Important Disclosure: Please Read Before Proceeding
We're proud affiliates for some of these tools, meaning if you click a link for a tool and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Our recommendations are based on deep experience with and knowledge of these companies and their products, and we recommend them because they are genuinely helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we may receive. Please don't spend any money on these products unless you believe they will help you achieve your goals.
Most Recommended Tools
Circle
The modern community platform for creators—and the easiest way to set up a premium community experience. That's why we use it for SPI Pro.
Circle is powerful enough to support some of the largest and most successful online communities—while being easy to use for community builders who are just starting out.
Circle is fully white-labeled so it can match and integrate with your brand. Your members stay looped into your community—increasing engagement, retention, and connection.
Watch our video walkthrough of how you can use Circle to build your community. Already using Circle and need a little help? See our how-to tutorials here.
Listen to an interview with Sid Yadav, Co-Founder and CEO at Circle.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit is the only email marketing platform we use, and will ever use.
ConvertKit is our #1 recommended email marketing platform because it has been built with care to the exact needs of creators building online businesses. Their user experience is very user-friendly. And segmenting our subscribers into focused groups so that we can deliver content specific to their needs has never been easier. We’re all-in on ConvertKit.
Watch our walkthrough of ConvertKit and hear why it's our favorite email service provider. Already using ConvertKit and need a little help? Check out our video tutorials here.
Pat has talked with Nathan on the SPI Podcast several times over the years. Hear Nathan's advice on bootstrapping a startup here and the story behind why he started ConvertKit here.
Aura
The tool to help keep you and your business secure.
Combining financial, identity, network & device protection, Aura offers a variety of identity protection, antivirus software, VPN, and password management, all in one digital security solution.
Read why identity theft is a problem and how Aura can help you stay protected.
Buzzsprout
The absolute best platform to use to launch and grow your show.
Hosting with Buzzsprout puts your podcast in the right spot. From its ease of use, product-centric ethos, devotion to podcasters, and concentration on the fundamental features that actually matter, Buzzsprout offers podcasters exactly what they need.
Watch Pat Flynn take you step by step through publishing your podcast on Buzzsprout (this link starts at Chapter 5, 21:37 into the video). The setup is incredibly simple.
RightMessage
RightMessage gives us the ability to communicate with our fans on their terms.
It’s hard to get your messaging right, which harms your ability to motivate others to take a call-to-action. Thankfully, RightMessage is here to save the day. Their platform empowers you to dynamically display content and user experiences on your site tailored to individual audience types, which can dramatically boost your conversion rates.
Listen to an interview with Brennan Dunn, the creator of RightMessage. Pat and Brennan discuss the power of segmentation for personalizing your customer's journey.
Browse our other tools by category:
Business Platforms
Aura
The tool to help keep you and your business secure. Combining financial, identity, network & device protection, Aura offers a variety of identity protection, antivirus software, VPN, and password management, all in one digital security solution. Read why identity theft is a problem and how Aura can help you stay protected.
Guideline
We are so grateful that Guideline exists because without it we may never have rolled out a 401(k) plan to our team. It integrates beautifully with Gusto, which we use for payroll. And it keeps us compliant, which provides blissful peace of mind.
Gusto
Gusto makes running our SPI business a breeze. It starts with payroll, which is critical to get right for a growing business. We also use Gusto for PTO tracking, culture surveys, important document capture, and more. Oh, and their concierge team is dynamite.
Help Scout
There's no way we could operate our customer care inboxes without Help Scout. We also rely on Help Scout as the home of knowledge base tutorial content for some of our offerings. It's pure magic in the form of a software system made to delight.
ZenBusiness
Providing the essential tools and guides entrepreneurs and small business owners need on their journey to creating a successful business. Officially filing an LLC is a great first step, but we know that's only the first step in their journey. That's why our platform provides the ongoing education, support, and tools they need to quickly…
Collaboration Technology
Dropbox
Dropbox is our cloud-based document storage system of choice that easily syncs with all of our team's computers and provides simple access controls to third-party contributors. We also dabble with Dropbox Paper for elegant document creation.
HeySummit
Make online events easy so you can spend less time building while using the tools that you already know and love. HeySummit can bring your audience together on your own terms — offering integrations with popular web platforms, you can launch your first (or next) event within minutes!
SavvyCal
SavvyCal makes scheduling easy by allowing your recipient to compare their calendar with yours to find availability. You can connect multiple calendars and offer different meeting types. Our link gets your first paid month free after your 7-day trial.
Slack
Slack is our beloved digital HQ for all things SPI. We organize all of our communications in Slack using various channels tailored to unique projects, departments, and hierarchies. It's made email almost a thing of the past, which is glorious for our productivity.
ZipMessage
ZipMessage is a video messaging software for remote teams who want to communicate asynchronously with their team, clients, and customers.
Legal & Compliance Tools
HelloSign
The document signing process can be a real hassle—emailing various PDFs back and forth, scanning hard copies, etc. Thankfully, there's a much faster, easier, and more secure way—use HelloSign. We use it for all of our sensitive documents, and always will.
Iubenda
Iubenda ensures that your website is compliant with the latest privacy laws. They have a variety of services, including policy and term generators, cookie management, and consent solutions. Of the solutions available, we've found this one easiest to use.
StartPack
Startpack.io helps global online entrepreneurs form US LLCs by supporting customers through the incorporation process so they can confidently collect payments, build credibility, stay legal, and make more money.
Marketing Platforms
Bonjoro
Bonjoro is a powerful, game-changing tool that lets you send personal videos to new leads and customers. Whether you're in sales, marketing, or customer service, Bonjoro will help you stand out and get more engagement. Plus, it seamlessly integrates with CRMs and tools like Slack and ConvertKit. We've been super impressed by how much engagement…
ConvertKit
ConvertKit is the only email marketing platform we use, and will ever use. ConvertKit is our #1 recommended email marketing platform because it has been built with care to the exact needs of creators building online businesses. Their user experience is very user-friendly. And segmenting our subscribers into focused groups so that we can deliver…
Copy.ai
Write better copy get past your writer's block! CopyAI offers automated creativity tools to generate marketing copy in seconds. Built on top of the world’s most advanced AI language model, CopyAI is helping thousands of people turbo-charge their creativity.
RightMessage
RightMessage gives us the ability to communicate with our fans on their terms. It’s hard to get your messaging right, which harms your ability to motivate others to take a call-to-action. Thankfully, RightMessage is here to save the day. Their platform empowers you to dynamically display content and user experiences on your site tailored to…
VideoAsk
Interact face-to-face with your audience and make gathering feedback and testimonials a breeze. From conditional logic jumps, to contact forms, or closed caption and transcription support, VideoAsk enhances conversations with your audience.
Podcasting Tools
Buzzsprout
The absolute best platform to use to launch and grow your show. Hosting with Buzzsprout puts your podcast in the right spot. From its ease of use, product-centric ethos, devotion to podcasters, and concentration on the fundamental features that actually matter, Buzzsprout offers podcasters exactly what they need. Watch Pat Flynn take you step by…
Descript
Descript offers simple and powerful collaborative tools to edit your audio and video just like a text document! Removes the tedious work that often stands between an idea and its expression and focus on developing your craft instead of getting side-tracked with platform fatigue.
Fusebox
The official podcast player of SPI! Fusebox provides your website visitors with a superior listening experience. Utilizing adaptive HTML, Fusebox is customizable to fit the needs of your podcast, website, and audience — It's truly a premium podcast player your audience will thank you for!
Podcast Hawk
Take the work out of getting booked and experience a smarter way to get exposure. Podcast Hawk is the smartest way to get booked using their time-saving and cost-effective software. Guest appearances on podcasts are a great way to promote your brand and grow your business, but you don't have to do it alone.
Project Management Apps
Airtable
If you're a big fan of spreadsheets, then you'll love Airtable as a means of organizing and planning your work. It's become a powerhouse option within the world of project management systems. With loads of customizable options, it's worth considering.
CoSchedule
If you're looking for a content-specific project management solution, then look no further than CoSchedule. It integrates seamlessly with your WordPress blog. It allows for standard editorial workflows to be created. And it centralizes all content creation tasks.
Monday.com
Monday.com is our new go-to work management platform. It's drag-and-drop simple. There are oodles of pre-made templates for a variety of use cases. And it's highly collaborative and visual by design. We use it for darn near everything we do.
Sales Platforms
Eventbrite
If you run your own events, then do yourself a favor and sell your tickets through Eventbrite. We've tried to adapt other platforms for ticket sales and it never really works. We always come back to Eventbrite, which powers such events as FlynnCon.
Karat
A credit card for creators without limits to grow your channel fast with the credit you deserve. Karat will get you up and running in just 5 minutes with no need for a social security number or effect on your credit score.
Rewardful
It can be hard (and expensive) to grow a SaaS business — that's why Rewardful offers a simple way for companies to set up affiliate and referral programs with Stripe. Just connect your account and let us track referrals, discounts, and commissions for you!
Stripe
Stripe is the gold standard for payment processors. Pat uses it to process payments for his private mastermind and workshops. Most SaaS companies today use it for their recurring payments, as we do with Smart Podcast Player and as does Teachable.
Teachable
Offering online courses to our audience revolutionized our business a few years ago. That was possible thanks to Teachable, a market leader in the booming online courses industry. All of our online courses are housed on Teachable because they make it so darn simple to configure content, manage settings, and sell to students. There’s absolutely…
Video Production Tools
Frame.io
Frame.io is a key component of Pat's workflow for producing, reviewing, and collaborating on videos. The user experience is off the hook. And upload times are blazing fast. And it's all highly secured. If you're a video pro like Pat, definitely check out Frame.io.
Loom
Loom is a welcomed breath of fresh air in the world of video recording tools. There's a free plan option that's not lacking in features. And videos are saved automatically to the cloud. We use Loom anytime we need to create an important explanatory video.
SwitchPod
This minimal, versatile, handheld tripod was specifically designed by Pat Flynn and Caleb Wojcik with video creators in mind. It's quick to set up and comfortable to hold.
Wistia
Wistia hosts all of our core educational and marketing videos, including our online course videos and promotional videos. We've been using it for years and have no intention of switching to a different option. We believe in Wistia and are all in on them.
Website & Form Builders
Circle
The modern community platform for creators—and the easiest way to set up a premium community experience. That's why we use it for SPI Pro. Circle is powerful enough to support some of the largest and most successful online communities—while being easy to use for community builders who are just starting out. Circle is fully white-labeled…
Flywheel
Offering thoughtfully built tools to manage your clients and websites while growing your business. Flywheel handles all of the technical bits and bobs of running a website built on WordPress — including nightly backups, blazing-fast speed, 24/7 support, and free SSL certificate.
Leadpages
We have long used Leadpages to create dedicated landing pages to launch a new educational product or experience. Like most brands, we prefer to build pages on our own site. However, whenever we cannot, we use Leadpages to get the job done.