In our work with founders of startups across multiple industries, we’re continually impressed with their imagination, determination, and combination of skills spanning creative, financial, and technical disciplines. This flexible “Renaissance” approach can pay great dividends in the early stages, allowing for smaller groups to make huge progress in multiple areas of their startup’s development without having to grow their team earlier than they would like. The challenge, of course, is in how to manage that process effectively and responsibly.
If you’re in the early stages of your startup, you’re probably thinking about a million things like developing your product, securing funding, or how to market yourself and build your customer base. All are obviously incredibly important to consider – after all, there’s no replacement for strong fundamentals at the outset of developing a business.
As lead web designer at Psyche, I could be a little biased – but I believe that one of the most critical steps to put substantial focus into early on for startups is the selection and management of all of the tools in their Digital Ecosystem – all of the digital tools that make their businesses run such as their website, email, CRM, and data management platforms.
Why Focusing On Your Digital Ecosystem Matters
Identifying the right components for a startup’s digital ecosystem is one of the most important things to get right as early as possible, and is also one of the most challenging. Many founders struggle with the selection and scaling of those tools, regularly running into roadblocks like incompatibility between platforms, user and file management complications, and just plain forgetting who has access to what, especially if they are relying on multiple teammates or third parties for assistance. (Ex: A former teammate bought a domain name you need access to. What was that login again…?)
In this article, I’ll lay out some of the most important components in your digital ecosystem to consider, and how to correctly identify your needs so that you can make the best decisions for your startup in the early stages, and set yourself up for scalability, flexibility, and success!
Domain Name Vendor (Domain Registrar) and DNS Management
Domain Name, Suffix, and Vendor Decision-Making
If you’re still in the market for your domain name, major online domain vendors (also called Domain Registrars) such as Squarespace and GoDaddy offer search tools where you can search for a domain name you might like, as well as price comparisons and different suffix options. We all know the .com suffix, also known as a Top-Level Domain (TLD) or domain extension.
In recent years the options have greatly ballooned, allowing for a variety of different options. .com is still the generally recommended choice due to its overwhelming popularity and a slight edge in SEO performance, but alternatives such as .store, .shop, and .studio can be a fun differentiator.
(Tip: if you go with an alternative, purchase the .com as well and set it to redirect to your website for increased traffic!)
Defining your DNS, and Some Considerations
Everything that makes your domain tick is governed by its DNS (Domain Name System) records. Your DNS records control things like:
- Pointing to the correct hosting for your website
- Controlling and safeguarding your email systems
- Connecting other services like marketing tools and analytics
By default, you can usually manage your DNS records through the vendor that you purchased the domain from. However, you may want to consider an alternate service that manages your DNS records such as Cloudflare.
Managing the DNS records separately from the domain name provider allows for increased layers of site performance and security, as well as easier management of users who can control only specific aspects of those records. To control your DNS records elsewhere, you’ll change your Nameserver (NS) records where you bought your domain to point to the appropriate address.
The takeaway: Whatever domain name vendor and DNS management system you choose, know what and where they are, and keep those logins safe! These are just about the most important logins that your startup will have.
Website Platforms & Website Hosting
Whether you’re selling products online, generating leads, or just establishing a presence, every startup needs a website. As visionaries, founders often have a good sense of the kind of impact they want the design and content of their website to have. A more opaque but equally crucial aspect is the behind-the-scenes selection and construction of the tools that go into making that beautiful website work. Let’s go into some of these key components and how to select them:
Choosing A Website Platform / CMS System
If you’ve never built a website before, you may not know that there are a wide range of platforms that a website can be built with, ranging from purely code-based creation to visual building tools that don’t require a single day of computer science experience. Each of these have their own pros and cons, but know this – if you’re paying for a website to be built and the highly skilled (and expensive) developer is building it completely in code, you may be boxing your startup into a corner, requiring longer wait times and higher costs for even the simplest of edits or updates.
A better option for many startups is to consider CMS (Content Management System) platforms, that include a wide variety of user interface tools that make website creation and editing more approachable at different experience levels. Use cases that benefit from a CMS include things like:
- Managing store inventory
- Updating portfolios for property development or real estate
- Maintaining a large list of employees
- Posting blogs or other regular content
At Psyche, we primarily build websites on the WordPress platform, which is known for its excellent marriage of accessibility and advanced functionality, its commitment to open source principles, as well as its huge popularity, which translates to available integration options with most other digital platforms (and this is a huge plus for any business)!
Web platform selection often requires deeper consideration for eCommerce businesses. While WordPress has a plethora of eCommerce integration tools available, we find that integrated solutions like Shopify or Zoho are often better solutions for eCommerce startups. They feature:
- Integrated product management
- Billing & shipping management
- Built-in hosting capabilities
- Some CRM functionalities
- And more
In a nutshell, I would recommend avoiding fully-custom coded website development (so your website can scale alongside you without additional massive investment dollars), and instead selecting a CMS based on the functionality that will help your business grow with the least headache. Feel free to reach out to me if you’d like to get some recommendations for your particular business.
Choosing Website Hosting
Hosting refers to the server that your website is physically stored on. Many CMSs such as Squarespace and Webflow include hosting as a part of their service. In the case of WordPress, while they offer hosting services, the platform is also able to be hosted anywhere – WordPress is in fact Open Source software, meaning that the source code is freely available, and users can modify, distribute, and use it for any purpose.
How do you know what hosting solution is right for you?
If you’ve chosen a CMS with integrated hosting, you don’t have to worry about it. Done!
If not, you’ll want to account for any particular needs you envision such as high data transfers or bandwidth requirements, security considerations (especially with eCommerce sites), or supported file management systems (such as a MySQL interface).
We recommend starting with Managed Hosting solutions – these services, such as our Website Care program, go beyond just sticking your website on a server and forgetting about it. These kinds of services include important tasks such as:
- Performing maintenance and updates
- Keeping and updating regular backups
- Running security checks to keep your site healthy in an ever-evolving landscape of updates and threats
The takeaway: You need a website that is built for your business’ needs, and may benefit from ensuring that it’s built on a platform that doesn’t require a computer science degree to update. Make sure that you know the platform and the hosting that you are selecting, and pay extra attention to eCommerce needs like product management and security.
Internal Email, Scheduling, and Meetings Systems
You and your startup team probably already have tools in place to communicate and meet, either in person or remotely. However, if like many founders, you struggle with the endless complications of multiple platforms, you may benefit from re-thinking your setup to create more streamlined processes.
Two of the biggest competitors in this space are Google G Suite and Microsoft 365. Both of these behemoths offer a business suite of tools designed for efficient integration with one another and communication within an organization, including:
- Virtual meetings
- Calendars
- File management & storage
- Document creation such as text, spreadsheets, and presentations
Choosing one of these platforms can cut down on a lot of lost time within an organization due to the native integration between their apps. Choosing between them will likely be informed by any unique needs your business may have, for example based on the difference in functionality between Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel, or the need for working on computer-based applications rather than web-based, which Microsoft currently offers, but Google does not.
Supplemental Tools for Business Systems
Of course, not all of a startup’s needs are necessarily met by a single business suite. You might prefer a third-party file storage and management system like Dropbox if you’re regularly sharing folder access with clients, or want to consider a task management system like Asana for tracking progress and sharing information on a variety of projects. When you’re considering additional platforms, make sure you’re checking on how they interface with your core platforms first, to avoid building in inefficiency.
Important Note on Email System Setup
When setting up your company’s email systems, make sure you work with a support team or qualified IT person to properly connect your email system and your DNS records! Failure to do so can result in emails being caught in spam filters, or even worse, a susceptibility to spoofing or phishing attacks – a huge security concern for any business.
The takeaway: We recommend all-in-one business suites for maximum efficiency within a business. Adding additional tools is great as long as they work well with your core platform.
CRMs and Email Marketing
Once you’ve laid the groundwork for your website, communications, and file management systems, the next major step in building your digital ecosystem is setting up your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform and email marketing tools. These systems are essential for organizing contacts, tracking interactions, and staying top-of-mind with your customers or users.
A good CRM helps you keep detailed records of your contacts, including who they are, how they found you, what services they’re interested in, and any communications or transactions they’ve had with your business. For early-stage startups, platforms like HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and Pipedrive offer powerful free or low-cost tiers that are easy to use and scale as you grow. The right CRM should:
- Integrate well with your website (especially your lead forms)
- Automate contact follow-ups
- Make it easy to generate reports on your outreach and sales efforts.
Email Marketing Platform Considerations
Your CRM should ideally connect directly to your email marketing platform—or better yet, be part of the same system. Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and ActiveCampaign can help you:
- Design and schedule email campaigns
- Segment your audiences
- Personalize content based on contact behavior or demographics
For startups, email automation is a powerful way to build relationships with prospective customers, share updates, and reinforce your brand without needing to send every message manually.
The most successful implementations we’ve seen happen when founders take time to map out their communication goals early—whether it’s nurturing leads, onboarding users, or keeping investors informed—and then select tools that can support those goals long-term.
Email Marketing vs. CRMs – What’s The Difference?
While email marketing platforms and CRMs often work hand-in-hand, they serve different core purposes. CRMs are built for organizing and tracking relationships—think contact records, sales pipelines, and notes from meetings or calls. Email marketing platforms, on the other hand, are optimized for creating and distributing messages to segments of your audience, often at scale.
Some platforms offer both functions in one place, while others specialize in one area and integrate with the other. Understanding the distinction helps ensure you don’t overload one tool with tasks it wasn’t built to handle, and allows you to choose the right combination based on your startup’s priorities—whether that’s managing customer data, driving email engagement, or both.
The takeaway: Choose CRM and email marketing platforms that integrate with your website and internal tools. Just as importantly, make sure you authenticate your CRM’s email-sending domain in your DNS records (using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) to improve deliverability and protect against spoofing or phishing.
The Big Picture
In our personal and professional lives, many of us struggle with the ever-increasing number of apps and platforms required to perform even the most basic tasks. (I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my grill to ever need a firmware update. Call me old-fashioned.)
Thinking through your startup’s digital ecosystem as early as possible will save your organization literally hundreds of hours over time. You have the opportunity to lay a solid foundation that works for your business now, and will scale with you over time. Don’t miss your chance to set yourself up for success and avoid death by 1,000 apps!
Want some help talking through this process? Schedule a Vision Call with us – we’ve been through this dozens of times and would love to help your startup succeed!
