#231 - Tools I Actually Use to Save Time

In this solo episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, founder and CEO Daniel Scharff shares the tools he actually uses every day to save time and run his business more efficiently in 2026. None of these are sponsors or partners—just genuine recommendations from tools that have made a real difference in productivity. Daniel breaks down his toolkit into four key buckets: Core Operating System (Superhuman for email management with snippets and reminders, Notion for project management, and Surfe for LinkedIn outreach automation), Back Office Solutions (Calendly for scheduling and Bill.com for invoicing), Content Creation Tools (Riverside.fm for high-quality recordings and ChatGPT for brainstorming and analytics), and Team & Talent Resources (Upwork for finding specialized contractors, LinkedIn Jobs for hiring, and offshore contractors for cost-effective team building). Whether you're looking to master inbox zero, automate repetitive tasks, create better content faster, or build a lean team on a tight budget, this episode offers practical, tested solutions that Daniel uses at Startup CPG every single day. Listen in as Daniel shares: Superhuman: email snippets, automatic reminders, and inbox zero strategy Notion: project management dashboards and team alignment Surfe: automating LinkedIn outreach with personalized message templates Calendly: group calendars and eliminating scheduling back-and-forth Bill.com: invoicing with automatic credit card fee pass-through Riverside.fm: high-quality content recording with AI-generated clips ChatGPT: brainstorming, interview guides, and tighter wording Upwork: finding specialized contractors for one-off tasks LinkedIn Jobs: promoting job posts to find quality candidates fast Offshore contractors: building cost-effective teams in Brazil, Philippines, Argentina None of these are sponsors or partners of Startup CPG, these are actual tools that we use to save time. To join our slack community, visit startupcpg.com Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. Show Links: Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top) Join the Startup CPG Slack community (30K+ members and growing!) Follow @startupcpg Visit host Daniel's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] Episode music by Super Fantastics