In this highly practical episode of the SpeakersU Podcast, James Taylor and Maria Franzoni share the essential tools they use every day to run successful, scalable speaking businesses. From payments and scheduling to CRM systems, international banking, SEO, video production, writing, and travel management, this episode delivers a full behind-the-scenes tour of a modern professional speaker's tech stack.

Maria reveals how she automates coaching bookings end-to-end using Stripe, Calendly, Zapier, Xero, and Zoom, plus the browser tools she relies on for productivity, documentation, and client management. James shares the marketing, SEO, video, writing, and travel tools that power his global keynote career including Kajabi, SEMrush, Ecamm Live, Scrivener, eSpeakers, and TripIt Pro.

If you want to save time, increase your efficiency, improve your marketing, streamline your finances, and stay sane on the road, this episode is a must-listen.

Key Takeaways

• Automate your bookings and payments to remove admin friction using Stripe, Calendly, Zapier, Xero, and Zoom.

• Choose your ecosystem wisely with an all-in-one platform like Google Workspace or a diversified stack for redundancy.

• Kajabi is a powerhouse for speakers running courses, memberships, websites, and email marketing in one place.

• Scribe creates instant SOPs by recording your screen and auto-generating training documentation.

• Wise saves thousands in international banking fees for globally travelling speakers.

• eSpeakers simplifies lead tracking, contracts, and inquiry management for professional speakers.

• TextExpander massively boosts productivity with smart text shortcuts across all devices.

• Scrivener is ideal for long-form writing including books and keynote research.

• Pipedrive offers a clean, mobile-friendly CRM with real-time proposal tracking.

• TripIt Pro is a game-changer for global travel management with live itinerary updates and travel analytics.

• SEMrush reveals keyword gaps and competitive SEO strategy for authority positioning.

• Ecamm Live enables professional virtual keynotes and multi-camera live broadcasting.

Memorable Quotes

• "Stripe, Calendly, Zapier, Xero, and Zoom all talking to each other changed my life." – Maria Franzoni

• "Why are we paying five different companies when one system can do most of it?" – James Taylor

• "Scribe builds your SOPs while you work. It's magic." – Maria Franzoni

• "Wise saved me an absolute fortune in international bank charges." – Maria Franzoni

• "If you want to rank number one in your topic, you have to invest in SEO tools." – James Taylor

• "TextExpander gives you your time back in the smallest, smartest way." – Maria Franzoni

• "TripIt Pro is my mission control for global travel." – James Taylor

Episode Timestamps

• 00:00 – Welcome and why tools equal ROI

• 01:27 – Maria's automated booking stack: Stripe, Calendly, Zapier, Xero, Zoom

• 03:05 – Dropbox vs Google Workspace debate

• 06:25 – Fathom AI meeting notes and cloud backups

• 08:44 – Kajabi for courses, memberships, websites, and email

• 11:35 – Scribe for instant SOP creation

• 13:12 – Tea etiquette and British cultural detour

• 14:23 – eSpeakers for speaker CRM, contracts, and inquiries

• 16:08 – Wise for international payments and currency accounts

• 18:41 – Ecamm Live for virtual keynotes and livestreaming

• 20:27 – GoFullPage for capturing entire web pages

• 21:31 – SEMrush for competitive SEO tracking

• 23:57 – TextExpander for instant productivity gains

• 26:31 – Scrivener for book writing and keynote creation

• 28:40 – Pipedrive CRM with email, LinkedIn, and pipeline tracking

• 31:18 – TripIt Pro for global travel stats and itineraries

• 34:00 – Wrap-up and future episode on physical gear

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