About SoloForge — Who's Behind This Site
I'm not a developer. I'm not a marketer. I'm a solopreneur who runs his own online business and has spent years obsessing over which tools actually work — and which ones just have a good landing page.
Who I Am
My name is Marcus Reed. I've been running one-person businesses for several years now — selling digital products, building small SaaS tools, doing client work, and generally figuring out how to make the solo model work without burning out or overpaying for software I barely use.
I started SoloForge because I kept giving the same advice to friends who were starting their own businesses: here's the tool I actually use for invoicing, here's why I switched email platforms, here's the fee breakdown nobody shows you upfront. At some point it made more sense to write it all down properly than to repeat myself in DMs.
I'm not backed by any platform. I don't take sponsored posts. The only money this site makes is through affiliate commissions — and I only write about tools I've actually used myself. If a tool I recommend has an affiliate program and a tool I recommend doesn't, I still recommend whichever one is better. The commission structure never drives the recommendation.
What SoloForge Covers
Everything on this site is about tools for one-person businesses. That means:
- Digital product platforms — Lemon Squeezy, Gumroad, Payhip, and alternatives
- Email marketing — Kit (ConvertKit), Mailerlite, and what actually converts
- Project management — tools that don't require an onboarding session to use
- Invoicing and payments — getting paid without paying too much in fees
- Hosting and infrastructure — what a non-developer solopreneur actually needs
I don't cover enterprise tools. I don't cover tools that require a team to operate. Everything here is built around the constraint that you are probably the only person running your business, and your time and budget are finite.
How I Review Tools
Every review on SoloForge is based on hands-on testing. I sign up for the actual free plan or pay for a trial, I put real products or workflows through the tool, and I track what matters: fees, friction points, support quality, and whether it's still something I'd recommend six months later.
"I only write about tools I've actually used. If I recommend something, it's because it's the best option I've found — not because the commission is highest."
When I update an article, I note what changed and when. The internet is full of reviews written in 2021 that still rank in 2026. I try not to contribute to that problem.
Affiliate Commissions
Some links on this site are affiliate links. That means if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is how SoloForge stays independent — no advertisers, no sponsored content, no platform deals.
I disclose affiliate relationships on every article and maintain a full Affiliate Disclosure page. If a tool I'm reviewing doesn't have an affiliate program, I'll still cover it honestly. The review comes first.
Get in Touch
If you have a tool suggestion, spotted something out of date, or just want to say hello, I'd genuinely like to hear from you. Head over to the contact page for details.