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Straight answers about custom software.

No jargon and no thinly veiled sales pitches. These are the guides we wish every business owner would read before talking to any software company, including us.

Security·3 min read

Five questions to ask before AI touches your customer data

An AI tool is a vendor handling your customer data, and it deserves the same checks as any other. These are the five questions we ask before AI touches anything a client cares about.

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Legacy·4 min read

Running the old system and the new one side by side

Switching off the old system is the riskiest day of any replacement. Here's how to run the old and new systems together until the new one has proved itself on real work.

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Pricing·4 min read

When per-seat pricing costs more than software you own

A price per user per month looks tiny until your team grows. How per-seat pricing adds up, and the four numbers you need to work out the real cost yourself.

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Accessibility·4 min read

The ADA website deadline: what it covers and what it doesn't

The first ADA Title II web deadline is months away, and the rule covers more than your website's pages. Here's what's in scope, where the exceptions fall short, and what to do now.

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Compliance·4 min read

Your shop's software is inside your CMMC boundary

Machine shops plan for CMMC around policies and laptops, then find the job tracker holding every customer drawing is part of the assessment too. How your software ends up in scope, and what to do about it.

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Legacy·4 min read

Moving twenty years of records into a new system

The new system gets all the attention, but whether anyone trusts it depends on the old records: what comes across, what doesn't fit anywhere, and how you check nothing went missing.

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Pricing·4 min read

Why we don't bill you until your software is live

Ask any software vendor when you start paying and what will exist on that day. The answer tells you who carries the risk if the project never launches. Here's why we carry it.

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Strategy·4 min read

Sometimes the right answer is not to build anything

We regularly tell people not to build, and it's the most useful hour we offer. Five answers that cost less than custom software, and how to tell which one fits your situation.

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ROI·4 min read

How to work out what a customer portal is worth

Everyone wants to know the return before they build. Here's how to work it out for a customer portal, using numbers already in your phone system and your order history.

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AI·4 min read

Where AI belongs in business software, and where it doesn't

Most business AI ends up in a separate window that someone has to remember to open. Here's which jobs are worth giving it, and which to keep well away from it.

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Legacy·3 min read

How to replace an old business system without a six-figure rebuild

The nine-month rebuild is the quote most people get, and it's the riskiest way to replace an old system. Here's how to do it a piece at a time, starting with the part that hurts most.

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Legacy·4 min read

What it really costs to keep old software running

Replacing an old system comes with a price everyone can see. Keeping it has a cost too, and almost nobody adds it up. Here's how to put a number on it.

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Operations·4 min read

Has your business outgrown its spreadsheets?

Most businesses start out on spreadsheets, and that's fine. Here are the signs we see most often that a business has outgrown them, and what fixing each one involves.

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Strategy·3 min read

Custom app vs. off-the-shelf software: how to decide

Whether to buy software or have it built comes down to a few practical checks. When off-the-shelf wins, when custom wins, and the middle option most small businesses should take.

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Pricing·4 min read

How much does a custom app cost for a small business?

Agencies quote $50,000 to $250,000. Freelancers quote $75 an hour with no end date. Here's what custom software usually costs a small business, including the costs that rarely make it into a proposal.

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Operations·3 min read

What single sign-on does for a small business

Single sign-on is usually sold as one less password to remember. The bigger benefit shows up on the day someone leaves the company.

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Procurement·4 min read

What to put in a website RFP (and what to leave out)

If your bids came back anywhere from $9,000 to $140,000, the RFP is usually the reason. What to specify, what to leave to the vendors, and how to ask for pricing you can award.

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Integrations·4 min read

What goes wrong when two business systems are connected

Connections between systems rarely fail on the first day. They fail months later, with no obvious error, and you hear about it from a customer. Here's what goes wrong and how to catch it early.

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Security·4 min read

The security questions to ask before anyone builds your software

When you have software built for you, keeping it secure becomes your job. Nine questions to ask the developer first, and the answers that should worry you.

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Delivery·4 min read

How long does custom software take to build?

Days to something you can click on. A month or two for a focused tool. Six months and up for a platform. What changes those numbers usually isn't what people expect.

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Ownership·4 min read

Who owns the software when you pay someone to build it?

Most business owners assume that if they paid for the software, they own it. That isn't always what the contract says, so here's what to check before you sign.

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Tell us what's slowing your business down.

In a free one-hour call we work out what the system needs to do and which plan it fits. Within two business days you have a written plan and a monthly number. No drawn-out proposals, no pressure.

Book a free scoping callSee plans & pricing

One monthly fee · Built, hosted & improving · You own the custom code