Every tool named in the book, with what it costs today. Tick what you're running and see your actual monthly bill against the $80 ceiling.
Start from a stage, then adjust. marks the prices most likely to have moved since the book went to print.
If your bill is well above the row you're on, something is on the list that isn't earning its place.
| Stage | Adds | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-revenue (Ch 1–4) | Airtable, Make, AI, Carrd | $34 |
| Video machine (Ch 5) | + OpusClip, Buffer ×3 | $67 |
| Both content machines (Ch 5–6) | + Ghost, transcription | $77 |
| Full five machines (Ch 7–9) | + ManyChat, Crisp | $137 |
| With community (Ch 9.3+) | + Circle | $186 |
Every tool here fills a role, and the role outlives the tool. When something is discontinued, acquired, or repriced beyond usefulness, substitute by role — three questions, in order.
Does it do the one job?
Not the forty things it advertises. Buffer's job is "receive a video and a caption and post them on a schedule." Judge the replacement on that alone.
Can I get my data out?
If the export path is "contact support," it isn't a candidate regardless of how good it is.
Does my automation layer connect to it?
A tool Make can't reach costs you a manual step forever, and a manual step forever is worse than a mediocre tool with an API.
Don't optimize for interface quality, brand, or feature breadth. You will interact with most of these for about four minutes a week. A prettier product that connects worse is a bad trade at four hours a week.
If you need the bill down, cut in this order. Note that it's roughly inverse to cost — the right thing to cut is the tool that saves you the least time, not the one with the biggest number.
| Cut | Why it's safe | What you lose |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crisp | Plain email handles support at low volume | AI drafting; ~20 min/wk |
| 2. Descript | CapCut is free and adequate | Filler removal; ~15 min/wk |
| 3. Circle | Only if you launched one against Ch 9.3's advice | The community |
| 4. Buffer channels | Drop to your two best platforms | Reach on the third |
| 5. OpusClip | Clip by hand in CapCut | ~2 hours/week — expensive |
Never cut: Make (the whole business), Kit (the only audience you own), Airtable (the Brain), or your backup storage.
This page is updated quarterly. If you'd rather not check it, I'll email you when something on your stack changes materially — a repricing, a discontinued free tier, an acquisition. Roughly four times a year, and only when it affects a tool in this book.
Plus one email a week about building things that run without you. Unsubscribe link at the bottom of every one, and it works.
© 2026 Jeff Sheikowitz. All rights reserved.