How to Design Your Enterprise Tech Stack

The technology your company uses isn't just a collection of separate tools: it's an ecosystem that must work as a whole. A well-designed tech stack can be the difference between a team that wastes hours on manual tasks and one that scales efficiently.

What Is a Tech Stack?

A tech stack is the set of tools, platforms and services your company uses to operate. It includes everything from the CRM to email, through billing, internal communication, analytics and more.

A well-designed stack has 4 fundamental layers:

1. Data layer (CRM): The single source of truth. Where your contacts, companies and deals live.
2. Operations layer (ERP/Billing): The systems that run the business: billing, inventory, accounting.
3. Communication layer: Email, WhatsApp, Slack, chatbots. Everything that connects your team with customers.
4. Automation layer: The workflows, integrations and code that connect everything and eliminate manual tasks.

The Most Common Mistakes

1. Tools That Don't Talk to Each Other

The most frequent error: each team chooses its own tools without thinking about integration. Marketing uses Mailchimp, sales uses a spreadsheet, support uses Zendesk, and nobody has the complete picture of the customer.

2. Oversizing the Stack

You don't need 15 tools. An SMB can operate perfectly with 4-5 well-integrated tools. More tools = more complexity, more costs, more points of failure.

3. Not Having a Single Source of Truth

If customer data lives in 5 different places, none of it is reliable. You need a CRM as the central source where all information converges.

"60% of SMBs have duplicated or outdated customer data across at least 3 different systems."

Recommended Stack for SMBs

Based on our experience implementing stacks for dozens of companies, we recommend:

CRM: HubSpot

HubSpot as the center of the stack. It handles contacts, deals, emails, forms, landing pages and reports. The CRM is free and hubs are added as needed.

Communication: WhatsApp Business API + Slack

WhatsApp for customer communication (integrated with HubSpot to track conversations). Slack for internal team communication (with HubSpot notifications).

Billing/ERP

Depends on the country and company size. The important thing is that it's integrated with HubSpot so that when a deal closes, the invoice is generated automatically.

Analytics: Google Analytics + HubSpot Reports

GA4 for web traffic, HubSpot for business metrics (conversion, revenue, pipeline). Both connected to see the complete journey.

How to Evaluate a New Tool

Before adding any tool to your stack, ask yourself these questions:

1. Does it have an API or native integrations? If it can't connect with your CRM, it's not worth it.
2. Does it replace something you already have? If not, do you really need it or are you overcomplicating the stack?
3. Who will maintain it? Every tool requires administration. Do you have the team for that?
4. Does it scale with your business? A free tool that doesn't scale will cost you more in the long run.
5. Does the data flow to your CRM? If it generates data that doesn't reach the CRM, you're creating information silos.

The Role of Integrations

Integrations are the nervous system of your stack. Without them, you have isolated tools. With them, you have an ecosystem where information flows automatically.

There are 3 types of integrations:

• Native: Built-in integrations (e.g., HubSpot + Gmail). Easy to set up but limited in customization.
• Middleware: Tools like Zapier or Make that connect apps without code. Good for simple flows.
• Custom: Tailored development using APIs. Maximum flexibility and control. Ideal for complex or high-volume processes.

For most cases, a combination of native + custom integrations is the best option. Middleware works well for prototyping, but at scale it can get expensive and limiting.