Resources
What we’ve learned
building business software.
We write these guides from our own projects, for business owners deciding what to buy, build, or automate.
Browse the guidesGuides by topic
Build or buy
Whether to buy software, build it, or connect what you already have.
- Custom or off-the-shelf software? Which processes to buy software for, which to build for, and three questions that decide it.
- What drives custom software cost The five factors that set the price, what maintenance adds, and what to compare a quote against.
- Zapier, n8n, or custom software? Compare costs, failed runs, and the work each option leaves for your team.
Working with AI
What AI can and can’t do in software a business depends on.
- Can AI build your business software? What Anthropic’s study of 400,000 coding sessions shows, and when to use an AI app builder or a developer.
- Vibe coding vs. production software Why a fast AI-built version is useful, and what it takes to make software a business can depend on.
- What a real AI proof of concept looks like What a proof of concept should run on, what it should prove, and why we rebuild ours for production.
Hiring a developer
What to ask a software partner and what to expect from them.
Document automation
Getting data out of PDFs and into the systems that use it.
Quoting & operations
Software for estimating jobs and running daily work.
- Custom or off-the-shelf software? Which processes to buy software for, which to build for, and three questions that decide it.
- What drives custom software cost The five factors that set the price, what maintenance adds, and what to compare a quote against.
- Can AI build your business software? What Anthropic’s study of 400,000 coding sessions shows, and when to use an AI app builder or a developer.
- 10 questions to ask an AI development agency How to tell a firm that can build dependable software from one that can only show a demo.
- Vibe coding vs. production software Why a fast AI-built version is useful, and what it takes to make software a business can depend on.
- What a real AI proof of concept looks like What a proof of concept should run on, what it should prove, and why we rebuild ours for production.
- Automating EOB and claims PDFs Why billing still runs on PDFs, what automating them involves, and how to keep claim data local.
- Hiring a software developer in Salt Lake City What to prepare, the kinds of firms you will find in Utah, and how a project usually runs.
- Zapier, n8n, or custom software? Compare costs, failed runs, and the work each option leaves for your team.
- How to automate PDF data entry Check extracted fields, catch duplicates, and measure how much manual review remains.
- Choosing machine-shop quoting software Test the calculations and revision process with your own completed jobs before buying or building.
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