Welcome to the Small Business Starter Kit
Building your online business may seem both exciting and intimidating. You have so much potential and yet there are an over-abundance of tools and services that you can use.
How do you know which ones to choose?
Over the years, I’ve tried and tested many WordPress plugins, services, and tools. The items you see listed below are where I’ve settled on the best resources for me. I’m happy to recommend them to you.
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Business Formation & Registered Agent Service
If you're considering forming an LLC, you may be wondering if you should hire a registered agent service. We recommend hiring Northwest Registered Agent for the best price and customer service.
Northwest Registered Agent provides the following core services:
- LLC formation service
- Registered Agent service
- Address privacy (keeps your address off the public record)
- Lifetime customer support
- Annual Report reminders
- Online document dashboard
Northwest is a leader in the industry, providing quality formation and registered agent services at an affordable price. They provide excellent customer service, lifetime support, and annual report reminders to help keep your LLC in good standing. You can easily access your important documents in one place with the online document dashboard.
- Premium registered agent service
- Top Notch Customer Service
- Don’t make your address public
- They keep your customer data private
- Offices in every state
- No hidden fees
- Same-day scanning of received mail
- 100% error-free guarantee
- Free legal forms
- Reliable LLC formation service
- Business formation experts
- Annual report service
- Some other agencies have cheaper prices
WordPress Hosting
Cloudways makes it easy to find the best-performing web hosting providers so you can get the best performance for your website. They offer friendly support, speedy performance, and enterprise-grade security to give you the best web hosting experience possible. And with New Relic server monitoring and metrics, you can keep an eye on your site 24/7.
You choose which data center is right for your server, and you can always scale up as your site grows.
Sign up today and see how Cloudways can help you create a high-performance website for less than many shared hosting providers.
- FAST Performance
- Reliable hosting with excellent uptime
- Inexpensive compared to other hosts
- More server resources than managed WordPress hosting
- Scalable so you can add more resources
- No long term contracts
- Limited trial period
- Complex setup for new users
- Custom (non-standard) user interface
- They don’t sell domains
Email Service Provider
If you're a creative person who wants to start building an email list, ConvertKit is the perfect solution for you.
With a free account for up to 1,000 subscribers, you can get started without breaking the bank. And if you're ready for more features, there's a low-priced plan for only $9/month.
ConvertKit makes it easy to integrate with other services and create landing pages and opt-in forms to grow your list. Marketing automation lets you create workflows to send the right message to the right person.
And if you're running an e-commerce business, you can use ConvertKit as your shopping cart. Sign up for ConvertKit today and start building your list and your sales.
Email deliverability: 93%
- The free trial (and free plan) makes it easy to start
- Easy to use
- Plenty of integrations with other tools and services
- Embeddable forms and landing pages to include on my blog
- eCommerce built-in
- Enhanced email designer
- Excellent support and tutorials
- It’s not a CRM to manage customers
- Lead scoring is only on the most expensive plan
Course/Membership Platform
Searchie is the perfect solution for membership, coaching, and course platforms. It's reliable, easy to use, and packed with features,
With Searchie, you can easily import videos from other sources like Zoom, Facebook, or Vimeo. Plus, you can create beautiful hubs with content for your students or members to enjoy. And because Searchie is self-hosted, you can be sure that your videos are always available and never go down.
- Easy to use
- Search within video or audio to find the content you want
- Video & Audio hosting
- Automatic transcription
- Ad-free
- Unlimited video uploads using Searchie Chrome extension
- May allow users to download video, audio, or text transcript
- Works great on mobile devices
- No transaction fees
- Searchie Academy training to learn how to build your hub
- Use your own domain
- No community features
- Free trial, but no free plan
- Hubs must be Public or Private only
- SSL requires Cloudflare DNS
Shopping Cart Service
ThriveCart is the easiest funnel builder and sales cart service I've found. It operates on a robust platform, so you don't need to dedicate your WordPress server resources to keep it going. It also has a course platform included with the cart service.
As a Lifetime Deal, you pay once and use it forever.
ThriveCart is packed with features to help you succeed online. With an easy-to-use interface, you can create beautiful carts optimized for conversion. Plus, integrations with major payment processors make it easy to start selling immediately.
- Lifetime Deal - One Payment
- Funnel system is easy to use
- Rock-solid uptime
- Very secure
- Works with many payment gateways
- Integrates with many other SaaS platforms for courses, email, or memberships
- Included course platform
- Friendly customer support
- Upsell for additional features
WordPress Theme
If you're looking for a powerful WordPress theme that can help you create any kind of site quickly and easily, the Kadence Theme is definitely worth checking out.
It integrates well with plugins like LearnDash, so you can easily create a learning management system (LMS) site or use the free Starter Templates to create a site for just about anything else.
Plus, with the FREE Kadence Blocks plugin, you can take full advantage of the Gutenberg editor to easily create beautiful pages and posts.
You can upgrade to the PRO version for most features to create Mega Menus, hooked elements, and much more.
WordPress Plugins
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FREE!Get Them for FREE!
Kadence Blocks are the perfect way to build beautiful pages and posts in WordPress. With a wide range of free blocks, you can do a lot with Kadence Blocks, but there are even more advanced options when you're ready to upgrade.
Kadence Blocks makes it easy to create beautiful pages with WordPress. With a wide range of blocks, you can easily add text, images, videos, and more to your page. Kadence Blocks is perfect for building pages for your business, blog, or online store.
When you're ready to take your WordPress pages to the next level, Kadence Blocks has you covered. Also, Kadence Blocks and other Gutenberg tools are much lighter than page builders, so your site speed will fly!
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$59/yearBuy NowIf you’re looking for a WordPress plugin to create forms that are both user-friendly and informative, look no further than Fluent Forms.
With Fluent Forms, you can create all sorts of forms, from conversational ones to multi-step forms. You can also add calculation fields and receive SMS notifications when someone submits a form. So why choose Fluent Forms over other similar plugins?
For starters, the forms are easy to use and very user-friendly. Your visitors will have no problem filling out the form, and you’ll be able to gather all the information you need without any hassle.
Secondly, our plugin is highly customizable. You can change the colors, fonts, and layout of the form to match your site branding.
Finally, save 20% when you apply our coupon code - BEEM - at checkout.
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4.5$36.75Is your WordPress site running slow? If so, you need WP Rocket, the best caching plugin to optimize the performance of WordPress sites. With WP Rocket, you can improve your page load times, reduce stress on your server, and improve your Google PageSpeed score.
Best of all, WP Rocket is easy to use and doesn't require any coding knowledge. Just install and activate the plugin, and you're ready to go!
Make My WordPress Site Faster!Pros:- Improve site speed
- Integrates with Cloudflare
- Easiest cache tool to use
Cons:- Some beta features may break site display
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4.5Get Started for FREE!Like most people, you're always looking for ways to make your website faster and more efficient. ShortPixel is a WordPress plugin that can help you do just that. It optimizes and compresses images using next-gen image formats, which can reduce the load time of your page.
This is especially important if you have a lot of high-resolution images on your site. ShortPixel can help ensure they load quickly and smoothly without sacrificing quality.
In addition to speed, ShortPixel also offers peace of mind. With its easy-to-use interface, it's simple to optimize your images with just a few clicks.
Start for FreePros:- Multiple compression options
- Next-Gen Image formats
- Improves site speed
Cons:- Initial installation may require the purchase of credits if you have many images to compress
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FREE (Pro $59/year)Buy NowIf you're serious about ranking higher in search engines, you need Rank Math SEO. This easy-to-use WordPress plugin gives you all the tools you need to optimize your content for better search engine visibility.
Rank Math provides built-in suggestions based on widely-accepted best practices, so you can be confident that your website is optimized for maximum search visibility. You can easily customize essential SEO settings, control which pages are indexable, and choose how you want your website to appear in search results with Structured data.
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5.0Start for FREELooking for a reliable backup solution for your WordPress site? Look no further than UpdraftPlus! UpdraftPlus is the best backup plugin for WordPress, offering reliable and easy-to-use backups for your website.
With UpdraftPlus, you can easily schedule backups, choose where to store your backups (including off-site storage), and restore your website with just a few clicks. Plus, UpdraftPlus is constantly updated to ensure that it works with the latest WordPress versions and infrastructure.
Don't take chances with your website's data - trust the experts at UpdraftPlus to keep your site safe!
Buy NowPros:- Easy to use
- Connects with many external storage services
- Works well with Cloudflare sites (some competitors don't)
- Affordable price
- Optional dashboard to control backups on multiple websites
Cons:- Included off-site storage is only 5 GB
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$9/MonthBuy NowIf you're looking for a powerful email capture form service that can help you boost your conversion rates and grow your list, OptinMonster is the perfect solution.
With OptinMonster, you can create beautiful offers, target specific visitors, and adjust your form behavior in real-time with live testing. The wide range of features and integrations makes it easy to customize OptinMonster to fit your specific needs.
So why wait? Sign up for OptinMonster today and see the results for yourself!
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4.9$33/MonthLasso is the perfect plugin for affiliate marketers who want to increase their sales and commission earnings. You're looking at part of it in this display box.
With Lasso, you can easily organize your links, find opportunities for more sales, and create beautiful info boxes, grids, and list posts designed to increase your conversion rate.
You'll get the most out of your affiliate marketing efforts and earn more commissions with less effort. Install Lasso on your WordPress site today and start earning more affiliate commissions tomorrow.
Buy NowPros:- High conversion compared to linked text
- Organize affiliate links
- Very lightweight for fast performance
- Beautiful info boxes, grids, and list posts
- Showcase your affiliate links or best articles
- Easily change the order or replace items in lists
- Import from PrettyLinks, EasyAzon, etc.
- Imports from PrettyLinks convert categories and tags to groups in Lasso
Cons:- No way to bulk delete broken links
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4.8$79Stop paying monthly fees for every team member you add to your calendar. FluentBooking gives you the same smooth experience as tools like Calendly, but it lives on your own site. This means you own your data, your clients never leave your domain, and your booking system stays fast because it connects directly to your own CRM.
Get FluentBookingPros:- No monthly per-user fees for team members
- All customer data stays on your server for better privacy
- Connects directly to FluentCRM to automate your follow-ups
- Includes native integrations for Zoom, Google Meet, and Stripe
- Faster loading than external embeds that slow down your site
Cons:- You are responsible for ensuring your site’s email notifications are configured correctly
- Initial setup takes a few more clicks than a SaaS.
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$79Buy NowIf you're serious about SEO, then you know that schema markup is essential for helping search engines understand your content. And that's where Schema Pro comes in.
Schema Pro is a WordPress plugin from Brainstorm Force that makes it easy to add schema markup to your articles and reviews. With just a few clicks, you can add rich snippets to your content to make it more visible in search results. And because schema markup is constantly evolving, Schema Pro is always up-to-date with the latest changes.
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$24.95/yearBuy NowIs your WordPress website running slow? Perfmatters is the perfect solution!
This powerful plugin optimizes performance, so your site runs faster and smoother. By eliminating needless code, Perfmatters reduces your overall number of HTTP requests and page size.
And it's super easy to use - just toggle the switches to activate or deactivate the performance optimization options.
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced webmaster, Perfmatters makes it easy to get your site running at peak efficiency. So don't wait - try Perfmatters today and see the difference!
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Buy NowThe power of social media should not be underestimated. If you're looking to drive more traffic and engage with your audience, SnapSocial is the perfect solution.
With easy-to-use controls, you can decide who shares your content and where it's shared. This can make a big difference in your online social marketing strategy. Social Snap also includes over 30 social networks and apps, so visitors can share your content however they want.
Plus, you can place share buttons anywhere on your website or blog.
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FREEBuy NowGutenberg is a revolutionary new way to create content for the web. And Spectra is the perfect tool to help you get the most out of it.
With Spectra, you'll have access to a library of high-quality Gutenberg blocks that you can use to create beautiful, impactful content. From stunning Call to Action buttons to powerful social media integration, Spectra has everything you need to improve your Gutenberg projects.
And best of all, Spectra is completely free! So what are you waiting for? Get started today and see how Spectra can help you unleash the power of Gutenberg.
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4.9$129/yearFluentSupport is an enterprise-grade helpdesk engineered to eliminate per-seat pricing and keep your customer data within your own database. Built with a Vue.js administrative interface and a custom-table schema, it provides the responsiveness required for high-volume support operations without the latency of third-party API bridges. It integrates natively with the rest of your self-hosted infrastructure to provide a unified view of customer history, order status, and communication logs.
Get FluentSupportPros:- You can add as many agents as you want without your monthly bill going up
- Custom database tables keep the system fast even when you have thousands of tickets
- Your customer data stays on your server where it belongs instead of a third-party silo
- Agents get an immediate view of purchase history and CRM data through local database queries
- The dashboard works like a fast web app so your team isn't waiting on page reloads
Cons:- You need a powerful enough server to handle the extra activity during peak times
- You have to connect your own email service to make sure messages are delivered reliably
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$69/yearlyBuy NowIs your documentation up to date and easily accessible to your audience? If not, you need BetterDocs.
BetterDocs is a WordPress plugin that allows you to create online documentation and knowledge base articles quickly and easily.
With BetterDocs, you can use ready-made document templates, add a scrollable table of contents, and add instant answers to reduce the number of support tickets your team has to resolve. With easy-to-use editing tools, you can customize your documents to match your brand's voice and style.
BetterDocs is the perfect solution for businesses of all sizes who want to improve their documentation and knowledge base. Start today and see the difference BetterDocs makes!
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4.7$77If you're struggling to get your website to rank higher in search engines, Link Whisper may be exactly what you need.
This powerful WordPress plugin scans your site for broken links and orphan posts, then shows you opportunities to use internal linking to improve your SEO. With Link Whisper, you can quickly fix broken links and improve your site's structure, which is vital for improving your search engine ranking.
In addition, Link Whisper makes it easy to find and add internal links to your content, helping you take advantage of one of the most important ranking factors. With its easy-to-use interface and powerful features, Link Whisper is the perfect tool for anyone serious about improving their website's ranking in search engines.
Buy Now Our ReviewPros:- Easily creates Internal Links
- Find Orphan posts without internal links
- Click Links report shows which posts are getting results
- Reports show Broken Links and 404 errors
Cons:- No reports on External Inbound Links
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4.9$199Ditch SaaS Fees, Own Your Community & Courses: FluentCommunity is a powerful yet lightweight WordPress plugin from WP Manage Ninja that lets you build engaging discussion forums and host online courses directly on your site. Get Circle.so-inspired features with full WordPress control – and a significantly lower price tag.
Buy FluentCommunity Now My ReviewPros:- Self-Hosted Control: Full ownership of your data and platform.
- Cost-Effective: Lower long-term cost vs. SaaS platforms.
- Integrated Solution: Community and LMS in one plugin.
- WP Manage Ninja: Reputable developer with solid plugins.
- Lightweight Design: Good performance and speed.
- Circle.so Inspired: Modern features and UI influence.
- WordPress Native: Seamless integration with your site.
- Growing Feature Set: Actively being developed.
- User-Friendly: Relatively easy to set up and use.
Cons:- Newer Plugin: Smaller ecosystem of add-ons.
- Limited Integrations: Fewer third-party integrations currently.
- Mobile Experience: May need further refinement.
- Customization: Advanced customization might require development.
- Community Size: Performance with very large communities less tested.
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4.7$199FluentAffiliate is a WordPress plugin by WP Manage Ninja that allows business owners to easily create and manage their own affiliate programs directly inside WordPress. It’s designed to be lightweight, easy to use, and integrates seamlessly with popular WordPress tools like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads. With FluentAffiliate, you can register affiliates, manage commissions, handle payouts, and track performance without relying on expensive third-party affiliate platforms.
Buy NowPros:- Built for WordPress – Runs directly inside your WordPress dashboard, no external SaaS needed.
- One-time Payment – No recurring subscription fees (unlike many competitors).
- Easy Affiliate Onboarding – Custom registration forms and approval workflows.
- Flexible Commission Structures – Supports percentage, flat-rate, recurring (trailing) commissions, and lifetime commissions.
- Affiliate Dashboard – Affiliates get their own panel to track links, clicks, and payouts.
- Marketing Material Management – Upload banners, creatives, and swipe copy for affiliates.
- Integration Friendly – Works smoothly with WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, FluentCRM, and other WP Manage Ninja plugins.
- Reporting & Analytics – Built-in insights for clicks, sales, and commissions.
Cons:- WordPress-Only – Doesn’t work outside WordPress (unlike SaaS solutions such as Tapfiliate or Refersion).
- Limited to Your Hosting – Performance depends on your WordPress hosting environment.
- Self-Managed – You handle everything (updates, data security, hosting), unlike SaaS platforms that outsource management.
- No Marketplace Discovery – Unlike ShareASale or Impact, you don’t get exposure to a pre-existing affiliate network.
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4.6$4.99/monthPaymattic is a powerful WordPress payment and donation plugin that’s easy to set up and delivers professional results. With multi-gateway support, recurring payments, and a simple form builder, it’s a fast, affordable way to accept payments or raise funds online.
Buy NowPros:- All-in-one WordPress payment and donation plugin;
- Supports Stripe, PayPal, and multiple gateways;
- Easy drag-and-drop form builder;
- Affordable compared to other premium plugins;
- Strong focus on nonprofit fundraising features
Cons:- Limited free version (advanced features require Pro)
- Gateway support not as broad as enterprise solutions
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4.7$63Ninja Tables is one of the fastest and most user-friendly table builder plugins for WordPress. With its drag-and-drop design, mobile optimization, and seamless integrations, you can create beautiful, functional tables in minutes — perfect for product comparisons, pricing charts, or data displays.
Buy NowPros:- Fast and responsive WordPress table builder
- Easy drag-and-drop interface
- Supports media, links, and custom styling
- Works well with WooCommerce and WP Fluent Forms
- SEO-friendly and mobile-optimized
Cons:- Free version has limited customization options
- Advanced features require Pro upgrade
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4.7$249FluentCart is a high-performance eCommerce solution for WordPress engineered to eliminate the high-cost WooCommerce Plugin Tax. It replaces a cluttered stack of expensive subscriptions with a single, lean architecture.
You get a streamlined checkout, native funnel building, and advanced variation management without the database bloat typical of legacy plugins. Because it's fully self-hosted, you maintain 100% ownership of your customer data and avoid the recurring monthly fees of SaaS platforms.
Buy NowPros:- Eliminates the "Plugin Tax": Replaces $600+ in annual WooCommerce subscriptions (Subscriptions, Funnels, Bumps) with one license.
- Performance-First Architecture: Uses custom database tables to reduce query overhead by up to 80% compared to legacy eCommerce plugins.
- Zero-Bloat Product Management: New "Survival-Mode" Variation Editor handles 40+ variants without the typical WordPress admin lag.
- Built-in Physical Store Logistics: Includes advanced box-based packaging and rate-accurate shipping without extra paid add-ons.
Cons:- No custom product abilities
- Third-Party Ecosystem: WooCommerce has 10+ years of 3rd-party addons (e.g., specific niche payment gateways for local markets). FluentCart is still growing this list.
- Developer Community: There are more "WooCommerce Experts" for hire than FluentCart experts right now.
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