Start Simple: Why Less is More with Your System Setup
When you’re new to business, it’s tempting to build a perfectly polished, all-in-one tech stack before your first client even signs on the dotted line. The tools are shiny, the tutorials are endless, and everywhere you look, someone is saying you need this system or you’ll fall behind.
But let’s be honest—trying to master five platforms before you’ve even opened your digital doors? That’s a fast track to burnout.
We recently had a chat with a new web designer during a discovery call, and her experience hit close to home. She was thoughtful, motivated, and doing all the right research—but her tech stack was already ballooning before she’d booked her first client. Between Dubsado, Brili, Kitchen.io, Tally, Asana, Notion, and Zapier, she was knee-deep in systems without a clear path forward.
Here’s what we told her: simplify. Especially at the beginning.
Systems Should Support You, Not Weigh You Down
As a new business owner, your time and energy are your most valuable resources. Every system you add is one more place you have to log in, learn, maintain, and troubleshoot.
Start with the minimum viable setup. If Dubsado has a built-in scheduler, there’s no need to add another. If Kitchen already includes task boards, do you really need Notion and Asana? Probably not.
Fewer tools mean fewer things to manage—less “where did I set that up again?” and more “I know exactly where that lives.”
“But I Like Tally. And I Already Set It Up…”
Totally valid. We’re never going to tell you to throw out something that’s working well for you. But we will gently challenge whether it’s necessary right now.
Sometimes what feels “easy” in the moment creates more work long-term. It’s not just about the time it takes to build a system—it’s about the time it takes to maintain it, fix it when it breaks, and remember why you set it up in the first place.
Our founder Cait said it best on the call:
“I’m systems girl. But I’ve set up Zaps with 75 steps and now I don’t remember what they do. Things happen automatically in my business and I’m like, I’m glad that happened—but I have no idea what made it happen.”
When your business grows, you’ll want to build systems that grow with you. But starting simple gives you the space to learn what actually supports your process—not someone else’s.
Let Your Tools Grow With You
One of the biggest myths we see? That you have to get it all perfect before you launch.
You don’t.
Start with what’s essential. See how it works with real clients. Then, layer on more functionality as you identify real gaps—not imagined ones.
This is exactly why we created Flow Kits: to give you everything you need to start simple—but smart. They come with ready-to-use workflows for things like proposals, onboarding, and offboarding, tailored to your industry and customizable to your brand. They’re not overbuilt, but they’re designed with growth in mind.
✨ And the best part? They’re built by someone who gets what it’s like to be overwhelmed at the beginning. Because we’ve been there.
Your Systems Don’t Have to Be Fancy—They Have to Work
If you’re spending more time organizing your backend than serving your clients, something’s off.
Keep it simple. Choose tools that talk to each other. Automate only what you understand. And build a system that’s clear, sustainable, and aligned with how you want to work.
Simple isn’t a step backward. It’s your smartest starting point.
Ready to skip the systems spiral and start strong?
Explore our Flow Kits—created specifically for creative service providers like you who want to get organized without the tech headache.
🔄 Workflows that work
🎨 Forms that feel like your brand
✅ Systems that support your growth
Let’s make it easy to get started—and even easier to scale.