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The $150 Stack Blueprint

Every tool you need to run a one-person business. Real prices. Free alternatives. The wiring diagram nobody else gives you.

$280 average solopreneur
→
$84/mo with this stack
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The average solopreneur spends $200-$300/month on software subscriptions. Most of it overlaps. Some of it's unused. All of it adds up.

This stack runs an entire content business for under $150/month. Tools marked with * are what I actually use daily.

The Stack

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Newsletter & Email
Beehiiv Scale*
Newsletter + products + boosts + website
$39/mo
Free alt: Beehiiv Launch plan ($0) up to 2,500 subs
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Content Creation
Claude API*
Writing, research, automation prompts
~$5/mo
Canva
Graphics, social images, PDF design
Free
Free alt: ChatGPT free tier for writing
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Automation
Zapier Professional*
Connects everything. Runs the pipeline.
$30/mo
Free alt: Make.com free tier (1,000 ops/mo) or Zapier free (5 zaps)
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Social Media
Buffer Essentials*
Schedule posts across LinkedIn, X, Instagram
$10/mo
Free alt: Buffer free (3 channels) or native scheduling
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Scheduling & Meetings
Cal.com
Booking pages, timezone detection, calendar sync
Free
Replaces: Calendly Pro ($30/mo). Set up in 11 minutes.
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Projects & CRM
Notion
Projects, client tracker, content calendar, SOPs
Free
Free alt: Google Sheets + Docs (also free)
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Finance & Payments
Stripe
Payments (connects to Beehiiv for products)
Free*
Wave
Invoicing, accounting, receipts
Free
*Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. No monthly fee.
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Website & Analytics
Beehiiv Website
Landing page + blog (included with plan)
Included
Google Analytics
Traffic tracking
Free
Upgrade: Carrd.co ($19/yr) for a custom landing page
Recommended Stack (what I use)
Beehiiv + Claude API + Zapier + Buffer
$84/mo
Budget version with free alts: ~$39/mo

How They Connect

Monday: Research
Zapier → Claude API → trending topic brief → saved to Notion
Tue + Fri: Create
Zapier → Claude API → newsletter draft → Beehiiv (as draft)
Tue + Fri: Distribute
Zapier → Claude API → social posts → Buffer (scheduled)
Ongoing: Sell
Beehiiv products → Stripe → your bank account
Ongoing: Grow
Beehiiv Boosts → other newsletters recommend you → new subs
Human: 5%
Review drafts → tweak → send. About 30-45 min per edition.
The Blueprint shows WHAT to use.
Solo Stack shows HOW — every Tuesday and Friday.
solostack.news
February 2026
⚡ @ $ ★
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See the Full Blueprint

4 more categories + the wiring diagram showing how every tool connects. Free.

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