David Russell.
South Florida · Issue MAY 2026

Recommended.

Short list of what I actually use and recommend. Tools, books, people. No affiliate trickery. If it’s on here, it’s because I’d be worse without it.

Tools I use every single day

If I had to pay double, I'd still pay.

  • Strategy, writing, multi-step docs. The Cowork desktop client became my command center.
    AI
  • Code, image gen, second opinion. Canvas is criminally underrated for coding.
    AI
  • Parallel engineering when one Claude isn't enough.
    AI
  • The editor I actually open. Composer + tab is the keyboard combo that paid for itself in week one.
    IDE
  • Single source of truth for everything that isn't code. Command Center, sprints, brand guides, opportunity log.
    OS
  • Postgres + auth + storage + edge. The cheapest path from idea to production for a solo.
    DB
  • Deploy on push. Preview URLs. Nothing else gets out of the way like this.
    Hosting
  • DNS, R2, Workers, Pages. The Swiss army knife I forget I'm relying on until I need it.
    Edge
  • Marketing sites for ventures that don't need a dev. Indistinguishable from a polished custom build, in an afternoon.
    Web
  • The newsletter platform I keep coming back to. Sane analytics, no Mailchimp drag.
    Email

Books that actually changed how I work

Skipping the obvious ones everyone already names.

  • Rob Fitzpatrick. The only customer-research book I trust. Re-read every two years.
    Book
  • Nadia Asparouhova. About open source on the surface; really about modern indie reputation.
    Book
  • Where Good Ideas Come From
    Steven Johnson. Adjacent possible, slow hunches, exaptation. Frame for spotting evergreen niches.
    Book
  • Free online. The chapters on leverage and specific knowledge earn re-reads.
    Book

People worth following

Operators, not gurus.

  • Public proof you can run a real business from a laptop. No team, no fluff, transparent revenue.
    Solo
  • Builds in public, ships small tools that actually pay. Calm operator energy.
    Solo
  • Bookshelf and essays. The questions list alone is worth a read once a year.
    Builder

What I’m building under one roof

Let’s Chat Marketing is the agency. The verticals below live inside it. Same playbook, different rooms.

Let’s Smile
Let’s Smile
Let’s Fix
Let’s Fix
Let’s Audit
Let’s Audit

Let’s Counsel (legal) is next in the pipeline. Parent Let’s Chat Marketing mark lives at letschatmarketing.com.

Missing something obvious? Tell me. I update this list whenever I swap a habit.