⭐️Real tools from 40+ academy builds ⭐️ Used by programs enrolling 500+ students/month ⭐️ No fluff
The 6 Tools I Trust to Run Reliable, Scalable Online Academies
After 40+ Thinkific implementations and hundreds of automation builds, these are the only tools in my stack.
They integrate beautifully, rarely break, and handle growth without drama.
I’m Laurent, a Certified Thinkific Expert specializing in operational automation for course creators and academy founders.
I’ve built systems for programs enrolling 500+ students per month, and these six tools form the backbone of every build.
Why Listen to Me?
Experience
Scale
Philosophy
I don’t chase new tools. I build on proven foundations that my clients can trust for years, not months.
Trusted by fast-growing academies like Vista Data:
His mastery of tools like Make, Airtable, Postmark/ActiveCampaign, and his ability to seamlessly integrate them with platforms like Thinkific, is second to none. Laurent builds robust, reliable, and scalable systems with meticulous attention to detail.
He is our go-to expert for any complex automation challenges, and he consistently delivers high-quality work.
He remains an essential part of our technical projects, and I give him my highest recommendation and am grateful for our ongoing partnership.”
The Chaos That Costs You Growth
Most course creators hit the same wall: their “tech stack” is actually a fragile web of disconnected tools.
Things that should be automated are manual.
Systems that should talk to each other don’t.
And every new course or cohort launch feels like reinventing the wheel…
This isn’t your fault. Most course creators piece together their stack one tool at a time, based on blog posts and Facebook recommendations.
But there’s a better way.
My Stack-Building Philosophy
After 40+ builds, I’ve learned that the best tech stack is about having the right tools that work together reliably.
The six tools below represent the minimum viable stack for a professional online academy. Add more if you need to, but start here.
The Complete Stack: 6 Tools That Work Together
Each tool has a specific job. Together, they handle everything from lead capture to alumni management, without gaps, overlaps, or fragile connections.
Here’s what this stack looks like in practice:
Total monthly cost for starter stack:
~$200-300/month
Setup time with expert guidance:
2-4 weeks
Typical ROI:
10-20 hours saved per week
Thinkific: Your Learning Platform Foundation
What it does
Why it’s in my stack
Real use cases from my work
Integration sweet spots
Who needs it
Pricing snapshot
Alternative I’ve tried
ActiveCampaign: Lifecycle Email & Student Segmentation
What it does
Why it’s in my stack
Real use cases from my work
Integration sweet spots
Who needs it
Pricing snapshot
Alternative I’ve tried
Postmark: Transactional Email You Can Trust
What it does
Why it’s in my stack
Real use cases from my work
Integration sweet spots
Who needs it
Pricing snapshot
Alternative I’ve tried
Tally: Beautiful Forms That Actually Convert
What it does
Why it’s in my stack
Real use cases from my work
Integration sweet spots
Who needs it
Pricing snapshot
Alternative I’ve tried
Make: The Automation Orchestrator
What it does
Why it’s in my stack
Real use cases from my work
Integration sweet spots
Who needs it
Pricing snapshot
Alternative I’ve tried
Airtable: Your Single Source of Truth
What it does
Why it’s in my stack
Real use cases from my work
Integration sweet spots
Who needs it
Pricing snapshot
Alternative I’ve tried
How They All Work Together: The Integration Map
The real power isn’t in individual tools, but in how they integrate. Here are a few examples of how I connect them for seamless operations.
Example Flow 1: Lead to Enrolled Student
Lead fills out a Tally form (application or opt-in).
Make receives the webhook, creates an Airtable record, and applies the right tags in ActiveCampaign.
ActiveCampaign sends a personalised nurture sequence based on lead type and tags.
(This is where segmentation becomes powerful)
Student enrolls in Thinkific (manually or via checkout).
Thinkific triggers webhook to Make.
Make updates Airtable, triggers an ActiveCampaign welcome sequence, and sends a Postmark enrollment confirmation
Student progresses through the course, triggering automated check-ins and milestone emails from ActiveCampaign.
All data syncs back to Airtable for reporting, tracking and analytics.
Result: One seamless flow from lead → enrollment → progress monitoring,
with no manual work and no missed steps.
Example Flow 2: Cohort Reminder
Cohort start date approaching (3 days out).
Make checks Airtable daily for upcoming cohorts.
For matched records, Make sends a Postmark reminder email with the calendar invite and Zoom link.
(This ensures students never miss their cohort kickoff)
Make updates Airtable field: “Reminder sent: Yes”.
ActiveCampaign tags the student: “Cohort X – Reminder Sent”.
Result: Students receive timely reminders automatically, and your team avoids manual outreach,
spreadsheet tracking, or missed cohort starts.
Example Flow 3: At-Risk Student Detection
Thinkific tracks progress (or lack thereof).
Make checks Airtable daily for students who enrolled 14+ days ago but have completed less than 10%.
(This helps identify struggling students before they disengage)
Make tags the student in ActiveCampaign: “At-Risk”.
ActiveCampaign sends re-engagement sequence.
Make logs intervention in Airtable for team review.
Result: Your team can spot and support disengaged students early, boosting completion rates without manually checking progress or tracking spreadsheets.
Every piece of student data lives in Airtable. Every communication decision happens in ActiveCampaign or Make.
Every critical message goes through Postmark. Nothing falls through the cracks.
How to Build This Stack (Without Overwhelm)
You don’t need to implement all six tools at once. Here’s the order I recommend, based on what creates the most immediate value.
Phase 1: Foundation
(Week 1-2)
Why this order: Get students learning and capturing leads immediately. You can add automation later.
Phase 2: Automation
(Week 3-4)
Why this order: Automate the highest-friction manual tasks (tagging, transactional email).
Phase 3: Operations
(Week 5+)
Why this order: Once data flows automatically between tools, you need a place to see and manage it all.
DIY vs. Done-For-You
→ DIY timeline: 4-8 weeks (if you’re patient, willing to learn, and have bandwidth)
→ With expert help: 2-4 weeks (I handle the setup, you review and approve)
→ Hybrid: I build the foundation, you maintain and optimize
Need implementation
help?
I offer done-for-you stack builds for businesses that want this implemented correctly the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Affiliate Disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up for a tool through my link, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
I only recommend tools I actually use in my client work. I’ve been building academy systems with these tools for years, long before I became an affiliate for any of them.
Every recommendation is based on real implementations, not marketing partnerships. If you’d prefer to sign up directly (non-affiliate), you’re welcome to visit the tool’s website directly. You’ll get the same product and pricing either way.