1️⃣Shopify
I launched new products fast and converted traffic into sales without touching code. Built-in upsells, abandoned cart recovery, and one-click checkouts printed profit on autopilot.
- Launch a store in hours
- high-converting themes
- app ecosystem for upsells and subscriptions
- fast checkout with Shop Pay
- reliable payments and taxes handled
- scales from first sale to thousands per day
- great analytics
- app fees can stack
- themes require tweaking for a perfect look
2️⃣Stripe
Stripe turned every click into cash with smooth, trusted payments. Subscriptions, invoices, and global currencies worked out of the box so I could charge anyone, anywhere.
- higher conversion with trusted checkout
- subscriptions and invoicing built in
- global cards
- wallets
- and currencies
- rock-solid fraud tools
- clear APIs and no-code links
- fast payouts
- fees add up at scale
- some features require light setup
3️⃣Google Ads
When I needed sales on demand, Google Ads delivered buyers with intent. Tight targeting and responsive search ads made my CAC predictable.
- high-intent traffic
- instant scale
- granular targeting
- great tracking with offline conversions
- bids can spike in competitive niches
- steep learning curve
- requires constant optimization to stay profitable
4️⃣Upwork
This marketplace brought me ready-to-pay clients when pipeline dipped. Well-written proposals and a clean profile turned into weekly retainers.
- access to global demand
- payments protected
- recurring clients from good ratings
- platform fees cut into margins
- race-to-the-bottom pricing in some categories
- time spent filtering weak job posts
5️⃣Gumroad
I sold templates and mini-courses in a weekend with simple checkout pages. No headaches - just upload, price, and share a link.
- fast digital product setup
- email capture on checkout
- pay-what-you-want and coupons
- discoverability is limited without your own audience
- payout timelines vary by region
- customization is basic