Recommends
Every tool, book, and product the studio genuinely uses to run Bloom & Build. Honest notes, no fluff, no “top 10!!!” energy.
The 3-tool stack ($33/month)
This is the entire software stack that runs Bloom & Build. No, really. Just three.
Claude Pro
$20/month. The AI that sounds least like a robot. The studio opens it before coffee. Projects feature is the killer move — load your brand voice once, every chat inherits it.
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Try Claude →Canva Pro
$13/month. Every visual published is made here. Magic Resize alone saves 5 hours a week. Brand Kit is non-negotiable.
Try Canva Pro →Notion
Free for solo use. Replaces 5 tools at once. Content calendar, finances, ideas, SOPs — all in one tab. The aesthetic workspace the studio always wanted.
Try Notion →Email + newsletters
Once you have an audience, the newsletter is the single most valuable asset you’ll own. These are the platforms the studio trusts:
Beehiiv
Free up to 2,500 subs. What runs The Bloom Letter. Built-in monetization, beautiful templates, no nonsense.
Try Beehiiv →Flodesk
$38/month flat (any list size). The most aesthetic email tool out there. If your brand is visual, this is the one.
Try Flodesk →Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Free up to 10,000 subs. Best automations of any tool here. If you sell digital products, this integrates everywhere.
Try Kit →Selling platforms
You don’t need a website to start selling. You need ONE of these:
Gumroad
Free to set up. 10% per sale. What the studio sells PDFs through. Zero monthly fee. Best for digital products under $50.
Try Gumroad →Etsy
Listing fees + 6.5% per sale. Built-in audience, SEO traffic, but more competition. Pair with Gumroad — same products, both stores.
Try Etsy →Shopify
$29/month. Only worth it if you’re selling physical products or need full ownership of the checkout. Skip for digital-only.
Try Shopify →Design + visuals
Beyond Canva, these add real polish:
- Pexels — free aesthetic stock photography. Where every Bloom & Build cover photo started.
- Midjourney ($10/mo basic) — for when an original visual is needed that no stock library has. Not for everyday use, but magic when needed.
- CapCut (free) — best free video editor for IG Reels and TikTok. Templates save hours.
- Loom (free) — for client demos and quick walkthroughs. Looks more personal than a doc.
Aesthetic workspace
The corner where the studio works. Almost everything here is from Amazon — links go through the studio’s Amazon Associates account.
The everyday journal
Cream-paged Leuchtturm, dotted, A5. The one used every morning. (The Moleskine soft-cover is great for travel.)
See on Amazon →The cream mug
The mug you’ve seen in every flat-lay. Stoneware, oversized, holds the entire morning’s coffee.
See on Amazon →The candle that runs the workspace
P.F. Candle Co — Teakwood & Tobacco. One candle = one entire deep work block.
See on Amazon →The desk runner
Natural linen, undyed, washable. Adds instant softness to any workspace under $25.
See on Amazon →Books that shaped this business
The five books that did more for Bloom & Build than any course:
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown — “the disciplined pursuit of less.” A book worth re-reading once a year. See on Amazon →
- The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist — reframes every belief about charging for creative work. See on Amazon →
- Atomic Habits by James Clear — yes, the famous one. The “1% better” frame is what got the studio to publish weekly. See on Amazon →
- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert — the permission slip to make things just because they’re beautiful. See on Amazon →
- Company of One by Paul Jarvis — the manifesto for the small, profitable, sustainable business. See on Amazon →
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