Tools That Actually Work

The complete stack I use to run consulting operations and deliver client transformations. Real tools, real prices, real use cases.

๐ŸŽฏ Operations & Productivity

Obsidian Free

My second brain for nonlinear thinking and knowledge management. All research, client notes, and strategic thinking happens here.

Why this: Information stays private, works offline, and supports the messy reality of creative thinking.

ClickUp $7/month

Where strategy becomes execution. Every client project, timeline, and deliverable lives here.

Why this: Powerful enough for enterprise clients, simple enough to onboard teams in minutes.

Stripe 2.9% + 30ยข

Invoicing and payment processing that doesn't feel like it's from 2003.

Why this: Clean invoices, automatic reminders, and money hits my account in 2 days.

Google Workspace $12/month

Professional email at logan@loganschauer.com plus docs, sheets, and drive.

Why this: Clients expect a professional domain. Gmail's UI beats everything else.

๐Ÿš€ Client Transformation Tools

Miro Free โ†’ $8/member

Process mapping and workflow visualization. Where we discover what's actually broken.

Why this: Clients can see their chaos transformed into clarity in real-time.

Loom Free โ†’ $12/month

Async training videos that teams actually watch. Record once, train forever.

Why this: Eliminates "can you show me that again?" and scales training across timezones.

Zapier Free โ†’ $19/month

The duct tape of the internet. Connects tools that refuse to talk to each other.

Why this: Cheaper than custom development, faster than waiting for "native integrations."

Claude $20/month

AI that actually understands context. My research assistant, code writer, and sanity checker.

Why this: Turns 3-hour research projects into 30-minute explorations.

๐Ÿ“š Learning & Development

GitHub Free

Version control for code, but also hosts this website for free.

Why this: Free hosting, instant updates, and forces me to learn by building.

LinkedIn Learning $30/month

Structured courses on everything from Excel to executive presence.

Why this: Certificates clients recognize, quality that YouTube can't match.

๐Ÿ’ก The $89/month Consulting Stack

If you're starting from zero, here's the minimum viable toolkit:

Total: $51/month + Stripe fees - Less than you'll make from one hour of consulting.