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The Modern Business Stack: What You Need & What It Costs

Posted on March 19, 2026

Business Stack

Your Tech

  1. Website for online presence, legitimacy, and lead generation.
  2. Phone for calls and texts
  3. Email for communication and marketing
  4. Social media for brand awareness and engagement
  5. CRM for managing customer relationships and sales
  6. Accounting software for financial management
  7. Business banking and credit card
  8. Payment processing for accepting payments
  9. Google or Microsoft suite for productivity, collaboration, and meetings
  10. Google Meet or Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings and collaboration

Tools and Resources

Web Presence

  • Domain Name: Choose a domain name that reflects your business and is easy to remember
  • Web Hosting: Select a reliable web hosting provider to ensure your website is always accessible
  • Website Builder: Use a website builder like Wix, Squarespace, or Webflow to create a professional-looking website without needing coding skills
    • Wix offers a powerful AI builder that then can be customized with a drag-and-drop editor, and extended with code by developers so this is a great option for non-technical founders who want to get a website up quickly and then customize it as needed. Probably the best option.
  • SEO Tools: Use tools like Google Analytics

Costs

  • Domain Name: $10-$20 per year
  • Web Hosting: $5-$50 per month
  • Website Builder: $0-$30 per month
  • SEO Tools: Free
  • Total: $15-$100 per month

Communication, CRM, Marketing and Productivity

  • Phone: Use a business phone service like Google Voice or Grasshopper to separate your personal and business calls, and to have features like call forwarding, voicemail, and texting
    • Better Option: Use ValPhone which is a business phone with calling, texting, automations, and is built into the Valstorm platform giving you phone, CRM, marketing, and productivity tools all in one place with seamless integration and automation.
  • Email: Use a professional email service like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, integrate it with your CRM and marketing tools for better communication and automation
  • Email Marketing: Use an email marketing platform like Mailchimp or Constant Contact to create and send newsletters, promotional emails, and automated campaigns
    • Better Option: Use Valstorm's built-in email marketing tools. Valstorm's email marketing is integrated with the CRM and phone system, allowing you to easily create targeted campaigns based on customer data and interactions, and automate follow-ups based on customer behavior.
  • Video Conferencing: Use Google Meet or Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings and collaboration with clients, partners, and team members. They offer features like screen sharing, recording, integrated with your calendar, and can be accessed from any device.
    • AI Note-Taking: Use the AI-powered note-taking features in Google Meet or Microsoft Teams to automatically transcribe meetings and generate action items, making it easier to follow up and stay organized.
    • Awesome Valstorm Features: With the Valstorm CRM, all of your meetings are logged as part of the integration. This means your events, recordings, notes, and action items are all automatically logged in the CRM and associated with the relevant contacts, companies, and deals. This allows you to have a complete record of your interactions and follow-ups in one place, making it easier to manage your relationships and sales pipeline.
  • CRM: Use a CRM like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho to manage your customer relationships, sales pipeline, and marketing automation. Look for a CRM that integrates with your email, phone, and marketing tools for better automation and data management.
    • Better Option: Use Valstorm's built-in CRM. Valstorm's CRM has all the tools that other CRMs require countless integrations to achieve, and it's all built into one seamless platform. With Valstorm, you get a CRM that is integrated with your phone system, email marketing, and productivity tools, allowing you to manage your customer relationships and sales pipeline more effectively and efficiently in one day.

Costs

  • Phone Service: $10-$100 per month
    • Google Voice: $10 per month, but you will never get that info into the CRM or automate it with your marketing tools, and you will have to use a separate app for texting which is a huge hassle and leads to lost messages and disorganization.
    • Grasshopper: $29-$80 per month
    • ValPhone: part of the $100 per month for the entire Valstorm platform, which includes phone, CRM, marketing, and productivity tools all in one seamless platform with powerful automation and integration.
  • Email Service/Google Workspace/Microsoft 365: $6-$40 per user per month
    • Google Workspace: Spend $14 per user per month for the Business Standard plan. You get EVERYTHING plus AI note taking, access to Gemini, recorded meetings, and more. This is the best option for most businesses.
    • Microsoft 365: Spend $33.50 per user per month for the Business Standard. You get everything plus AI note taking, access to Microsoft Copilot, recorded meetings, and more. This is a good option if you prefer Microsoft products.
  • Email Marketing: $30+ per month
    • Mailchimp: $30-$300+ per month depending on the number of contacts and features you need. We do not recommend Mailchimp as it is clunky, will cost you heavily to integrate, and is not nearly as powerful or seamless as Valstorm's built-in email marketing tools.
    • Constant Contact: $20-$45+ per month depending on the number of contacts and features you need
    • Valstorm Email Marketing: included in the $100 per month for the entire Valstorm platform, which includes phone, CRM, marketing, and productivity tools all in one seamless platform with powerful automation and integration.
  • Video Conferencing Is part of your Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 subscription, so there is no additional cost if you are already using one of those services. Or pay zoom for some reason?
  • CRM: $100+ per month, per user, billed annually
    • HubSpot CRM: unless you at least shell out $100, you will not get the features you need to make it worth it, and then you will have to pay for additional integrations to get the functionality that is built into Valstorm's CRM. So expect to pay $100+ per month, per user, billed annually.
    • Salesforce CRM: $165+ per user per month for the edition that is worth it for most businesses, plus additional costs for integrations and add-ons that you will need to get the functionality that is built into Valstorm's CRM. So expect to pay $200+ per user per month. Plan in a $10,000 + setup fee, and a $10,000+ annual fee for a CRM consultant to set it up and maintain it for you.
    • Zoho CRM: $60+ per user per month for the edition that is worth it for most businesses. Zoho CRM is a more affordable option with plenty of features. This is a good option.
    • Valstorm CRM: included in the $100 per month for the entire Valstorm platform, which includes phone, CRM, marketing, and productivity tools all in one seamless platform with powerful automation and integration.
  • Total
    • Google Salesforce MailChimp Stack: Workspace + Salesforce + Mailchimp + Google Voice = $63.50 per user per month + $30 for email marketing + $165 for CRM = $258.50 per user per month
    • Microsoft Salesforce MailChimp Stack: Microsoft 365 + Salesforce + Mailchimp + Grasshopper = $83.50 per user per month + $30 for email marketing + $165 for CRM = $278.50 per user per month
    • Google HubSpot MailChimp Stack: Workspace + HubSpot + Mailchimp + Google Voice = $50 per user per month + $30 for email marketing + $100 for CRM = $180 per user per month
    • Microsoft HubSpot MailChimp Stack: Microsoft 365 + HubSpot + Mailchimp + Grasshopper = $70 per user per month + $30 for email marketing + $100 for CRM = $200 per user per month
    • Google MailChimp Zoho Stack: Workspace + Mailchimp + Zoho + Google Voice = $46 per user per month + $30 for email marketing + $60 for CRM = $136 per user per month
    • Microsoft MailChimp Zoho Stack: Microsoft 365 + Mailchimp + Zoho + Grasshopper = $63.50 per user per month + $30 for email marketing + $60 for CRM = $153.50 per user per month
    • Valstorm Google Stack: Workspace + Valstorm = $114 per user per month.
    • Valstorm Microsoft Stack: Microsoft 365 + Valstorm = $133.50 per user per month.

Accounting and Finance

  • Accounting Software: Use accounting software like QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks to manage your finances, invoicing, and expenses. Look for software that integrates with your banking and payment processing tools for better automation and financial management.
  • Business Banking: Choose a business bank account that offers features like online banking, mobile deposits, and integration with your accounting software for better financial management.
    • Honorable Mention: Bluevine has a free plan that is great for business checking. It is 100% digital.
  • Payment Processing: Use a payment processing service like Stripe, PayPal, or Square to accept payments from customers online and in person.
    • Why Stripe: Stripe is powerful and Valstorm supports a native integration with Stripe.
  • Credit Card: Get a business credit card to manage expenses and build business credit. Look for a card that offers rewards and benefits that align with your business needs.
    • Honorable Mention: Chase or American Express both have great business credit cards with rewards and benefits that can be valuable for small businesses. You might want both because not everywhere accepts Amex or Visa, so having one of each can be helpful. Consider a Mastercard too for even more options.

Costs

  • Accounting Software: $15-$70 per month

    • QuickBooks: $15-$70 per month depending on the plan and features you need
    • Xero: $12-$65 per month depending on the plan and features you need
    • FreshBooks: $15-$50 per month depending on the plan and features you need

  • Business Banking: typically no monthly fee, but some banks may charge fees for certain transactions or services. Bluevine offers a free business checking account with no monthly fees, no minimum balance, and unlimited transactions, making it a great option for small businesses looking to save on banking fees.

  • Payment Processing: typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for online payments, and 2.7% + $0.05 per transaction for in-person payments, but fees can vary depending on the provider and the volume of transactions. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for online payments, and 2.7% + $0.05 per transaction for in-person payments.

  • Credit Card: typically no annual fee for basic business credit cards, but some cards may charge annual fees or have other costs associated with them. The Chase Ink Business Unlimited has no annual fee and offers 1.5% cash back on all purchases, making it a great option for small businesses looking to earn rewards without paying an annual fee. The American Express Blue Business Plus has no annual fee and offers 2x points on the first $50,000 spent each year, making it a great option for small businesses with higher spending who want to earn rewards.

  • Total: $15-$70 per month for accounting software + 3% of transactions for payment processing + potential fees for business banking and credit cards.

Final Summary

That is your business stack! With these tools and resources, you can establish a strong online presence, manage your customer relationships, automate your marketing, and keep your finances in order. Remember to choose tools that integrate well with each other for better automation and efficiency. Valstorm offers an all-in-one solution that combines phone, CRM, marketing, and productivity tools in one seamless platform with powerful automation and integration, making it a great option for small businesses looking to streamline their operations and save money on multiple subscriptions.

Total Cost for the Valstorm Business Stack: $114-$133.50 per user per month, which includes everything you need for your business operations in one seamless platform with powerful automation and integration.

That is annually $1,368-$1,602 per user, which is a great deal considering the value and functionality you get with Valstorm compared to the other stacks that can easily cost $2,000-$3,000+ per user annually when you factor in all the separate subscriptions and integrations needed to achieve the same functionality. That doesn't mention the consultants you'll need to hire and constantly pay to maintain those tools.