The Operator’s Library · Tools
The stack I actually run.
Two lists. The first is what I use to run MMS Vegas and Katsu Seeds every day. The second is what I would point you to instead if you are set up differently than I am. I only put a tool on either list if I would tell a friend to use it. The two are labeled, on purpose, so you always know which is which.
What I run
The working stack behind the sites, the books, and the funnels. If you want to copy what I do, this is the shopping list.
Automation engine
Make
What I automate both businesses with. Every email flow, every data hand-off, every “do this when that happens” runs through Make. It is the engine room.
Honest note: it has a real learning curve. That is most of the reason I wrote a whole book about it.
See Make →Funnels + all my email
FunnelKit
My checkouts and, unusually, all of my email automation. Most people run a separate email platform. I do not. FunnelKit Automations lives inside WooCommerce, so my store data and my emails sit in one place.
Honest note: this only makes sense if you are on WooCommerce. If you are not, see the email picks below.
See FunnelKit →The server
Hostwinds
The cloud server both businesses live on. Fast, and cheap for the horsepower. It is a VPS, so it assumes you are comfortable at the server level.
Honest note: if you do not want to touch a server, do not start here. See the managed hosts below.
See Hostwinds →Page building
Elementor
How every page on the site gets built, including this one. It is the reason I can design and ship a page without waiting on a developer.
See Elementor →The store
WooCommerce
The store engine itself. Free, open, and the foundation the entire Missing Manual for FunnelKit is built on. If you sell anything on WordPress, this is the base layer.
See WooCommerce →Just as good if you are not me
I do not personally run these, because my setup already covers the job. But they are genuinely good, and for a lot of people they are the better call than copying my stack.
If you are not on FunnelKit: email
Email · the simple pick
MailerLite
The one I would hand a friend who just wants to send good emails without reading a manual. Clean, a generous free tier, and it stays out of your way.
See MailerLite →Email · the do-more pick
GetResponse
When you want more than email, landing pages and funnels and automation in one place, without gluing five tools together to get there.
See GetResponse →If you want hands-off hosting
Host · the go-to
Cloudways
Managed hosting without the managed-hosting price. If you want someone else to run the server so you can just run your site, this is where I would point you first.
See Cloudways →Host · the premium option
Kinsta
The white-glove option. It costs more, and it is worth it if uptime and fast support are things you would rather never think about again.
See Kinsta →If Make is not your thing
Automation · the budget route
Pabbly Connect
If Make’s pricing or its learning curve is not for you, Pabbly does a lot of the same job for less, especially if you catch one of its lifetime deals.
See Pabbly →Automation · for developers
n8n
For developers, and anyone who wants to self-host and own their automation outright. Free if you run it yourself, paid if you want their cloud to handle it.
See n8n →This page stays current. When I change something in my own stack, or find a better tool to recommend, it gets updated here first. That is the whole point of keeping the two lists honest and separate.