The short version
These are the tools we actually use to run Tundra, plus the ones we point new founders to for each job. We've set up a lot of these from scratch, so the picks below are what we'd choose again, not a sponsored list. For the full, sortable version with perks and discounts, see our partners page; for a personalized setup plan, the new business checklist builds one for you.
What we run Tundra on
Here's the actual stack, in roughly the order you'd set each one up. The rest of this post is what to pick for each job if you're starting out.
Forming the company
Raising money? Form a Delaware C-corp through Stripe Atlas, which files the corp, gets your EIN, issues founder stock, and opens a bank account in about a week. It's what we incorporated Tundra with. Not raising? An LLC through ZenBusiness is fast and cheap, and LegalZoom is worth the extra cost if your industry runs into licenses or you want attorney access. We cover the full LLC-vs-C-corp logic in our starting-a-business guide.
Banking and money
Mercury is the easiest first business account for most founders, with no monthly fees and strong software integrations. Rho is what we use at Tundra, with corporate cards and built-in bill pay. For funded startups that want serious spend controls, Brex and Ramp are both strong. Whatever you pick, keep a business-only card from day one so your books stay clean.
Bookkeeping
You don't need bookkeeping software on day one; a dedicated account and card get you most of the way. When you want real books, BookJonas is free and built for brand-new companies with simple operations, so you can close the month in about 15 minutes. It's ours, and it's what we use. Once you outgrow simple, QuickBooks is the one most accountants already know, and Xero is the clean modern alternative.
Email and productivity
Set up Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 early and run every other signup through it. We use Google. Once the inbox starts eating your day, Tiko Mail plugs into either one and handles the triage, drafts, and daily digest; we built it because we needed it.
Domains and website
Register your domain at Namecheap. For a no-code marketing site, Squarespace and Wix both get you live fast. For anything custom, we build on Vercel and Google Cloud, which is also where we host the sites we build for clients.
Getting paid
Selling online? Shopify runs the storefront, checkout, and payments together, and its POS keeps in-person sales synced. Purely in person? Square gives you readers and a POS you can set up in an afternoon. Invoicing clients for services? You may not need either to start.
Payroll and HR
Gusto is our default for small teams: payroll, tax filing, and benefits without the overhead. Justworks bundles better-priced health benefits through a PEO, and Rippling adds IT and device management once you're shipping laptops to people.
Insurance
We use Embroker at Tundra; it's built for startups and bundles general liability, professional liability, D&O, and cyber into one application. Vouch is a strong alternative for funded, high-growth companies, and Next (now ERGO) and Hiscox quote in minutes for non-tech small businesses.
AI tools
Pick one assistant early; it pays for itself fast. We use Claude, which is the strongest at coding and building for the web. ChatGPT is the best all-rounder if you want image generation and voice in one place, and Gemini is the pick if you live in Google Workspace. The bigger win comes from wiring AI into the work itself, which is exactly what we do for clients.
Putting it all together
Picking good tools is the start. The bigger win is getting them to work together so the busywork handles itself, which is the whole reason we're building Aries, our proactive back office for small business. It connects to the tools you already use and takes the repetitive work off your plate, from the inbox to the books.
We'd love to learn about your business and help you automate the processes that eat your week. Join the waitlist and we'll reach out as we open up access.
How to choose
Don't agonize over any single pick. For most jobs there's an obvious default that gets you running, and switching later is cheaper than stalling now. Start with the tool that's fastest to set up, keep your accounts under one company login, and only add software when a real bottleneck shows up.
For the full list with current perks and referral discounts, see the partners page. To get a setup plan tailored to your business, with the right tools called out at each step, run the free new business checklist.