Everything I'd send you, in one place

Creem Blog

Free posts on selling software online as a small operator — payments, taxes, compliance and launch write-ups aimed at solo founders.

From the site: Creem Blog - Get to know Creem Team and our latest updates

Why I recommend it: The reading is free. Their payment product takes a cut per sale, so treat the posts as useful advice from an interested party.

Bottom Up by David Sacks

A free newsletter of operating playbooks for software companies, organised by function — sales, marketing, operations, product and finance.

Why I recommend it: If you are building or joining a startup, the function-by-function playbooks are the practical part most advice skips.

GetApp

GetApp Software Directory

A free searchable directory of business software with side-by-side feature comparisons, pricing summaries and verified user reviews across categories like workflow, CRM and accounting.

Why I recommend it: Free to browse and useful when you are choosing tools for a small business — just remember vendors pay for placement, so read the reviews, not the rankings.

HubSpot Marketing Landing Pages

HubSpot's landing-page builder for capturing leads, running A/B tests, and connecting forms to a CRM — useful for small businesses and creator-led offers.

Why I recommend it: A solid free-tier option for building lead-capture pages if you already use or plan to use HubSpot's CRM.

Favikon

An influencer-marketing platform for finding, analyzing, and messaging creators, with performance data, audience demographics, and authenticity scoring.

Why I recommend it: Helpful for vetting creators before a campaign; start with the free trial to see whether the data quality justifies the cost for your niche.

Fluencify

A creator-marketing platform that runs influencer and UGC campaigns end to end — from creator contracting and briefing to quality review and payout.

Why I recommend it: Worth exploring if you are building a brand and want to outsource the operations of a creator campaign without giving away a large agency markup.

AppSumo

Marketplace of discounted and lifetime-deal software for small businesses, with a free account and a rotating set of free tools.

Why I recommend it: Deals are cheap but they add up. Only buy tools that replace something you are already paying for.

Dharmesh Shah

Co-founder & CTO, HubSpot. Shares insights on startups, software development, and AI, with a focus on community-driven business growth.

In plain terms: This is the LinkedIn profile of HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah. You can read his articles and updates to get advice on starting a business, building software, and using artificial intelligence tools.

Why I recommend it: Practical founder thinking on growth without a big budget.