7 Years, Zero Regrets: The Tools, Communities, and Hard-Won Lessons Behind Chaos Coordination

Written By Amanda Russell

Seven years. That's how long I've been doing this. And honestly? I still can't believe it sometimes.

On this month’s solo episode, I wanted to pull back the curtain on my own business, Chaos Coordination, and give you a real look at what's actually kept this thing running for seven years. The tools I use, the communities that have saved my sanity, and the lessons I learned the hard way so you don't have to.

Whether you're just starting out, somewhere in the messy middle, or trying to figure out how to level up what you've already built, I hope something in here helps.

How We Got Here: From Paralegal to Copywriter

Let me back up for a second, because if you're new here, you might not know the whole story.

I spent almost a decade working as a paralegal in corporate litigation and trust and estate law. It was demanding, it was stressful, and when I had kids and realized maternity leave wasn't exactly going to be a generous situation, I made a decision: I was out.

In April 2019, I registered Chaos Coordination LLC in Delaware and started the business as a virtual assistant. Did I know it was going to turn into a full copywriting and content strategy firm? Absolutely not. Did I know what I was doing? Also, absolutely not. But here we are, seven years later, serving small to mid-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, and coaches with website copy, landing pages, email marketing, and blog content. And yes, I have paid myself a salary every single month for seven years — one that exceeds what I was making as a corporate paralegal.

I say that not to brag, but because I want you to know it's possible. It takes time. It takes resilience. And it takes the right tools.

Let's Talk About AI (Because We Have To)

Before I get into the tools, I want to address the elephant in the room: AI.

Yes, I use it. No, not the way you might think.

The number one thing that separates what I do from what an AI tool can do is voice. My entire job is to make my clients sound like themselves. Just a more polished, strategic, intentional version of themselves. I do that through Zoom calls, in-person meetings, voice notes — whatever it takes to really understand how someone talks, what they care about, and what makes their brand theirs.

AI cannot do that. And if you're using AI to write your copy, your emails, or your social captions without heavily editing it to sound like you, I promise your audience can tell.

That said, I do use AI for administrative and organizational tasks. Outlining my thoughts, structuring a process, organizing information. My tool of choice is Magai AI, which gives you access to ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, and more — all in one place for about $20 a month. It's genuinely useful when you use it the right way.

But please, for the love of everything: fact-check anything AI produces before you post it. These models will confidently invent answers, links, and statistics when they don't actually know something. Don't let that become your problem.

The Tool Stack That Runs My Business

Okay, let's get into the good stuff. Here are the tools I actually use and actually recommend.

1. Squarespace: My Website Home Base

I've been on Squarespace since day one and I have zero plans to leave. For solopreneurs and new business owners, especially, it is genuinely one of the most user-friendly website platform out there. The drag-and-drop back end has gotten even better over the years, the SEO functionality is easy to navigate, and it handles everything from domains to email access to scheduling all in one place.

If you're looking for a platform that can grow with your business without requiring a computer science degree, this is it.

2. Flodesk: Email Marketing That Actually Looks Good

I use Flodesk for my bimonthly newsletter, my landing pages, my freebies, and managing my email list. It's wildly popular in the creative space for a reason. It's intuitive, it produces beautiful emails, and their customer service is actually responsive.

If you've been putting off email marketing because it feels too complicated or too expensive, Flodesk is your answer. I recommend it to almost every client I work with, and I've never had a complaint.

3. The Contract Shop: Legal Protection Without the Overwhelm

Here's something nobody talks about enough when you start a business: you need legal protection. Contracts. Terms and conditions. Affiliate program agreements. Blogger disclaimers. If you don't have these things, you are one difficult client away from a very bad situation.

The Contract Shop offers plug-and-play templates for all of it. I use these alongside my own lawyer. They're not a replacement for professional legal counsel, but they are an incredibly affordable and accessible way to make sure you have the foundational documents you need. They also offer courses and informational resources that are genuinely worth your time.

Protect yourself. Please.

4. Moxie: The CRM That Finally Made Sense for Me

I'll be honest: I ran this business on Google Sheets and Google Docs for an embarrassingly long time. I tried Honeybook. I tried Dubsado. I tried HubSpot. None of them felt quite right for the way I work.

Then I found Moxie — a CRM built specifically for freelancers — and everything clicked. Lead tracking, proposals, contracts, invoices, to-do lists, calendar mapping. It does all of it in one place, with the automation I desperately needed. It has genuinely changed how I operate day to day.

Finding the right CRM is personal. What works for me might not work for you. But if you've been bouncing around platforms and nothing has stuck, Moxie is worth a serious look.

5. KeySearch: My Favorite SEO Research Tool

If you want to show up in search results — and you do, trust me — you need to do keyword research. KeySearch is my go-to, and it is incredibly affordable compared to other SEO tools on the market.

I use it for keyword research, backlink checking, keyword suggestions, and keyword tracking — both for my own content and for my clients. I pair it with Google Analytics and free Google tools for a pretty complete SEO picture. If you've been avoiding SEO because it feels intimidating, KeySearch makes it manageable. I promise.

The Communities That Keep Me Sane

Tools will run your business. Community will sustain you. And if nobody has told you lately, entrepreneurship is lonely. Like, really lonely. Especially when you're a mom doing this alongside school pickups and homework and approximately 4,000 other things.

Here are the three communities I recommend without hesitation:

The Visionaries

The Visionaries is a high-vibe, pitch-free community of business owners and founders who are genuinely invested in seeing each other grow. I recently upgraded my membership because the value I get from this community is worth every penny. If you're looking for a space where people actually cheer for each other without trying to sell you something every five minutes, this is it.

Made for Mothers

Built specifically for business-owning mothers, Made for Mothers has an active online dashboard and tons of virtual events. It is the community I spent years looking for — a place where you can be both a mom and an entrepreneur without having to compartmentalize the two. If that sounds like you, go check it out.

Society for Working Moms

I'm actually in the process of adding this one to my resources page because I don't want anyone to miss it. The Society for Working Moms a pitch-free community that runs through Slack and is open to any working mother, whether you own a business or work for someone else. It's a really solid space to connect with women who just get it.

Seven Years Later

I credit seven years of survival and growth to a few things: resilience (honestly, mostly resilience), the tools I just walked you through, the communities that have kept me connected, and my OBM Robin, who joined my team and immediately started holding me accountable in ways I didn't know I needed.

If I could leave you with one thing from this episode, it's this: stop comparing your journey to everyone else's. Your business, your timeline, your version of success — it doesn't have to look like anyone else's. Build the life and the business that aligns with your vision. And know that whatever season you're in right now, you are not alone in it.

All of the tools, communities, and free resources I mentioned — including my Ultimate DIY SEO Checklist and my free Website Writing Workbook — are available right here. Go grab them.

And hey…if you have an idea for a future solo episode topic, I want to hear it. Shoot me an email or a DM. I am always looking for new things to yap about.

The Highlights: Tools & Communities at a Glance

Tools:

Communities:

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to The Chaotic Middle Podcast and come hang out with me on Instagram and Threads at @chaoscoordinationllc. See you next week.

Amanda Russell

I write content to get you noticed and copy to get you sales. My clients are entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits working to make the world a better, more inclusive place.

https://www.chaoscoordinationllc.com
Next

Using Life Experiences to Empower the Next Generation with Nina Echevarria