The part a template was never going to do.
Every business has a job that eats an hour a week and makes everybody groan — the spreadsheet, the renaming, the copy-pasting, the "somebody has to do it". I write the software that does it instead: web apps, Python scripts and automation, built around how you actually work rather than how a product assumes you do.
What I build
Small, sharp tools. Not platforms, not "digital transformation" — the thing that fixes the problem you described on the phone.
Custom web apps
Booking pages, quote calculators, order forms that route properly, customer dashboards, staff tools, members areas. Built to your process, in your site's style, running on hosting you own.
Python scripts
One file that does the tedious job: rename and sort files by date, turn a CSV into a report, clean messy data, bulk-resize photos, back up a website, check your own site every night and message you when something's wrong.
Automation & glue
The bit in the middle when two systems don't talk: your form to your calendar, your spreadsheet to your email, your inbox to a to-do list. Scheduled, logged, and it tells you when it fails.
Internal dashboards
One page that answers "how's today looking?" — jobs, money owed, what's due, what's overdue. Built from the data you already keep, so nobody has to learn a new system.
AI helpers that don't lie
A chat helper trained on your answers — like the one in the corner of this site. It says it's a bot, it never invents a price, and it hands real problems to your phone. Details.
Rescues & second opinions
Somebody started it and vanished, a plugin died, or you've been quoted five figures for something small. Send it over — I'll tell you what's salvageable and what isn't.
Python, specifically
Because it's the quickest way to make a repetitive job disappear, and it runs on a machine you already own.
What the scripts do
- Photo & file organisers — thousands of files sorted by date, duplicates found and set aside, nothing deleted
- Report builders — a CSV or spreadsheet becomes a summary you can send, every Monday morning, by itself
- Data cleanup — phone numbers formatted, addresses standardised, duplicates merged
- Backups with checksums — so you know the copy is actually readable
- Site checks — broken links, missing images, slow pages, expired certificates
- Lead tools — the ones I use myself are in this repo, and they found the jobs on this website
Real code, real output — on the Labs page.
What arrives at the end
- The code — readable, commented, yours
- Written notes — how to run it, what it touches, what to do when it complains
- A dry run together — on the phone, with your real files, so you've seen it work
- Safe defaults — scripts that move files never delete them; backups are verified
- No licence, no subscription — unless you want me to run it for you, which is what the care plan is for
Two sentences is enough to start.
How a project runs
Four steps, and the second one is the only one that costs you anything.
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Describe the task
Show me what takes too many steps. A photo of the spreadsheet, a voice note, or two sentences in a text is plenty.
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Agree the scope & price
We define what the first useful version does — and what it deliberately doesn't. Then you get one flat number in writing. Nothing starts until you say yes.
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Build & test on your data
I test against real examples and send you things to try as I go, so there are no surprises at the end.
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Handover with notes
Code, written instructions, and a walkthrough. Then it's yours — or I keep it running for you on the care plan.
When I'll say no
- Regulated or sensitive data — medical, legal, payment card handling. That needs a specialist with the right compliance, not one person with good intentions.
- Big enterprise platforms — if it needs a team, it needs a team.
- When off-the-shelf is genuinely better — if a $12/month product already does exactly what you need, I'll tell you to buy that instead. You'll remember me for it.
- Rush jobs with no scope — "can you just build me an app" with no agreed shape ends with both of us unhappy. I'd rather quote it properly.
See it working first
Three tools on this site were built rather than bought. Use them, break them, look at the code.
The open/closed sign
A schedule engine that knows whether you're open right now, handles closing after midnight, and prints a door sign.
Try it →The estimate writer
Live line items, discounts and totals that build a printable document as you type.
Try it →The Python theatre
Three real scripts running with their real output — and the code underneath, because there's nothing to hide.
Run one →Questions
How much does custom work cost?
Quoted per project, because "a script" can be an afternoon or a fortnight. Small utilities have started around $150; web apps run higher. You get one flat number in writing after we agree the scope, and it doesn't move unless the work does. On the quote calculator you can see typical ranges.
Do I own the code?
Yes — the code, the notes, everything. No licence fee, no subscription, no lock-in, no contract. If you want me to keep it running and updated, that's the $29/month care plan, and it's optional.
Can it work with the software I already use?
Often, yes — spreadsheets, email, calendars, form tools, and anything with an export or an API. Tell me what you use on the first call and I'll say honestly whether it can be connected, or whether there's a better route.
What if it breaks six months later?
Call me. Care plan customers get same-day priority response and 10% off the fix; everybody else gets an honest quote before I touch anything. Nothing I build depends on me being the only person who understands it — that's what the notes are for.
I don't know what I need. Is that a problem?
That's the normal starting point. Describe the annoying part of your week — what you do by hand, how often, and what it costs you in time — and I'll tell you whether software is the answer or whether a simpler habit is.
Do you build websites too?
Yes — that's the other half of the work. $150 flat for a starter site when you supply the words and photos, custom builds quoted per job. Packages and prices here.
Tell me what you want to make easier
A short description of the task and how you handle it today. I'll tell you whether a small custom tool is worth building — and what it would cost — before you spend anything.