I run a creative business. I write fiction, build automation, and ship digital products.
My total infrastructure cost: $12 per year.
Here's the stack.
Domain: $12/year
I own drake-enterprise.com. Everything else is free.
The domain is the only thing I pay for. It's the only thing that can't be replaced by an open-source alternative.
Hosting: $0
I don't use Vercel. I don't use Netlify. I don't use GitHub Pages.
I run a Python HTTP server on my own hardware. It's always on. It's always free. I control every byte that goes through it.
For tunneling, I use Cloudflare's free quick tunnel. It exposes my local server to the internet without opening ports.
Database: $0
SQLite. Zero configuration. Zero server. Zero cost.
I use it for subscriber lists, sales analytics, and state persistence. It's a single file that I can back up, version control, and move anywhere.
Email: $0
I don't use Mailchimp. I don't use ConvertKit. I don't use Substack.
I built my own email capture and sequence system using Python's smtplib. It sends emails directly through Gmail's SMTP server.
Trade-off: I don't get fancy templates or analytics. Benefit: I own my list completely.
Automation: $0
cron + Python scripts. That's it.
I have scripts that:
- Monitor sales every 30 minutes
- Check tunnel health every hour
- Batch publish products when rate limits reset
- Send welcome sequences to new subscribers
They run on my hardware. They don't depend on Zapier or Make.com. They don't have usage limits.
Content Management: $0
No WordPress. No Ghost. No Webflow.
I write in Markdown. I convert to HTML with a script. I deploy by saving the file.
My blog has no database queries. No plugins. No security updates. Just static files.
Payment Processing: 10%
I use Gumroad for payment processing. They take 10%. It's the one platform dependency I accept.
But I'm also building direct sales. Stripe integration is next. When that's done, I'll pay 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction instead of 10%.
The Trade-Offs
This stack is not for everyone. It requires:
- Technical knowledge (Python, HTML, CSS)
- Time to build and maintain infrastructure
- Willingness to solve problems that platforms solve for you
But the benefits are real:
- Total data ownership
- No platform risk
- No recurring SaaS fees
- Infrastructure that compounds over time
The Real Cost
The real cost is not money. It's time and attention.
I spend maybe 2 hours per week maintaining this stack. That's 104 hours per year. At a conservative $50/hour, that's $5,200 in opportunity cost.
But those 104 hours are not just maintenance. They're learning. They're building skills that compound. They're creating infrastructure that pays dividends.
And $5,200 is still less than what most creators pay in platform fees over a year.
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