10 Workflow Tools That Keep Maven Humming Along

Let's get real for a second. Running Maven, our neurodivergent-friendly business coaching brand, requires tech that vibes with us. We need tools that optimize our precious energetic periods. I’ve burned the midnight oil too many times searching for solutions to help me avoid all-nighters!

Here’s the unfiltered truth about the ten workflow tools that keep Maven thriving—from creating killer content to nurturing our community and delivering coaching that transforms businesses.

Loom – Free & Fast Video Recording

Loom is amazing for demonstration. It beats writing the longest emails ever! What makes Loom our ride-or-die? First, it's free to start (hello, budget-friendly!). But what really sold us is how it magically cleans up our speech. Those awkward pauses and “ums” just disappear.

The learning curve? There isn't one. I'm talking about record-and-go simplicity that my tech-resistant team embraced immediately. Plus, it integrates with everything—from Slack to email and social platforms. For our team of overthinkers and fast-talkers, Loom has changed the game. It's much easier to hit record and dump our thoughts rather than craft the "perfect" written message.

Notion – A Digital Brain

Peek behind Maven's curtain, and you'll find Notion running the whole show. It's not just a tool; it's our collective brain. Client workbooks and deliverables? We use Notion templates that are gorgeous and functional. When we brainstorm details about a new offering or program, it all happens in Notion.

Its project management features deserve their own spotlight. We’ve tried Trello, Motion, Google Sheets, and Asana. But Notion's flexible visual flow beats them all. We can view information in kanban boards, calendars, lists, or whatever format suits a specific project.

Discord – The Unexpected MVP of Community-Building

When we launched our community space, everyone expected us to use a Facebook group or maybe Slack. We chose Discord, and it has been the surprising MVP of our tech stack.

Why Discord? It fosters genuine community vibes, not corporate formality. The interface is colorful, customizable, and comforting compared to sterile alternatives. We want our creative clients to feel at home and comfortable, swapping ideas and advice.

The functionality is impressive too. It supports video calls and screen sharing (goodbye, Zoom fatigue). We can archive conversations for future reference and create focused channels for deeper discussions. We can’t wait to see where this community goes!

Canva – Fabulous Graphics, No Design Degree Required

Sometimes you don’t need to create a graphic from scratch. Good enough will do! Need a cute carousel for Instagram? A story template? A testimonial mock-up that doesn’t look childish? Canva has our backs every time.

The magic lies in the speed. We can create native content for different platforms in 15 minutes or less. It looks polished and professional while still feeling personal and on-brand. The templates are customizable without overwhelming us with options.

Even with a full-time designer on staff, Canva remains a budget-friendly lifesaver, allowing us to create original designs when necessary while leveraging its design library against deadlines.

Adobe Photoshop – Gallery-Ready, Print-Worthy Photo Magic

While Canva handles our daily graphics, sometimes we need the big guns—especially for professional photography. For high-quality images, print materials, or premium visuals, we turn to Photoshop. No AI shortcut can replace what it does for high-end image editing.

Photoshop delivers clean, crisp, perfectly edited visuals that honor our brand. The learning curve and subscription fee are worth it for these moments when excellence isn't negotiable.

Opus Clip – AI Video Editing That Doesn't Suck

Let's discuss the painful reality of video content creation. Turning a 20-minute video into social-ready clips used to eat entire workdays. The tedious cutting and editing would give me a headache just thinking about it.

Then we discovered Opus Clip, and it changed our content strategy. This AI tool transforms long-form videos into perfect highlight clips for reels, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts—in minutes, not hours!

Of all the AI video editors we've tried, Opus Clip stands out. The clips it creates are contextually accurate, the captions are surprisingly good, and the user interface doesn’t make me want to throw my laptop out the window. Anything that keeps me in my happy place is a win.

ChatGPT – Our Day-to-Day Language Model BFF

At Maven, we embrace AI tools that enhance our creativity instead of replacing it. We are a small business, and time is precious.

We seeded ChatGPT with our brand strategy, marketing plan, tone, and market research in a custom GPT. Then our resident librarian prompts engineer conversations with this GPT and conducts deep research to design courses, create content, and develop a communication strategy.

ChatGPT, used this way, is a specialized and useful assistant capable of accomplishing much more than writing a few emails.

Claude – The Quiet Genius for Long-Form Writing

Even though ChatGPT is our preferred LLM, we also use Claude. It helps humanize and flesh out content before final rewrites—just as a thoughtful ghostwriter would. Claude pushes us through creative blocks by clarifying our direction.

Google Workspace – Cloud Royalty for Small Biz

Sometimes the most valuable tools aren't the flashiest. Google Drive is reliable and just works, day in and day out. Its massive storage means we never worry about space, and easy sharing keeps client collaboration seamless. Integration with Google Docs and Sheets eliminates compatibility issues.

We store everything from legal contracts to client folders and workshop recordings in Drive. It’s a digital filing cabinet that never jams. Microsoft OneDrive could never.

Zapier – The God-Tier Workflow Optimizer

If I had to choose an MVP for our tech stack, it might just be Zapier. This silent automation hero is essential. You set it up once, and then it works automatically. New client signs up? Their info flows into our CRM, welcome emails go out, files sync to the right folders, and their access to resources is granted—all without manual involvement.

While others chase the latest automation trend, we stay loyal to Zapier because it works. It connects nearly every tool we use, saving countless hours of manual data entry and ensuring small but critical tasks don’t slip through the cracks.

Final Thoughts

At Maven, we intentionally keep our tech stack lean, approachable, and neurodivergent-friendly. These tools do more than help us check boxes off a to-do list. They fundamentally change how we work by respecting our brains and energy levels while promoting clarity over chaos.

What’s your go-to workflow tool that makes business life easier? Drop it in the comments! We’re always looking to optimize our digital toolkit!