Choose your tools. See your real costs. Build your starter tech stack.
💡 April 2026 pricing. Promotional (Year 1) rates are noted separately from renewal (Year 2+) rates. Many platforms show a low intro price that jumps significantly at renewal — always plan for Year 2 before you commit. Free tiers are noted where available. Choose only what you need right now.
You do not need everything at once. This tool helps you see what comes first and what comes later.
1
Your Business Direction
Choose one to start — you can layer the other in Journey 2
What are you building first? This shapes which tools matter most urgently for your path.
Service-Based
You work with clients
$0 to start
You deliver skill or time directly. Examples: social media management, photography, consulting.
Income can start with one client
You only earn when you are working. Your income is limited by how many hours you can work, so how much you can earn depends on your time.
Digital Product
You create to sell
$0 to start
You build once and sell or give it repeatedly. Examples: PDF guide, Canva template, workbook.
Can earn without exchanging time
Takes longer to see income
2
Your Domain
Purchase before Session 5 · Paid yearly, not monthly
Your domain is your address on the internet. You register it once, and then you renew it each year to keep it. Your domain is your address. Hosting is the land and the house built on it. Without hosting, your address points to nothing. It does not include hosting on its own — a domain without hosting has nowhere to live.
★ Recommended
Namecheap
~$9–$12 / year
Clean interface, honest pricing, no hidden upsells. Transfers easily later. Domain is separate from hosting.
Simple, affordable, trustworthy
Hosting is separate — buy together or separately
★ Guide's pick
Bundle Option
Hostinger Domain
Free Year 1 (with hosting plan)
⚠ Renews ~$20/year in Year 2+
Free first year when bundled with a Hostinger hosting plan. Convenient if you are using Hostinger for everything.
Free with hosting; one dashboard
Domain renewal fee kicks in Year 2
Canva Pro Users
Canva Domain
~$10–$18 / year
Purchase domain through Canva and connect instantly to your Canva website. Requires Canva Pro to use custom domain on Canva site.
Needed before Session 7 · One page, one purpose — with room to grow
Journey 1 goal: one page that captures an email or shows your offer. Choose something that can grow into a full website. You should not have to rebuild from scratch later.
What is hosting? Hosting is the server space that stores your website files and makes them visible on the internet. Your domain is your address. Hosting is the building at that address. Some platforms (Canva, Carrd, Stan Store) include hosting in their plan — you do not buy it separately. WordPress does not include hosting — you must pair it with a hosting provider like Hostinger or Namecheap. You need hosting when you are ready for your website to be live and visible online. Hosting is usually paid upfront for 1–4 years. The longer you commit, the lower the monthly price appears. Renewal pricing increases after the first term.
Free to Start
Canva Website
Free (yourname.my.canva.site)
Custom domain requires Canva Pro (~$10/mo)
Free plan: 5 sites on Canva subdomain. Multi-page now available (2025 update). Hosting included. ⚠ If you close your Canva account, your site goes with it. You keep your domain — point it somewhere else. Best for: starter freebie landing page on a budget.
Already know Canva; fast; hosting included
Limited SEO; no built-in checkout; subdomain looks informal; account-dependent
Low Cost
Carrd
Free or $19 / year (Pro)
Simple one-page sites. Free tier available. Pro ($19/yr) adds custom domain and forms. Hosting included. Very fast to set up. Good for a freebie landing page or link page.
Extremely affordable; hosting included; clean
One-page only; not a full website builder
WordPress Path
Hostinger + WordPress
~$1.99–$2.99/mo Year 1 (promo)
⚠ Renews at $8–$17/mo in Year 2
Hostinger provides hosting. WordPress is the website builder (free). You install WordPress inside Hostinger with one click. This gives you a real growable website. WordPress requires hosting (such as Hostinger or Namecheap). Free domain Year 1 with most plans. Themes and plugins can be free or paid. You do not need to pay for them to start. Renewal price jumps significantly — budget for Year 2.
Real website; growable; full control; free WordPress themes available
More technical; renewal price spike; requires both domain + hosting decisions
Best for long-term website growth
Creator Platform
Stan Store
$29 / month (free trial)
Link-in-bio that handles email capture and digital product delivery in one place. Built for creators. No separate checkout needed. Hosting included.
All-in-one; mobile-first; no separate checkout
Monthly fee; not a full website; your guide is still exploring this
Future Direction
ShowIt
~$29–$39 / month
The platform your guide uses. Professional, design-forward, WordPress-powered blog. This is where the path eventually leads — not where you begin. Will become its own course in a future Journey.
Full creative control; powerful long-term
Not for Journey 1 — this is Journey 3+
Future direction — not yet
You may have heard of platforms like Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify.
These are all-in-one website builders that include hosting, but they are not recommended for this path because they limit flexibility, ownership, or are designed for different types of businesses. They are options — just not the direction we are taking here.
4
Email Platform
Set up during Session 4 · Start collecting emails now
Your email list is the one asset you own. Platforms change, algorithms change, your list stays with you. Start collecting emails before you have anything to sell.
★ Recommended Start
MailerLite
Free up to 500–1,000 subscribers
Automation included on free plan. Clean interface. Grows with you through Journeys 1 and 2.
Automation free; simple; grows with you
Free tier recently reduced to 500 confirmed — verify current limit
★ Set up together today
Generous Free Tier
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Free up to 10,000 subscribers
Paid starts ~$33/mo (price increased late 2025)
One of the most generous free tiers available. Strong for creators. One automation on free plan. Well-documented and trusted.
Massive free subscriber limit; powerful tagging
One automation only free; paid tier now expensive
Design-Forward
Flodesk
Free (no sending) · $19/mo Lite
Most beautiful email templates. ⚠ Flat-rate unlimited plan ended December 2025. New users pay by list size. Free plan cannot send emails — it is list-building only.
Most beautiful templates; easy to use
No longer cheap to start; free plan cannot send emails
Well-Known Option
MailChimp
Free up to 500 contacts
Most recognized name. Your guide uses it for church emails — you will see the back end in session. Free plan has become more restrictive. Not recommended for building from scratch in 2026.
Integrates with almost everything; well-known
Free tier very limited; pricing increases fast
Advanced / Future
GoHighLevel
~$97/month and up
Full CRM: email + funnels + automation + pipeline. Your guide's personal platform (white-labeled lifetime deal). Not where you start. Where a business grows into after it has traction.
All-in-one CRM; the most powerful option
Not for beginners; significant investment
Journey 3–4 direction
5
Product Delivery
Needed before Session 6 · How your freebie reaches her
For Journey 1 you need one free way to deliver your freebie. Choose something simple that gets the file into her hands reliably.
Free + Sells Later
Gumroad
Free (10% transaction fee on sales)
Host free and paid digital products. Clean delivery page. Collects email on download. Well known for digital products and templates. Free to start — fee only applies when you sell.
Free; email capture on download; professional look
10% fee on free plan sales
Best freebie + paid product combo
Simplest Start
Google Drive Link
Free
Share your freebie as a Google Drive link. Zero setup. Pair with a form on your landing page to capture emails manually. Gets the job done.
Completely free; zero setup
No automatic email collection; less professional
Canva Users
Canva Share Link
Free
Share your Canva design as a view-only link. No download required. Works great for freebies already designed in Canva. Requires a form to collect email separately.
Free; zero extra setup if you designed in Canva
No email capture built in; Canva account required to update
Cloud Storage Option
Dropbox
Free (2GB) · $9.99/mo Plus
Share files via Dropbox link. Free tier gives 2GB. Clean, professional link. Pair with a form to collect email. Good if you already use Dropbox for your files.
Professional look; easy to use if already in Dropbox
No built-in email capture; paid tier for more storage
6
Payment Processors
Needed before Session 7 · How people pay you
This is how people pay you. These platforms do not charge upfront, but they take a small fee from each sale. You only pay fees when you make a sale.
Recommended
Stripe
Free to start
Processes payments on your website or checkout page. Works with most platforms. Industry standard for digital businesses. Very clean developer experience and dashboard.
No upfront cost; works with most platforms
Takes ~2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
★ Most widely supported
Well-Known Option
PayPal
Free to start
Well-known payment option that many customers trust. Easy to set up and recognizable to buyers. Works as a standalone option or alongside Stripe.
Trusted brand; easy to set up; familiar to buyers
Similar transaction fee (~2.9% + 30¢); some platform limitations
You only pay fees when you make a sale. No sale, no fee.
7
Design Tool
You need this now — confirm your plan level
Canva is the recommended design tool for all students in Journey 1. Select whether you are on Free or Pro so your real costs are reflected accurately.
Current / Starting
Canva Free
$0 / month
Good enough to build your freebie, product mockups, and social graphics. Custom domain for Canva website not available on free. Subdomain (yourname.my.canva.site) is free.
Free; enough to start building assets today
No custom domain on Canva site; some premium elements locked
Recommended Upgrade
Canva Pro
$10/month or $120/year
Unlocks custom domain on Canva website, background remover, brand kit, premium templates, unlimited storage, resize tool, and more. Best value if using Canva as your design + website platform.
Custom domain; brand kit; premium templates; full toolkit
Monthly cost; only valuable if you use the Pro features actively
Unlocks Canva website with custom domain
Your Starter Tech Stack — April 2026
Your Business Ecosystem
Year 1 Monthly Est.
$0/mo
Year 1 Annual Est.
$0/yr
Tech Stack Receipt
Your Business
Year 1 Total
$0 / year
What this means for you
Copied!
To share with your guide: copy your tech stack and paste it into an email to [email protected].
Your Running Budget
$
Est. Monthly Cost
$0
based on your selections
$0 / year (Year 1)
⚠ Your selections exceed your stated budget. Consider starting with free tiers and upgrading once you have income from your business.
Your selections appear here as you choose.
Domain cost is yearly, shown as $1/mo here for budget clarity. Renewal prices (Year 2+) are often 2–4× the intro rate — always check before committing.
Canva vs Namecheap Domain — What's the Difference?
Both Canva and Namecheap offer similar pricing for domains. Here is what is different.
If you use Canva
You still need Canva Pro (~$10/month) to connect a custom domain
Everything stays inside Canva
Convenient if you are already using Canva for your website
If you use Namecheap
You own your domain independently of any platform
You can move it to any platform later without losing it
No platform account required to keep the domain
Key difference: Buying your domain through Namecheap gives you more control long term, even if the price is similar.