The Service Business Ops Stack

A CRM. Sales are the lifeblood of any business. The difference between an employee and a business owner is that a business owner is always chasing new deals. Lead tracking and sales pipeline management enable you stay on top of opportunities, price engagements and forecast revenue that builds your business.

Resource Management. Profit in this business is about managing your team's utilization. Overallocating your team means failed projects, lost revenue and team burn out. Underallocating your team means negative margins and a failed business.

Time Tracking and Project Management. You'll need a time tracking and project accounting solution to bill and send invoices to your clients for the work your team does.

A marketing website. You'll need a website to prove that you exist, and showcase your work and services. Don't expect your website to bring in new business, but rather consider it proof that you are a real business for prospects you are meeting. Use tools like Webflow, Squarespace or WordPress.

A business entity. For liability and tax purposes, you'll want to create a business entity. You'll typically start as a sole proprietorship, but as you grow and have consistent revenue to pay yourself a salary, you'll want to consider an LLC.

Payroll Solution. If you're going to bring on employees, you'll need to pay them and properly handle taxes and benefits. You can self-manage payroll with tools like Gusto, ADP, or Paychex. Or, you can use a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that handles payroll and many HR tasks for you.

Email and Communications. To communicate within your team and to clients, you'll need an email provider (like Google or Microsoft) and communication tools (like Slack or Microsoft Teams).

People to Know. Not only will you need to network to find new clients, but you'll also need to know the people who can help you grow your business. Some important people to you'll want to have a relationship with are accountants, employment lawyers, and recruiters.