Short reads, straight talk
No 10,000-word essays. Practical notes from real briefs — handoffs, ownership, build vs buy, and the Tuesday problems that actually cost money. Read what helps, then book a review if the fit is right.
Browse the library
Filter by series or search — every piece is written to be useful in a corridor conversation, not to chase trends.
Topics
Courses
Internal projects
Galactic Strike: a space shooter we built just for fun
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Why your business feels harder than it should
The meeting that replaced the system
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Why your business feels harder than it should
Hiring will not fix a broken handoff
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Why your business feels harder than it should
Founder bottleneck: decisions that should not need you
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Why your business feels harder than it should
When growth outpaced the spreadsheet: warning signs before the snap
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Why your business feels harder than it should
Everyone busy, nothing moving: the coordination tax
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North East, real operations
Night shift handoffs: continuity without another WhatsApp group
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North East, real operations
Supplier chasing: when the PO lives in three places
Read articleNorth East, real operations
Seasonal ramp without breaking the system
Read articleNorth East, real operations
Factory floor to finance: when ops and accounts speak different languages
Read articleNorth East, real operations
Teesside Tuesday: when local context beats another remote ticket
Read articleBetter systems, better business
Dashboards nobody opens: fix the metric that matters
Read articleBetter systems, better business
Training that survives go-live: change management beyond the slide
Read articleBetter systems, better business
Naming owners for every alert: on-call without heroics
Read articleBetter systems, better business
When CRM and finance disagree: reconciliation as a product
Read articleBetter systems, better business
One report the room trusts: building a single source of truth
Read articleBefore you build
Data migration: what you can actually move on go-live day
Read articleBefore you build
Phase one scope: cap the first build without killing the vision
Read articleBefore you build
The RFP trap: buying software for a process you never mapped
Read articleBefore you build
Integrate before you replace: when connecting beats ripping out
Read articleBefore you build
Make vendor demos prove your workflow, not theirs
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Technical
API Best Practices
Read articleBefore you build
Is custom software worth it? How to run the numbers
Read articleNorth East, real operations
Local systems help still matters (even with the cloud)
Read articleBefore you build
Draw the process before you buy the app: five non-negotiables
Read articleBetter systems, better business
Whose job is the system? Ownership that actually ships
Read articleBetter systems, better business
CRM without chaos: the smallest setup that still sells
Read articleNorth East, real operations
Email is not a workflow: the real cost of constant CC and reply-all
Read articleBefore you build
When to automate, when to keep the manual step
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Better systems, better business
The hidden cost of 'we will sort it in the next tool'
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Before you build
Bespoke build or off the shelf: twelve questions in one hour
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North East, real operations
When one person holds the truth: a handover plan that survives leave
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North East, real operations
Quotes, jobs, and invoices: closing the gap (UK trades and field teams)
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Better systems, better business
A simple ROI model for changing how you work (not just for the accountant)
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Better systems, better business
Security basics that fit an SME: boring and worth doing
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Before you build
Your new website is not a CRM: what to fix in operations first
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Why your business feels harder than it should
Quarterly systems check-in: what to review without buying more tools
Read articleWhy your business feels harder than it should
What happens in the first 30 days after a custom build (without the fairy tale)
Read articleNorth East, real operations
Multi-site mess: it is the process, not the postcode
Read articleWhy your business feels harder than it should
When your 'temporary' spreadsheet becomes the business brain
Read articleWhy your business feels harder than it should
When the tool stack feels heavier than the work
Read articleWhy your business feels harder than it should
Why a free systems review beats buying another subscription
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Technical
Design Patterns: Memento
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Technical
Design Patterns: Visitor
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Technical
Avoiding Controller Bloat (In Laravel)
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Technical
Laravel 101: The Basics
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Technical
If AI Feels Like a Threat, Adapt
Read article![ORMs are great... until they aren't [Enhanced]](/images/technical/orms-are-great-until-they-arent-enhanced.webp)
Technical
ORMs are great... until they aren't [Enhanced]
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Technical
ORMs are great... until they aren't.
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Technical
I'm gonna GIT you Sucka
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If a piece lands and you want the same honesty on your own stack — book a free systems review. We'll say when build isn't the answer.