Services
Bespoke software
Bespoke software means tools built specifically for your business. Many small businesses lose hundreds of hours a month to repetitive admin: chasing information across systems, copying data between tools, producing the same reports by hand. A purpose-built application, often at a modest one-time cost, can take most of those hours back. It's a one-off investment that frees your team for the work that only people can do.
You don't have to be a large business to benefit. Entry costs are often lower than you might expect, and the time savings can be significant enough that even a sole trader sees a clear return on the investment. The key is designing the right tool for the job: one that packs the biggest punch for the available budget without getting carried away with bells and whistles. That's where I come in: scoping work that solves a lot of problems without costing the earth.
Security is part of the build, not an afterthought. I apply current best practices for authentication, data handling, hosting, and updates, drawing on years of cyber security experience.
- Internal applications that replace business-critical spreadsheets.
- Booking, scheduling, and job-tracking systems built around your workflow.
- Integrations between systems that don't already communicate.
- Customer or supplier portals for shared documents and information.
- Reports and dashboards that combine data from multiple sources.
- Automation for repetitive admin tasks.
A racing yard was managing operations across several disconnected tools: paper passports, whiteboard vaccination schedules, syndicate members in spreadsheets, and race entries tracked manually. As the yard grew, this approach was no longer practical.
I built a single web platform that consolidated everything. The yard now manages horses, owners, and race-day deadlines from one place.
- Owner invoicing and statements
- Vaccination scheduling with automatic reminders
- Race entries and declarations
- Ownership records: individuals, syndicates
- Syndicate share management
- Owner and syndicate-member communications
The system freed up hundreds of hours a month for the yard's racing secretaries. With routine admin handled, they could spend more of their time looking after the owners rather than the paperwork. Vaccination deadlines stopped being missed, and race entries could be planned around upcoming dates well in advance.
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Initial discussion
A no-obligation conversation about your situation, the problem you're looking to solve, and what a good outcome would look like. Usually around an hour.
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Fixed-scope proposal
A written plan with a clear price and timescale. If the project isn't a good fit, I'll say so and suggest alternatives where I can.
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Proof of concept
I build a working version of the core functionality and put it in your hands. You try it with real work, see how it fits your operation, and tell me what needs to change.
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User acceptance testing
Once the build is complete, you and your team test it against real-world scenarios. I address any issues before sign-off.
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Handover & ongoing care
I provide a walkthrough and written documentation. If hosting is necessary, the choice is yours: I can host the application for you, install it on machines in your office, or hand over everything you need to host it internally. Ongoing support is available if you want it.
It depends on what you need. Small projects tend to start from £500, and cost grows with complexity. I aim to keep designs simple and focused, so you get the best return on what you spend. I always quote a fixed price before any work starts, and if the scope changes mid-way I agree the change in writing before doing it.
Ongoing maintenance, updates, and hosting (where relevant) are handled through my support service. Costs vary depending on the complexity of the software and the level of support needed.
