How to Build an Online Business

Chapter 13Software hacks every startup should know about

Let’s get this clear from the get-go: I am not a technical person in any way, shape or form; neither are many of the entrepreneurs I interviewed. And when I say I am not techy, I mean it. I don’t enjoy ‘playing around’ with technology, nor do I enjoy finding out ‘how something works’.

What I am and have been, however, is a judge for numerous online entrepreneurial awards. As a result, I get to read the award applications from leading online business owners. I get to peek ‘under the hood’ so to speak: to see the inner workings of their businesses. And in those applications they share all the good stuff: what web platforms they use, the email automation software they prefer, the user experience tools that help them calibrate their sites, the metrics they track, the best practice for shipping and returns, how they personalise their marketing campaigns, and the best tools to test and measure the success of those campaigns. For the record, I haven’t breached an confidentiality agreements by sharing these tech tips with you. Most successful operators use them and you would have discovered these tools eventually. I’ve just saved you the effort of having to find them.

If you’ve ever wondered what software tools the experts use to build their online businesses, this is the chapter for you.

What software will you use to build your online business?

If you don’t have the tech background to understand the backend of your site, the ...