Field notes — tools I actually pay for
The toolkit behind my online businesses
I run five different online businesses out of Adelaide. These are the three tools doing the heavy lifting underneath all of them — reviewed the way I'd want them reviewed if I were buying, not selling.
Foundation: hosting
Every site, funnel and shop in this toolkit sits on a server somewhere. Get this wrong and nothing else matters — a slow or unreliable host quietly taxes every other tool on this page. Here's the short version of where I landed, broken down by where you're actually at.
Read the full hosting comparison →
Engine: Systeme.io
This is the one tool on this list I didn't pick off a "best of" roundup — I run my video business's entire sales funnel, affiliate program and email sequence on it. What it replaces: a funnel builder like ClickFunnels, an email platform like Mailchimp or ConvertKit, and course hosting like Teachable or Kajabi — all under one login and one bill.
Where it's genuinely good: the free plan is actually usable, not a 14-day trial wearing a "free" badge. You can build funnels, send email and sell a course before you've made a single sale. The paid tiers stay cheap next to running three separate subscriptions for the same job.
Where it falls short: the page builder and templates are noticeably less polished than a dedicated tool like ClickFunnels or Unbounce — fine for a straightforward funnel, frustrating if you want pixel-perfect design control. It's built for a fairly linear funnel-to-email-to-sale flow, not complex multi-branch automation.
See it in action
Paste the Systeme.io walkthrough embed code here
Heads-up: this is an affiliate link. If you upgrade through it, I earn a commission — it doesn't cost you anything extra, and it's the only reason this page is free to read.
Fuel: skills & courses
This is where I'd normally point you to a couple of ClickBank courses on marketing, copywriting or content. I'm being picky on purpose — most of what's topping ClickBank's charts right now is weight-loss supplements and "manifestation audio," and that's not what this page is for.
I'm working through ClickBank's business and marketing category against three filters: a gravity score that shows real, sustained sales rather than a flash in the pan; a refund rate that doesn't make me nervous; and — the only one that actually matters — would I tell a friend to buy it. Check back soon.
Common questions
Do I need to pay for hosting before I make any money online?
No. Start on Systeme.io's free plan to test an offer first. Only move to paid hosting once you actually have a site that needs to live somewhere permanent — Hostinger's entry plan is the cheapest sane option for that.
What's the realistically cheapest way to start?
A domain (roughly $10–15 a year), Hostinger's entry hosting plan, and Systeme.io's free tier covers a working website, an email list and a basic funnel for well under $100 total in year one.
Is Systeme.io actually better than ClickFunnels?
Cheaper and simpler, not necessarily "better." If you want the most polished page design, ClickFunnels' builder still has an edge. If you want one tool that also handles your email and course delivery without three separate subscriptions, Systeme.io wins on value.
Will the course picks here be the typical ClickBank hype products?
No — see the Fuel section above for exactly how those picks are being filtered before they go live.