You don’t need a $2,000 MacBook to start a business. You need tools that work fast, don’t crash, and won’t break your budget. The right tech stack is about leverage, not luxury. So if you’re wondering whether to grab a laptop, a desktop, or just use your phone—here’s exactly what you need, why, and how to do it for the best value.
💡 What Type of Device Do I Actually Need?
Let’s break it down by work style:
1. Laptop – Best for Flexibility
If you work on the go, visit clients, or need to switch locations often (home, office, coffee shop), a laptop is your best friend. Choose a business-grade machine with solid battery life and fast boot-up.
Great value picks:
- Refurbished MacBook Air M1 — lightweight and powerful (~$650)
- Refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad T series — reliable Windows workhorse (~$300–500)
2. Desktop – Best Power-Per-Dollar
If you work from the same space every day and want the most speed for your money, go desktop. Add a large screen and you’ll fly through tasks faster.
Top value winners:
- Mac Mini M2 — ~$599, blazing fast, perfect for creative work or business tasks
- Intel NUC Mini PC — starts around $400, great for compact Windows setups
3. Phone or Tablet – Secondary Only
Yes, you can technically run a business from your phone. But you’ll hit limitations fast. These are great for communication and light tasks (email, posting, invoices), but not ideal for deep work or building systems.
Use your phone with a primary device, not as your main one.
🧰 Essential Software to Run Your Business (Most Are Free or Cheap)
You only need 4 core systems to run lean:
1. Email + Docs + Cloud Storage
- Google Workspace ($9–26/mo depending on tier): Professional email (@yourdomain.com), Docs, Sheets, Calendar, and Drive. Industry standard.
- Free Alternative: Gmail free (@gmail.com email address) + Google Drive free (gives you 2GB free storage – less polished, but gets the job done)
2. Invoicing + Payments
- Square (Freemium): Send invoices, accept credit cards, track payments. No upfront cost — they take a small % of each transaction.
Great for service businesses, consultants, freelancers.
Bonus: You can add on point-of-sale if you ever sell in-person. - Wave Accounting (Free): Full bookkeeping + invoicing. Zero cost for basic features, great for tracking revenue and expenses early on.
- QuickBooks Self-Employed ($20/mo):
Automatically tracks mileage, categorizes expenses, and simplifies taxes. Worth it for solo operators who need to stay tax-ready, and travel a lot. You are really paying for the automatic mileage tracker here.
3. Design + Branding
- Canva Free: Drag-and-drop logo, flyer, and social post creation.
- Canva Pro ($12.99/mo): Adds brand kits, templates, and background remover — super useful as you grow.
4. Website & Online Presence
- Carrd ($19/year): Simple one-page landing page. Clean, fast, and perfect for landing pages or lead capture.
- Squarespace ($16–23/mo): Full website builder with built-in ecommerce and scheduling tools. Many templates to get you started
- Linktree or Stan.Store (Freemium): Great for service providers or creators to link everything from one page. Also great for simple ecommerce or lead magnets (free content you give your audience in exchange for marketing information)
- Instagram (Free) Professionally setup your instagram page using tools like Canva to give it a website experience. Check out our IG building article to learn more.
- WordPress + Fiverr ($100-500 + $15-20/mo hosting): For the most professional presence, purchase a domain through Dreamhost, IONOS, or Hosting.com, install WordPress, snag an Elementor theme from Themeforest.com, and hire a web pro on Fiverr to build and design it for you.
- Canva (Freemium): You can now design and publish websites directly from Canva. Select a template, edit it with your info, purchase a domain, and publish. This is becoming the most flexible and cost efficient way to put together an online presence. You are limited with image optimization and SEO however, so it is best for simple websites that do their marketing primarily on social media.
🤝 CRM & Client Management Options (Free to Pro-Level)
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool helps you track leads, conversations, payments, and project status. You don’t need one on Day 1 — but once you have more than a few leads, you’ll want something better than sticky notes or your inbox.
Here are the best options by budget:
✅ Free CRM Options
- Gmail
Using color coded email tagging and folders allows you to keep everything organized right from the get-go. You can also use Tasks to set follow-up reminders. Fantastic free solution for starting off – becomes a bit clunky when scaling lead generation. Always useful for keeping track of client projects. - Google Sheets CRM Template
Simple spreadsheet with columns for name, email, lead status, deal size, etc. Works well for beginners who want full control without extra tools. SEE TEMPLATES HERE - Notion CRM Templates
Tons of free or low-cost templates built for client tracking, pipelines, or even full onboarding systems. Great for solopreneurs who want flexibility. SEE TEMPLATES HERE - Square Dashboard
Built-in customer management and payment tracking if you’re using Square for invoicing. Simple tool for keeping track of customers – not leads.
💼 Professional CRM Tools
- Pipedrive (starts at ~$15/mo)
Simple, visual pipeline tool. Drag-and-drop deals, track stages, and automate follow-ups. Excellent for service-based businesses and sales-focused teams. Great for solopreneurs with the tools to scale to enterprise level functionality. - HubSpot CRM (Freemium)
Popular free plan includes contact management, deal tracking, email templates, and more. Add-ons get pricey fast, but the free version is solid for most beginners. - HoneyBook / 17hats / Sprout Studio / Pixieset
More than just CRMs — they handle contracts, invoices, workflows, and calendar scheduling. Really suited for creatives and consultants who need all-in-one client systems.
🧠 The Lean Launch Setup (Start Here for Under $700)
Here’s what you actually need to launch and operate your business effectively:
- 💻 Refurbished MacBook Air or Lenovo (~$400–600)
- 📩 Google Workspace for email/docs ($8/mo)
- 💵 Square or Wave for invoices (free)
- 🎨 Canva Free (or Pro for $13/mo)
- 🌐 Carrd site or Instagram for online presence (free)
- 📱 Use your phone for social media, calls, DMs, and email on the go
- Gmail tagging & folders for “baby CRM”
💰 Should I Go Apple or Windows?
Apple:
- Seamless ecosystem (iPhone + Mac + iCloud)
- Best for creatives and those who value simplicity
- Long-lasting resale value
Windows:
- More affordable
- More compatible with legacy business apps
- Easier hardware upgrades
🧠 Pro tip: If you’re deep into iPhone/iPad already, the Mac Mini or MacBook Air will feel effortless.
⚖️ Paid vs Free Stack Comparison
| Tool Type | Free Option | Paid Upgrade |
| Email & Docs | Gmail + Drive | Google Workspace ($6–12/mo) |
| Invoicing | Square / Wave | QuickBooks ($20/mo) |
| Design | Canva Free | Canva Pro ($13/mo) |
| Website | Linktree / Carrd Free | Carrd Pro / Squarespace |
| CRM & Workflow | Google Sheets | HoneyBook / 17hats |
| Scheduling | Calendly Free | Calendly Pro ($8–12/mo) |
🧨 Bottom Line — What Would Hormozi Say?
Don’t buy gear to look like you’re in business. Buy tools that get you paid.You can run your first $10K–$50K in revenue with under $700 in tools — and most of them will scale with you to six figures.
Focus on selling. Deliver results. Upgrade later.
