A Simple Framework to Decide If You Should Change Your Tech Stack
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How to Know When to Change Your Tech Stack (for Entrepreneurs & Solopreneurs)
(Burnout-Proof Systems for Entrepreneurs and Solopreneurs)
You’re spending money on platforms you barely use.
Half your business is in Notion, the other half is floating between some random project tool, your Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and maybe that old Outlook account from your 9–5.
And every week, you find yourself thinking:
“Should I consolidate? Should I automate? Should I just start over again?”
Before you blow it all up, I want to talk about something nobody talks about when they’re shouting productivity hacks at you — how to simplify your systems without burning your business to the ground.
TL;DR / Quick Answer:
Before you switch systems or change your tech stack, ask yourself five questions:
1️⃣ Does it save me money?
2️⃣ Does it simplify my systems?
3️⃣ Will it create more ease?
4️⃣ Can I automate with it later?
5️⃣ Will it scale with me?
If you answer “yes” to at least three, the switch is probably worth it. Otherwise, optimize what you already have.
The Real Problem Isn’t Your Tools
Let’s get something straight: simplifying doesn’t mean deleting everything and starting from scratch.
It means asking smarter questions before you touch a single workflow.
Because every switch in your tech stack costs something — time, energy, money, and let’s be honest, a little sanity.
Over the years as a burnout coach, systems strategist, and Notion nerd, I’ve seen hundreds of entrepreneurs and solopreneurs make messy tech decisions. They chase new tools, switch platforms, or over-automate before they’ve even figured out what’s working.
So today, I’m sharing the five questions I use with my clients — and in my own business — to decide what stays, what goes, and what gets upgraded.
This is straight out of Systems School and it’s how I help business owners design burnout-proof systems that actually scale their freedom, not their stress.
Question 1: Does it save me money?
Let’s start with the obvious one — money.
If you’re paying hundreds a month for five platforms but only using one of them properly, you’re not being strategic — you’re being sentimental.
But here’s the nuance: sometimes spending more is the right call.
Ask: Is this tool earning its keep?
If a platform saves you time, reduces stress, or runs multiple workflows in one place, it’s probably worth the investment.
If not? Cut it.
Solopreneurs especially need to protect their cash and their cognitive bandwidth. Tool bloat equals mental bloat.
And while $20 subscriptions don’t seem like much, they add up — fast.
Burnout isn’t cheap. Every tab, every login, every app adds invisible stress.
Question 2: Does it simplify my systems down?
Every new tool is another tab, another login, another layer of decision fatigue.
The goal isn’t to collect apps — it’s to create flow.
This is why I love Notion for entrepreneurs. It’s one centralized hub that replaces half the tech stack most solopreneurs juggle: project management, content planning, client delivery, and documentation.
When I moved my systems into Notion, I didn’t do it because it was “aesthetic.” I did it because it cut my clutter in half.
If a new platform requires its own SOP just to manage it, that’s not simplification. That’s another part-time job.
You don’t need more tools. You need better ones that talk to each other.
Question 3: Will this create more ease for me?
This is the sneaky one.
Most system decisions are made based on hype or how pretty a dashboard looks — not on ease.
But ease is the metric that matters most.
Ask yourself:
– Will this make it easier to onboard clients?
– Will it make it easier to deliver programs?
– Will it make it easier to stay consistent?
If switching feels exciting but heavy, that’s not ease — that’s ego.
I’ve made this mistake before. There’s always a part of me that loves shiny new tech, but nine times out of ten, I’ve learned: you don’t need a prettier system — you need a calmer one.
Question 4: Can I automate with this (eventually)?
Not everything needs to be automated today.
But your future self will thank you for picking tools that can be automated later.
Someone once told me, “Systems are what get you from six figures to seven figures.”
That hit.
Whether you’re still building to six or scaling beyond it, automation is what turns your time into leverage.
So ask:
Does this tool give me the option to automate later?
If it doesn’t integrate with your other tools or has no API support, you’re setting yourself up for a future migration nightmare.
Bonus rule from Systems School: Never automate anything you haven’t done manually at least five times.
You can’t optimize what you don’t understand.
Automation should amplify clarity, not chaos.
Question 5: Will this system scale my business?
This is the big-picture question — and the one most entrepreneurs skip.
Will this system still work when you double your clients? When you bring on your first VA? When you’re no longer in every single detail yourself?
If the answer is barely, it’s not your forever system.
Now, don’t get stuck in perfection paralysis. Sometimes you need to make the best decision for right now.
But when you can, choose tools that grow with you.
Here’s what I mean:
When entrepreneurs bail on Notion, it’s usually because the learning curve feels uncomfortable. But that flexibility — that blank-slate structure — is exactly what makes it a forever system.
The best part about Notion is the worst part about Notion.
You can build anything — which means you have to build something.
Other tools may be faster to start, but they’ll eventually box you in.
Burnout-proof systems scale your freedom, not your stress.
A Real Example: My Skool vs. Circle Dilemma
Recently, I went through this exact framework in real time while debating whether to move my business community from Circle to Skool.
Skool looked shiny. Big communities, built-in discoverability, cheaper plans. But when I ran it through the framework, it became clear: the hype didn’t equal ease.
Save money? Maybe. Skool’s $9 plan looked great on paper but lacked the features I rely on — email automation, scheduling posts, course comments, discount codes.
Simplify? Not really. I’d have to create five separate Skool communities to replace the one I already run in Circle.
Ease + automation? Big no. Skool doesn’t automate well (yet).
Scale? Also no. My corporate offers wouldn’t fit the structure.
Out of five questions, I had one and a half yeses.
Which told me exactly what I needed to know: stay put.
The Framework Recap
So before you blow up your backend, pause.
Grab a piece of paper or open a Notion page, and ask:
Does it save me money?
Does it simplify my systems down?
Will it create more ease for me?
Can I automate with this (eventually)?
Will this system scale my business?
You won’t always get five yeses. Most of us don’t.
But how many yeses — and which ones — matter most.
If saving money is critical right now, that’s your deciding factor.
If ease and automation are your priorities, weigh those heavier.
This framework keeps you from spiraling into analysis paralysis.
Because intentional decisions build sustainable businesses.
And sustainable systems are the ultimate burnout prevention strategy.
You didn’t build your business to babysit it.
Every switch has a cost — time, energy, money, and peace.
So before you make your next move, run it through this framework.
Because burnout-proof systems aren’t built by default.
They’re built with intention.
And when you do it right?
Your systems stop running you — and start freeing you.
Ready to Build Your Burnout-Proof Backend?
If this hit home, you need to be inside The Solopreneur Systems Summit — happening this week.
We’re going deep on how to simplify, automate, and scale your systems sustainably with over 20 experts who’ve actually done it.
And when you grab the All-Access Pass, you’ll also get my C-Suite AI Agent Documentation — the literal playbook I use to train my Notion + ChatGPT assistants to think, write, and organize like a digital COO.
You didn’t build this business to be buried under busywork.
Let’s build systems that scale your freedom, not your stress.
People Also Ask:
Q: How often should I change my business systems?
A: When your tools cost more in time, energy, or money than they save. Reassess your tech stack every 6–12 months.
Q: Is Notion good for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs?
A: Yes — Notion is one of the most flexible all-in-one systems for managing content, clients, and operations without tool bloat.
Q: How can I make my systems burnout-proof?
A: Simplify. Automate only what works manually. Build for ease, not aesthetics. Your systems should scale your freedom, not your stress.
