Field Notes

Plain talk about the software your business runs on.

Twenty years of lessons on building, rescuing, and betting your business on software. No jargon, no filler.

Cover image for “The spreadsheet that runs your business is a liability”
Custom tools

The spreadsheet that runs your business is a liability

Spreadsheets are brilliant, right up until your whole operation depends on one. Here's how to tell when yours has quietly become a risk.

6 min read
Cover image for “SEO isn't magic, it's just being findable”
Growth

SEO isn't magic, it's just being findable

Most small businesses are one or two boring fixes away from showing up in search. You rarely need tricks, you need the basics done properly.

5 min read
Cover image for “What a good discovery call actually covers”
Strategy

What a good discovery call actually covers

Before a single price is quoted, we need to understand the problem. Here's what I'm really trying to learn in that first conversation.

5 min read
Cover image for “Why "it works on my machine" isn't good enough”
Performance

Why "it works on my machine" isn't good enough

Software that only works in perfect conditions isn't finished. Real quality is what happens on a cheap phone, a slow connection, and a bad day.

4 min read
Cover image for “You don't need an app. You might need a better form.”
Custom tools

You don't need an app. You might need a better form.

A mobile app is a huge commitment for a problem a simple web tool usually solves better, faster, and for a fraction of the cost.

6 min read
Cover image for “One clear call to action beats five clever ones”
Growth

One clear call to action beats five clever ones

Every extra button on your page is another decision you ask a visitor to make. The sites that convert are the ones that make the choice obvious.

4 min read
Cover image for “Maintenance isn't a bug, it's the plan”
Strategy

Maintenance isn't a bug, it's the plan

Software isn't a thing you finish, it's a thing you keep. Treating maintenance as an afterthought is how good projects quietly rot.

5 min read
Cover image for “Downtime costs more than hosting ever will”
Performance

Downtime costs more than hosting ever will

Cheap hosting feels like a saving until the day your site is down during your busiest hour. Reliability is worth paying for.

4 min read
Cover image for “Automating the boring 20 minutes a day”
Custom tools

Automating the boring 20 minutes a day

The best automation targets aren't the big scary tasks. They're the small, dull, daily jobs you don't even notice adding up.

5 min read

Have a system that keeps you up at night?

Tell me what's breaking. I'll tell you what I'd do about it.

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