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When Anna Burgess Yang was diagnosed with a brain tumor just weeks before surgery, her three years of systematic business building became the difference between collapse and continuity. In this conversation, Anna shares how strategic financial planning, smart automation systems, and operational frameworks allowed her FinTech writing business to run for two months without her active involvement. She reveals the specific tools, workflows, and thinking that transformed her solo practice from vulnerable to resilient—from Zapier automations that generated social media content to the financial buffers that eliminated money stress during recovery. This episode offers practical guidance on building sustainable solo businesses through emergency planning, automation architecture, and strategic tool selection. Essential listening for any professional concerned about the precariousness of independent work.

Resources Mentioned

Automation and Productivity Tools:

• Zapier - Automation platform connecting apps and workflows (most expensive tool Anna uses but saves significant time) https://zapier.com
• Make.com - Alternative automation platform mentioned by Nigel as more affordable for non-US users https://www.make.com
• Airtable - Database platform for tracking client work and content library https://airtable.com
• Trello - Project management and content planning tool https://trello.com
• Buffer - Social media scheduling platform https://buffer.com
• ChatGPT Pro - AI tool for content generation and categorization https://openai.com/chatgpt
• Canva - Graphics creation tool https://canva.com
• Loom - Video recording and sharing platform https://loom.com

Note-Taking and Knowledge Management:

• Reflect - Note-taking app Anna uses (Obsidian competitor with bidirectional linking) https://reflect.app
• Obsidian - Free note-taking app mentioned by Nigel https://obsidian.md

Business and Accounting:

• Google Workspace - Email and productivity suite with Gemini

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Connect with Nigel Rawlins

website https://wisepreneurs.com.au/
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/
Twitter https://twitter.com/wisepreneurs
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