The Stacked
Launch
How replacing a $53/month scheduling tool became the start of Stacked Suite.
The Problem
I was paying $53/month for Metricool because I needed one specific thing: a post approval system.
But the plan came with a lot I didn't need. I was already getting analytics directly from the platforms and feeding them into a Google Data Studio dashboard. I wasn't using the built-in reporting. I wasn't using the team features. I wasn't using half of what I was paying for.
So the real job was simple: schedule content and let clients approve it. That was it. Everything else was noise I was paying to ignore.
- ✓ Post scheduling
- ✓ Client approval flow
The Frustration
felt broken."
When I removed a lot of clients, the pricing no longer made sense. I still needed approval workflows — but I couldn't find a tool that gave me the level I needed at a good price for one client.
Every tool wanted me to pay for the full suite. Every tier was built around teams and agencies. The feature I needed — client approvals — was buried behind tiers designed for businesses ten times my size.
I wasn't trying to build a social media empire. I needed one clean approval flow for one client. That shouldn't cost $53 a month.
The Decision
So I built my own. Not from scratch alone.
Me, ChatGPT and Claude planned it step by step. The goal was not to build a massive SaaS product. The goal was to replace exactly what I needed — nothing more, nothing less.
"Replace the bit I actually needed.
Own it properly."
Planning
Mapped the exact features I needed. Cut everything else out before writing a line of code.
Local app
Built a working version locally first. Tested the core flow — create post, request approval, track status.
Public app
Made it accessible online so clients could actually use it. This was the tricky part.
Secure setup
Got external advice, built security properly. Not cutting corners on client data.
Working tool
A real, functioning scheduler and approval system. Built exactly around my workflow.
The Hard Part
Getting it from a local app to a secure public app was the tricky part.
A local build is easy. You're just making something work on your own machine. Going public means thinking about authentication, data exposure, client access, and infrastructure you actually trust.
I got external advice from people who knew this territory. I built that advice into the tool. Tested it. Then tested it again.
This is a real build — not a fake overnight success story. There were things I had to learn, things I had to get right, and things I had to get help with. That's part of how it works.
What It Replaced
- $53/month SaaS subscription
- Too many unused features
- Approval workflow locked behind higher-tier pricing
- Renting access indefinitely
- Cost scales up with usage, not your benefit
- My own tool
- Built around my workflow
- Client approval included from the start
- Controlled by me
- Foundation for future tools
What It Became
I only built the website because I needed a URL to host the tool.
That led to the Stacked brand, the website, and the idea of helping other freelancers build their own systems. One practical fix became a whole approach to how freelancers should think about tools.
"Stacked did not start as a brand idea.
It started as a practical fix."
The Stacked brand
The website
Help for other freelancers
A growing set of tools
The Bigger Point
This is not about telling freelancers to build software for the sake of it.
It's about helping freelancers stop overpaying for tools that become more expensive as they grow. SaaS tools are designed to scale their revenue from you — not to scale with what you actually need.
Stacked supports freelancers by giving them a head start, not locking them into another expensive platform. If you need more power, you should be in control of your own hosting and infrastructure costs — not forced into inflated pricing tiers because you added one more client.
You shouldn't pay more for growth
SaaS tiers are designed to extract more from you as you succeed. Your tool costs should scale with your actual infrastructure, not someone else's profit margin.
Head start, not lock-in
Stacked gives you the tools and knowledge to build your own system — not another platform that owns your workflow.
Built by someone who's been there
This isn't theoretical. I was the freelancer paying for 12 tools I half-used. Stacked came out of that frustration — and that experience.
What Comes Next
I've started building functionality to help other freelancers do the same. I've had requests for other tools and systems — a client reporting system, a finance dashboard, a content research workflow.
Now I'm shaping Stacked around tools that are practical, guide content that is honest, and a Build With Me option for freelancers who want a shortcut through the hard parts.
Build your own stack
Stop renting.
Start building.
Join Stacked and get access to the tools, templates and guidance to build a system you actually own. Or get guided through it together.