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Illuminate Sales Solutions. Lead by, Amanda E. Miller
Resource List
The Small Business Starter Kit
Tools I actually use to run two service businesses — and why I'd recommend them to a friend.
I get asked all the time what tech stack I use to run my businesses. This page is the answer. These are the exact tools I use every day to operate 360 Home Services and Illuminate Sales Solutions.
Quick note on how this page works.
A few of the links below are affiliate links, marked with an asterisk (*). If you sign up or buy through them, I earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you, and sometimes with a discount on your end. I only recommend tools I actually use and would tell you about over coffee anyway. The commission helps keep this resource free and updated; it doesn't change what makes the list. If you'd rather skip the affiliate link, just search the tool's name directly — same product either way.
How to use this page
Two principles to keep in mind: first, pick the tool you'll actually open. The best software is the one you use consistently. Second, don't over-tool too early. Start simple. I've organized these categories roughly in the order I'd add them to a new business.
Banking & Finance
Quick answer: I use Novo for business banking — mobile-first, fee-light, integrations that actually work.
Novo
What it is: A mobile-first business banking platform designed for small businesses and freelancers, offering no hidden fees and easy integrations.
How I use it: I use Novo as the primary operating account for my businesses. The mobile app makes it incredibly easy to manage cash flow on the go, and it integrates seamlessly with Stripe and my accounting software so I never have to manually reconcile basic transactions.
Best for: Service-based founders who want modern, fee-light banking without stepping foot in a branch.
Skip if: You deposit a lot of physical cash daily.
Quick answer: I use ERGO | Next Insurance for straightforward, fast business coverage.
ERGO | Next Insurance
What it is: A digital-first insurance provider tailored specifically for small businesses and independent contractors.
How I use it: I use Next Insurance for my business liability and coverage needs. It's incredibly straightforward to get a quote, bind coverage, and access my certificate of insurance instantly without jumping through hoops.
Best for: Service businesses that need fast, reliable, and easily accessible insurance coverage.
Skip if: You run a massive enterprise with highly complex, multi-national risk profiles.
Pricing tier: Custom quotes based on business type
Quick answer: I use Wave for accounting — it's the simplest free invoicing and bookkeeping software for service businesses.
Wave
What it is: Free, cloud-based accounting and invoicing software built specifically for small businesses and independent contractors.
How I use it: Wave handles the foundational bookkeeping for my consulting practice. I use it to send professional invoices, track expenses, and run basic P&L reports without getting bogged down in complex enterprise accounting features.
Best for: Solo consultants and small service businesses that need solid accounting without a monthly subscription fee.
Skip if: You have complex inventory management needs or run a massive payroll.
Pricing tier: Free accounting and invoicing (pay-per-use for payments/payroll)
Quick answer: GoHighLevel is the all-in-one CRM I use to run my businesses and build systems for my clients.
GoHighLevel
What it is: An all-in-one marketing, sales, and CRM platform that replaces dozens of separate tools for landing pages, email, SMS, pipelines, and calendars.
How I use it: This is the engine for everything I do. I use GoHighLevel to run the entire recruiting and sales pipeline for 360 Home Services, and it powers the CRM, calendar, and automations for Illuminate. When I build 'The 360 Standard' for a client, this is the exact software I build it on.
Best for: Service businesses ready to consolidate their tech stack and automate their lead follow-up and sales pipelines.
Skip if: You aren't ready to invest time in setting up your systems properly.
Quick answer: I use Canva and Gamma for design and presentations, and Substack for long-form writing.
Canva
What it is: A web-based design tool that makes it easy to create professional graphics, presentations, and marketing materials.
How I use it: Canva Pro houses the brand kits for both 360 Home Services and Illuminate. My team uses it to quickly spin up social assets, slide decks for workshops, and PDF whitepapers without needing a full-time graphic designer.
Best for: Founders and teams who need professional design assets quickly and consistently.
Skip if: You are a professional graphic designer who requires Adobe Creative Cloud.
Pricing tier: Free tier available; Pro starts at $14.99/month
What it is: An AI-powered platform for creating beautiful presentations, documents, and webpages.
How I use it: I use Gamma to quickly generate and design my content, presentations, and documents. It helps me structure ideas visually without spending hours tweaking slides.
Best for: Founders and consultants who need to create polished, professional presentations and documents quickly.
Skip if: You require pixel-perfect, highly complex graphic design control.
Pricing tier: Free tier available; Plus starts at $8/month
What it is: A platform for independent writers and podcasters to publish directly to their audience and get paid through subscriptions.
How I use it: Substack is where I publish my long-form thoughts on leadership, sales, and business building. It's clean, simple, and lets me own my audience directly. You can read my writing at Embracing UBA.
Best for: Writers, thinkers, and consultants who want a dead-simple way to publish a newsletter.
Skip if: You need complex marketing automation and multi-step email funnels (use a CRM for that).
Pricing tier: Free to publish (they take a cut of paid subscriptions)
Quick answer: I use Loom for video SOPs, and Zapier or Make to connect tools that don't talk to each other natively.
Loom
What it is: An async video messaging tool that lets you record your screen, camera, and microphone simultaneously.
How I use it: Loom is the backbone of how I delegate. Instead of writing out a 10-page manual, I record myself doing a task once, narrate my thought process, and drop that video into our SOP library for the 360 Home Services team.
Best for: Remote teams, delegating founders, and anyone who hates typing long explanatory emails.
Skip if: Your entire team works in the same room and prefers tap-on-the-shoulder training.
Pricing tier: Free tier available; Business starts at $12.50/month
What it is: A no-code automation tool that connects thousands of different web apps to move data between them automatically.
How I use it: Zapier is the invisible glue in my operations. If a lead comes in through a weird third-party channel that doesn't natively integrate with my CRM, I use Zapier to catch the data and push it into GoHighLevel so my follow-up automations still fire.
Best for: Founders who want to automate repetitive tasks across different software platforms.
Skip if: All your tools already have native integrations with each other.
Pricing tier: Free tier available; Paid starts at $19.99/month
What it is: A visual workflow automation platform that connects apps and automates tasks without coding.
How I use it: I trust Make's functionality for building powerful automations. It's often more cost-effective than Zapier for complex, multi-step workflows across my operations.
Best for: Business owners who want robust, visual automation capabilities at a lower price point.
Skip if: You only need very simple, two-step automations and prefer a linear interface.
Pricing tier: Free tier available; Core starts at $9/month
Quick answer: I run my business on Google Workspace for email and docs.
Google Workspace
What it is: Google's suite of business tools including professional Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, and Meet.
How I use it: This is the non-negotiable foundation. I use it for professional email hosting (@amandaemiller.com), collaborative document editing with clients, and storing all operational assets in shared Google Drives.
Best for: Literally any business that needs professional email and reliable cloud storage.
Skip if: You are deeply entrenched in the Microsoft Office 365 ecosystem.
Pricing tier: Starts at $6/user/month. (Use code EAUT7ENVVRGN77C for 10% off Starter, or N7QGRYPDLKVECKX for 10% off Standard)
Quick answer: I use Stripe for online payments and invoicing infrastructure.
Stripe
What it is: A payment processing platform that allows businesses to accept credit cards and ACH payments online.
How I use it: Stripe handles the payment processing for Illuminate's consulting engagements. It integrates perfectly with GoHighLevel, allowing me to seamlessly collect payments for Strategy Sessions and ongoing advisory work.
Best for: Online and service-based businesses that need robust, reliable payment processing.
Quick answer: I use GoHighLevel for landing pages and funnels, GoDaddy for domains, and WordPress for content-heavy sites.
GoHighLevel
What it is: An all-in-one marketing, sales, and CRM platform with a robust website and funnel builder.
How I use it: Beyond CRM functions, I use GoHighLevel to host my landing pages, funnels, and forms. It keeps the web presence tightly integrated with my sales pipelines.
Best for: Service businesses that want their website and CRM in one seamless ecosystem.
Skip if: You only need a basic blog without lead generation tools.
What it is: The world's most popular open-source content management system and website builder.
How I use it: While I use GoHighLevel for landing pages and funnels, WordPress is a solid foundation for content-heavy sites and blogs. I've used it extensively in the past to build robust, SEO-friendly web presences.
Best for: Businesses that prioritize SEO, content marketing, and complete ownership of their website.
Skip if: You want a simple drag-and-drop site without worrying about hosting or plugin updates.
Quick answer: I use a mix of Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot to accelerate content creation, strategic thinking, and daily operations.
Claude
What it is: An advanced AI assistant by Anthropic, known for its nuanced writing, large context window, and strong reasoning capabilities.
How I use it: Claude is my go-to for drafting long-form content, analyzing complex documents, and refining the tone of my messaging. Its ability to sound human and understand the subtleties of the 'Illuminate' voice makes it invaluable for copywriting and strategic brainstorming.
Best for: Founders who need high-quality writing, deep document analysis, and a more natural-sounding AI.
Skip if: You only need basic, short-form answers or quick web searches.
Pricing tier: Free tier available; Pro is $20/month
What it is: OpenAI's conversational AI model that excels at a wide variety of tasks, from coding to ideation and data analysis.
How I use it: I use ChatGPT as my daily operational assistant. Whether I need to quickly format data, brainstorm module structures for the We Rise Accelerator, or troubleshoot a workflow logic issue, ChatGPT provides rapid, versatile support.
Best for: Anyone needing a versatile, all-around AI assistant for daily operational tasks and rapid ideation.
Skip if: You need highly nuanced, long-form creative writing that doesn't sound like AI.
Pricing tier: Free tier available; Plus is $20/month
What it is: Google's multimodal AI assistant, deeply integrated with the Google Workspace ecosystem.
How I use it: Since my business runs on Google Workspace, Gemini is incredibly useful for seamlessly pulling information from my Docs, Drive, and Gmail. I use it to quickly summarize email threads and draft responses right within my existing workflow.
Best for: Businesses already heavily invested in the Google Workspace ecosystem.
Skip if: You prefer standalone AI tools and don't use Google's suite of products.
Pricing tier: Free tier available; Advanced is $20/month
What it is: Microsoft's AI companion, designed to boost productivity across web searches and enterprise applications.
How I use it: I use Copilot primarily for AI-powered web searches when I need up-to-date information, market research, or quick summaries of current trends affecting service-based businesses. It's excellent for gathering real-time data.
Best for: Founders doing market research who need AI-summarized answers with direct links to current web sources.
Skip if: You are looking for an AI to write long-form, creative thought leadership.
Pricing tier: Free for web; Pro/Enterprise tiers available
Quick answer: I advise through The HUUB, authored curriculum for the We Rise Business Accelerator, and partner with Mesa Business Builder.
The HUUB
What it is: An on-demand digital platform connecting small business owners with expert advisors, resources, and funding opportunities.
How I use it: I serve as an expert advisor on The HUUB platform, helping service-based founders get unstuck. It's a fantastic resource for owners who need targeted, strategic advice from vetted professionals.
Best for: Small business owners looking for accessible, expert mentorship and local resources.
Skip if: You are looking for a purely academic business course.
Pricing tier: Often free or subsidized through local city partnerships
What it is: A comprehensive business accelerator program by Local First Arizona designed to support Black entrepreneurs.
How I use it: I authored the Financial Literacy and Sales & Marketing curriculum modules for this accelerator. To date, over 140 Arizona founders have been trained on these frameworks to build stronger, more resilient businesses.
Best for: Black-owned businesses in Arizona looking for structured education, mentorship, and community.
Skip if: You are not based in Arizona or don't fit the program criteria.
What it is: A program by the City of Mesa, AZ providing resources, consulting, and support to local small businesses.
How I use it: I partner with the Mesa Business Builder program to deliver strategic consulting to local founders. It's an incredible resource for Mesa-based businesses to access professional guidance.
Best for: Small businesses located in Mesa, Arizona looking for local support and consulting.
Skip if: Your business is not located in Mesa, AZ.
You might notice a few things missing. First, you won't find generic "best of" filler software here that I don't actually log into.
Second, I left off hyper-niche, industry-specific tools. If you're looking for the best specialized software for your specific vertical, and we can map out your custom tech stack.
Common questions
Which mobile banking does Amanda Miller recommend for small business?
I use Novo for business banking — mobile-first, fee-light, integrations that actually work.
What's the simplest free accounting software for a small service business?
I use Wave. It's the simplest free accounting and invoicing software for service businesses.
Which CRM should I use for a small service business?
GoHighLevel is the all-in-one CRM I use to run my businesses and build systems for my clients.
What design tool does Amanda Miller use?
I use Canva Pro for all design and brand kit management.
Is this list updated regularly?
Yes, I update this list regularly to reflect the tools I am actively using.
Do you make money if I sign up through these links?
A few of the links are affiliate links, marked with an asterisk (*). If you sign up or buy through them, I earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use.
* Note: I may earn a small commission from some of the affiliate links on this page at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I genuinely use and trust.
Clarity-first strategy, practical execution, and values-led growth.
