Start a build

What does your business do by hand?

That's the whole question. Somewhere in your operation there's a spreadsheet holding something important together, a report someone rebuilds every month, or a decision made from memory because the data lives in four places. That's the tool worth building — and scoping it costs you nothing.

What you'll get back

A clear description of what the tool would do and who would use it.
The decisions it would make for you, and the ones it would leave to you.
An honest read on scope — what's a week of work, what's a month, and what isn't worth building at all.
A straight answer on whether existing software already solves it. If it does, I'll point you there.

How it works

01
Tell me about the work
The process, the spreadsheet, the thing someone redoes every week. No technical detail needed — describe it the way you'd explain it to a new hire.
02
I scope it
I come back with what the tool would look like, what it would take, and where the real leverage is. This part is free.
03
I build it
A real application shaped to your process and your data — not a template with your logo on it. You end up owning the thing that runs your business.

What tends to be worth building

The demos on this site are e-commerce because that's the operation I came from — but the work isn't industry-specific. These are the shapes that usually turn out to be worth a custom tool:

The report someone rebuilds by hand every month
The spreadsheet that's become load-bearing
Data trapped in three systems that don't talk
A pricing, inventory, or scheduling decision made from memory
Software you pay for that does 20% of what you need

What happens after launch

This is the part that matters if you're putting a working process into someone else's hands, so here it is in plain terms:

Backed for a year: For the first twelve months the tool is covered: if it isn't doing what it was built to do, I put it right at no charge. It isn't a support tier you upgrade to, and it isn't an expectation that something will go wrong — it's there so that risk sits with me instead of you. After the first year, changes are quoted normally.
You own the code and the data: The source code and everything in it are yours outright. There's no licence to renew, no seat count, and nothing switches off if you stop working with me.
It runs on your accounts: Deployed to your own hosting, your own database, your own API keys — not rented from me. You hold the credentials, so access to your own system never depends on my involvement.
Any developer can take it over: That follows from the two points above: because you own the code and it runs on your infrastructure, you're never locked to me. If you'd rather bring it in-house or hand it to someone else later, there's nothing to extract or buy back.
Ongoing support is optional, not assumed: If you want continuing changes, monitoring or a new feature after the first year, that's a retainer. If you don't, the tool is yours and you owe nothing. I'd rather build something that stops needing me than sell a dependency.

How pricing works

I don't quote before I understand the scope — an honest number needs to account for how long it takes and whether it needs upkeep. So scoping is free and comes first. Once the scope is agreed you get a fixed number for the build before any work starts, and you'll know upfront whether it's a one-off fee or something with an ongoing component. No hourly meter, no surprise invoice.

Where the work comes from

The tools on this site were built for the retail operation I contract to, so Sato Solutions is still building its independent client record. The upside for you is that the demos are the real software rather than screenshots — you can judge the work before we ever speak. And your risk is bounded by design: scoping is free, the price is fixed before work starts, you own the code, and it runs in accounts you control.

How long these take

The honest answer is that it depends on the logic, not the code. Deciding exactly when a price should rise, or what makes a variant "dead", is the part that takes thought — building it once that's settled is fast. For scale, here's what the tools on this site actually took:

A focused toolDays, not months: The reorder planner — a watchlist, a target-stock rule, a ranked buy list — replaced a weekly spreadsheet rebuild.
A working systemA week or two: The repricer and the inventory dashboard. The build was straightforward; the hard part was deciding the pricing and health logic.
Something that eats spreadsheetsSeveral weeks: The multi-channel P&L — eight marketplaces, each with its own export format, fee structure and edge cases. Still gets improvements.

I've also stalled projects on purpose — got partway in, realised the thing wouldn't get used enough to justify finishing, and stopped. That's the same judgement I'd apply to yours: if the honest answer is that it isn't worth building, you'll get that answer before you've paid for anything.

Tell me what you need built

Answer a few questions about your business and the process you'd want handled — mostly multiple choice, about ten minutes. You'll get a real reply from me: not a funnel, not a discovery call script.

Would rather just email? Write to me directly· Want to see the work first? Try the tools.