the founder toolkit —
Tools I actually use to run this
Not a “best of” list copied from somewhere. Everything here is running under one of my own stores right now, or it’s what I switched to after something else didn’t work.
Some links below are affiliate links — using them costs you nothing extra and keeps this site running. Full disclosure →
STORE & WEBSITE
Where the store actually lives
Get the domain, the hosting, and the storefront sorted — in that order.
Shopify
Our pick for beginners — easiest to launch and manage without needing a developer on call. No coding needed to get a working store live in a day; product pages, cart, checkout, and payment integrations all come built in, with a huge app store if you need something extra later. Most of our own client builds start here too.
GoDaddy — Domains
Our first stop for checking domain availability — good pricing and a reliable name to trust for something as important as your brand’s domain.
Hostinger — Domains
Search and buy your brand’s .com or .in in one place, without the upsell maze. A .com usually runs around ₹1,599/year and a .in around ₹899/year — check both before deciding, since availability differs by name. Right now this link also gets you an extra 20% off — worth checking at checkout since offers change.
Hostinger — Hosting
Budget-friendly hosting if you’re building outside Shopify, on WordPress or WooCommerce. If you’re going this route you’ll need somewhere to actually host the site — plans here are priced sensibly for a first store, and support has been decent when something breaks late at night. This link also carries the current 20% off offer — check it’s still live at checkout.
Canva
What we use for product labels and quick graphics — free templates get you 90% of the way without hiring a designer for every little thing.
GET PAID
Collecting the money
Both work well — here’s exactly why each one earns its place.
Razorpay
This is the gateway we route most of our own order volume through — over ₹1 crore in sales has gone through it, and it’s the one we trust most. Standard pricing is 2% + GST per transaction, though right now they’re offering the first 90 days free, worth checking while that’s live. If you ever want a faster, one-click checkout, their Magic Checkout charges just 0.65% — compared to Shopify’s own checkout at 2% — a real saving once you’re doing volume.
Cashfree
A solid platform on its own, offer or no offer. Standard pricing runs around 1.95% + GST per transaction, but right now they’re waiving PG charges entirely for stores under ₹20L in sales — on ₹20L, that works out to roughly ₹40,000 saved. Check the current terms before signing up, since offers like this change. Haven’t personally run a store through Cashfree yet, but it’s well regarded.
SHIPPING & DELIVERY
Getting it there
Start with the cheaper one; the other two are solid once you’re comparing options.
Nimbuspost
Our pick to start with — some of the same couriers here are simply cheaper than what you’d get through other aggregators. As one example: DTDC through Nimbuspost starts around ₹55 for 500g and ₹69 for 1kg, versus roughly ₹64 and ₹90 for the same weights elsewhere. Exact numbers shift over time, but the gap is usually real. Covers DTDC, Delhivery, Shadowfax, and Amazon Shipping.
Shiprocket
Easiest dashboard to start with — every courier company under one login, including DTDC, Delhivery, Amazon Shipping, and others. You compare and pick per order based on price and delivery speed to that pin code. Its risk score on each order is genuinely useful for deciding who to call before shipping.
Delhivery
Strong pan-India reach if you’re shipping direct rather than through an aggregator — including a lot of tier-2 and tier-3 pin codes that smaller couriers don’t cover well.
WHATSAPP & MARKETING
Staying in touch, at scale
Until recently, you couldn’t use the same WhatsApp number for both the official WhatsApp Business API and the regular WhatsApp Business app — you had to pick one. That’s changed with something Meta calls “co-existence”: the same number can now run both side by side. In practice, that means you can send automated messages and broadcasts through a platform like AiSensy, and still reply to customers directly from the WhatsApp Business app on your own phone — without losing the number or splitting conversations across two places.
AiSensy
What we use to send WhatsApp offers and order updates to our own customer list — the kind of message that actually gets opened, unlike another cold Instagram post. Connects directly with Shopify, and plans start at just ₹1,500/month — enough for most stores starting out.
Wanotifier
Used this for over 3 years on a WooCommerce/WordPress store before switching to AiSensy on Shopify. Connects through a WordPress plugin directly. Pricing used to sit around ₹2,000 and has gone up since, so check current rates before committing.
Meta Ads Manager
Where the ad budget actually gets spent, once organic reach and margins can support it. Video ads tend to outperform plain static images for most D2C products we’ve tested here.
REVIEWS
Building trust after the sale
A steady flow of honest reviews sells better than any ad copy.
Judge.me
Only started using this recently — good so far. Collects and displays product reviews right on your storefront.
Beyond the tool itself: ping customers directly on WhatsApp and ask for a review, and put real reviews up on Instagram too. Positive or negative, both help you grow — a negative review just points you toward your next version. Solving that complaint is exactly what customers are paying you to do.
PACKAGING & FULFILLMENT SUPPLIES
What we actually pack with
Everything below is what’s genuinely on our own packing table, not a generic list.
Tape
Brown tape (first layer)
We paste this on the box first, then reinforce with normal tape over it — optional, but one layer of this holds the box tight before the second layer goes on for extra strength.
Normal packaging tape (BOPP)
A bit pricey on Amazon — worth searching local packaging shops instead, where it’s usually cheaper (quality varies, so it’s trial and error). We buy ours from Surya Packs in Madurai; happy to share their contact if you ask on Instagram. 2-inch and 3-inch widths are the ones we reach for most; brown or transparent is just preference.
Boxes & cushioning
Corrugated boxes
This is the size and supplier we’ve bought from for a long time — they also have their own website. Start with a small quantity, and only scale up once you’re sure it suits you. We’ve occasionally gone to a Chennai supplier for thicker, customised boxes, but most box manufacturers have a minimum order quantity (MOQ) that makes customising expensive early on — sticking to standard sizes and adding bubble wrap for extra protection works just as well starting out.
Bubble wrap
We usually buy this from a nearby packaging store instead — comes as a 5ft roll and you cut what you need. Only bought it on Amazon once or twice; quality was good and price was fair compared to other listings.
Straps
For bigger, heavier items. Needs a bit of manual effort to tighten, but it does the job well.
Inflatable packaging
For glass bottles specifically — used this for years on a business we’ve since closed, and it’s still worth it if you’re shipping anything breakable.
Sealing & wrapping
Heat gun
Used to seal shrink film over a product — around the cap, for example — to stop it being opened or tampered with before it reaches the customer. You’ll need shrink film separately for this, sold by the kg at local packaging stores.
Stretch film
A cheaper alternative to shrink film — think of it like tape without the adhesive, rolled directly over the product. No heat gun needed. Also available at local packaging stores at roughly the same price. Don’t use this for food products — go food-grade instead, which costs a bit more.
Cutter
This branded one covers maybe 30% of our actual use. The other 70% of the time, a plain ₹3–7 cutter from a local store does the job just as well. Worth trying the cheap one first.
Pouches & covers
Packaging covers & pouches
Comes in many sizes — useful for stand-up pouches, packets, dresses, powders, and more. Most stand-up pouches only go up to 500g; for 1kg you’ll generally need a regular flat pouch instead, since stand-up versions aren’t usually made at that size. Start with what’s already available before ordering anything custom — designs vary from fully transparent to solid brown or white, so test first, then order in bulk from a local vendor once you know what fits.
Measuring & accounts
Weighing scale — up to 50kg
For raw materials and bulk stock.
Weighing scale — up to 5kg
We run two of these side by side to cross-check readings. The affordable one, around ₹200, has been in use for about 6 months now with no errors so far — genuinely no need to spend more here, though we keep a costlier one on hand too for comparison.
Amazon Business account
Worth setting up if you have GST — it’s free to create, there’s no marketplace fee, bulk orders often come with discounts, and GST credits on your purchases are correctly reflected in our own account every time we’ve checked. Most business supplies sit around 18% GST, and that gets logged as a purchase expense you can claim back.
“If someone tells you that you need many fancy items to run a business, don’t trust them.” — we’ve shipped over 10,000 orders on a plain A4 printer and sticker sheets, nothing fancier.
BEHIND THE CAMERA & OFFICE
What’s actually on our desk
The gear behind the notebook videos and the day-to-day running of the business.
Phone (for video)
Bought for around ₹30,000 — genuinely good for video. We mostly shoot on the back camera, though the front camera and storage are solid too.
Phone arm stand with ring light
The best one we’ve used so far, and we’ve had it over a year now. Build quality looks a little basic, but it’s never once let us down.
Rewritable notepad
A genuine game-changer for us — used constantly for checklists and order lists that need to be wiped and reused.
Whiteboard
The one we currently use, plus a more affordable alternative if budget matters more than size. Plenty of cheaper local options exist too — worth checking your nearest stationery store first.
Calculator
We keep two or three of these scattered around — used constantly when we did wholesale, less so now. Casio is the reliable, top-of-the-line option. The Flair one, bought for around ₹300, has held up fine for two years too.
Everyday printer
Our own is a Canon LBP2900B — over 10 years old, print-only, and you still see it in bank branches. Couldn’t find that exact model to link, so this is the closest equivalent a relative has been using for 2 years with no complaints. This is genuinely all you need for shipping labels — a normal printer, plain A4 sticker sheets, and “4 pages per sheet” selected when you print.
If you specifically want a label printer
We haven’t bought one ourselves yet — still researching. A few things worth checking before you do: shipping labels are 4×6 inch, so confirm that size is supported (not 2×3), and make sure it’s a label printer, not a receipt printer — they’re different machines. Reviews below are based on public ratings and one recommendation from someone in our own audience, not personal use, so check local service availability before deciding rather than going on reviews alone.
Budget option
Affordable range, good reviews so far.
TSC
Established brand, well-reviewed.
TVS Electronics
Recommended to us directly by someone in our own audience who’s used it for a while — haven’t bought it ourselves yet, but TVS Electronics is a name we trust.
Brother QL-800
Strong reviews across the board — but check the seller’s rating carefully before ordering. Several comments mention receiving a non-working unit, so buy from a seller with solid, recent ratings rather than the cheapest listing.
We’ve been in business over 4 years and the only thing we’ve ever customised is the label. If someone tells you your packaging needs to be customised for better sales, don’t trust it blindly — start with what’s already available, test it, and customise later only if you actually need to. Online, the product does the talking — you don’t need a shelf to stand out on.
Want the bigger picture first? See how these fit into the full A-to-Z → or read the complete guide →.