(That We Use Every. Single. Day.)

Let’s be real—running a business requires more than great ideas and determination. It also requires a killer tech stack that can keep up with your speed, your team, and your to-do list.

At GoDelegate, we’re deep in the trenches of business operations every day—and we’ve tested a lot of tools over the years. What made the cut? The ones that are flexible, scalable, automation-friendly, and (most importantly) not a nightmare to use.

Here are our absolute favorite tools for running the back end of a business like a well-oiled machine:

💻 Project & Operations Management: ClickUp

If we could only keep one tool, this would be it. ClickUp is our command center, digital brain, and operations HQ all rolled into one.

Why we love it:

• Fully customizable to your business and the way you function best
• Scales beautifully as your team and ops grow
• Built-in chat that’s giving Slack a run for its money
• Forms, docs, recurring tasks, automations—yes please
• Easily pin key docs or web pages to create your own internal business hub
• Use it as a CRM, ticketing desk, SOP library, content planner, and even a life manager (ask us how we know)

We use ClickUp to build SOPs, track projects, manage client dashboards, and oversee every moving piece of the businesses we run. We also love the “Clips” screen recording feature for creating quick walkthroughs and documentation. And the recurring task option that lot’s of project management tools lack? Chef’s kiss. 💋

🔁 Automation: Zapier

Zapier is the behind-the-scenes hero of our operations. When tools don’t naturally talk to each other, Zapier steps in to make the connection.

What we automate:

• Auto-filing invoices from Gmail into Google Drive
• Triggering new tasks when clients sign a proposal
• Connecting Dubsado to ClickUp for seamless onboarding

The beauty? It saves hours on tiny-but-draining admin tasks that add up fast or easily slip through the cracks.

🧾 Client Onboarding, Proposals, Contracts & Invoicing: Dubsado

We use Dubsado to run our entire client onboarding process from inquiry to kickoff. Proposals, contracts, invoicing—it’s all automated and streamlined inside Dubsado.

Highlights:

• Gorgeous proposals and branded client portals
• Integrated e-signature functionality
• Invoicing (via Stripe integration) as part of the onboarding flow
• Smart forms, canned emails, and seamless workflows

We also integrate Dubsado with ClickUp to keep our internal ops synced with the client journey.

📆 Scheduling: Calendly, Google Calendar & Dubsado

We love Calendly for clean, easy scheduling links—especially for free consults or recurring check-ins. But Google Calendar’s new Appointment Scheduling feature is a strong contender too, especially if you’re already in the Workspace ecosystem.

For client consults or anything tied to client onboarding, we use Dubsado to schedule calls as part of the workflow.

🧮 Finances: QuickBooks Online + Stripe

For expense tracking, categorizing transactions, and staying ready for tax time, QuickBooks Online is the standard—and for good reason. We use it to keep our books clean and get the full financial picture at a glance.

Stripe handles payment processing and integrates seamlessly with Dubsado so invoices are fully automated.

🧠 CRM: ClickUp + Dubsado

Yep, we said ClickUp again. We combine ClickUp and Dubsado for a hybrid CRM setup. Dubsado manages lead capture, forms, contracts, and scheduling. ClickUp tracks the bigger picture—client status, deliverables, timelines, our onboarding checklist, internal notes, and anything else we need to stay on top of.

⏱ Time Tracking: Toggl Track

Simple, powerful, and clean—Toggl is our go-to for time tracking and reporting, especially when managing multiple team members, clients or projects. It’s perfect for tracking billable hours and spotting time leaks you didn’t even know were happening.

🎥 SOPs & Team Training: Loom + ClickUp Clips

We create all our SOPs inside ClickUp Docs, but when it comes to showing how something is done, Loom and ClickUp Clips are our faves.

Quick screen recordings = less explaining = fewer “Hey, how do I…?” messages from your team.

🎨 Design & Visuals: Canva Pro

From social media graphics and reels, to full-on website mockups—Canva Pro does it all. It’s simple enough for non-designers and powerful enough to create polished, on-brand content fast.

We use it for:

• Social media content
• Presentation decks
• Email signatures
• Youtube video branding
• Marketing assets
• Menus, signage, even bar materials (yep, we do that too)

📬 Email Marketing: Flodesk

Flodesk is our favorite for beautiful, simple emails that don’t look like they came out of a 2006 Mailchimp template. The drag-and-drop builder is easy to use, the templates are stunning, and the price is flat (no matter your list size).

📱 Social Media Scheduling: Hootsuite

The OG and still a strong contender—Hootsuite is what we use when we want centralized social media scheduling without overcomplicating things. Great for planning, batch-scheduling, and posting across multiple platforms.

🌐 Website & Hosting: WordPress + Elementor + Hostinger

When it comes to websites, WordPress will always win in terms of flexibility and control. We pair it with Elementor (a drag-and-drop builder that doesn’t require coding) and host everything on Hostinger, which offers great support and fast speeds at a reasonable price.

🧠 Honorable Mentions

• Google Workspace – For email, calendars, docs, video meetings, file storage—honestly, it’s the backbone of digital operations
• Slack (kinda) – We like Slack, but ClickUp’s new chat feature is seriously giving it competition
• Voice messages via iMessage – We’re not big Voxer fans. Just send a voice memo and keep it simple

Final Thoughts

The best tools don’t just make your business look organized—they make it easier to run.

That’s why we don’t recommend bloated software with 800 features you’ll never use. We love tools that are lean, intuitive, and powerful enough to actually make a difference in your day-to-day operations.

Need help setting any of this up?
Want us to build your ClickUp workspace, connect your tools, or automate your client journey?

👉 Book a free Good Fit Session and let’s make your tech stack feel like a dream instead of a dumpster fire.