Free checklist
Your First Five Tools
What I actually pay for, and what I don't. Five jobs, five tools, and a list of what to skip.
No sign-up. Read it, then go build.
You don't need more tools. You need fewer, used well.
I have paid a lot of money trying to make money online. Courses. Subscriptions. Apps I opened once.
I posted on and off for about two years and not much happened. I had plenty of tools. What I didn't have was focus.
Things only started to move when I opened my own community and swapped PDFs for apps people could actually use. No new tool did that. Doing one thing at a time did.
Your age is your advantage here. All those years of trying things taught me which tools earn their place. You've seen plenty of shiny things come and go too. The plain tool you use every day beats the clever one you never open.
1. The Five
When you start, a tool only needs to do one of five jobs. One tool per job. That's it.
- 01Write it: ClaudeIdeas, outlines, product words, emails. I start almost everything here. New to it? Read how to use AI after 40.
- 02Make it look decent: CanvaCovers, pins, graphics, simple downloads. The templates do the design work for you.
- 03Put it somewhere people can buy: BeaconsMy store lives on Beacons. One link, your products, done. Here's how to set up an online storefront.
- 04Send an email: BeaconsSame tool as job three. That's the point. One less login, one less bill.
- 05Keep track: the notes app you already haveOne home for ideas, products and links, so nothing lives only in your head. Start with what's already on your phone or computer. No new login.
2. Start free. Pay later.
The free column
Your first 90 days
- Claude, free plan
- Canva, free plan
- Beacons, free plan
- The notes app you already have
The paid column
What I pay for now
- Claude
- Canva Pro
- Beacons
- Lovable, which I added later to build the apps inside my community
- Notion, for now. It's on my cancel list.
The rule: upgrade when the free version is slowing down something you already do every week. Not before. You don't need Lovable on day one. I didn't.
Honest moment: I'm paying for Notion right now, and I'm about to cancel it. I started using it a couple of months ago and I still find it confusing. Maybe that's just me. But I haven't taken the time to learn it, and a tool you haven't learned is just a bill. Even I have to run my own test.
3. The Skip List
Eight things beginners buy too early, and what to do instead.
- 01A paid website builderUse your free storefront link first. A store page is enough to sell.
- 02A paid scheduling toolPost by hand for now. You'll learn what works faster.
- 03A course platformMake one small product first. Here's what to sell first.
- 04A second AI tool "just to compare"Learn one well. Switching is how weeks disappear.
- 05A separate email platformUse the email that comes with your store.
- 06A stock photo subscriptionCanva's library is plenty for now.
- 07A logo designerYour name in a clean font. Nobody buys because of a logo.
- 08The "everything you need" course bundleOne small step a day beats a library you never finish. See how to find time to build.
4. The "Do I Need This?" Test
Four questions before you add any tool. Write them on a sticky note.
- 1What job does this do that my five don't already do?
- 2Will I use it this week?
- 3Am I buying it to build, or to feel like I'm building?
- 4If I cancel it in 30 days, what would I actually lose?
If you can't answer the first one, close the tab.
5. My Actual Stack
What I use on a normal working day. Nothing hidden.
- ·ClaudeWriting, planning, building.
- ·CanvaPins, covers and graphics.
- ·BeaconsMy store and my emails.
- ·NotionStill confusing me. On my cancel list.
- ·LovableThe apps inside my community.
- ·SkoolWhere my free community lives.
- ·Wispr FlowI talk, it types.
Back to the start: starting an online business after 40.
You are not too old. You are not too late.
Want a second pair of eyes before you pay for anything? Come ask in the free community.
Join the free community