your launch cycle or somethinglike that.
So.
Those are all the things that Irecommend when it comes to
auditing your tech stack.
Again, if you wanna see my techstack, you can just go check
that out on myblog@ishahawk.com.
And again, I will link it in theshow notes.
Um.
But you need tools that willsupport you, not stress you out,
(19:51):
and I cannot emphasize thatenough.
It is safe for you to simplify.
It is safe for you to descaleyour software and your systems.
It is safe for you tounsubscribe.
'cause sometimes growth lookslike subtraction.
Okay.
So that is a wrap for thisepisode.
Again, if you have submittedthis question into me, I hope
that this episode answers all ofyour questions.
And just, um, if you ever wantme to answer your question here
(20:14):
on the podcast, just send me aDM over on Instagram or, you
know, whenever I'm doing myInstagram story, office hours
and q and a.
Feel free to submit a question.
I, I love being able to answeryour questions directly.
Um, but thank you guys fortuning in.
Until next time, keep it simple.
Okay.
Be intentional and.
Keep building a business thatfits your actual life.
(20:36):
I will talk to you soon.
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