The work that keeps a small business running.
None of it is difficult. The hard part is that it belongs to no one — so it waits, sometimes for years, until the morning it can’t wait any longer.
Not sure which of these it is?
Most people aren’t. Describe the symptom — what’s happening, roughly how many people it affects, and when it started. Working out the cause is my job.
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Setting things up
New computers, email accounts and file storage. Getting everything off the old machine without losing the one folder that actually mattered, and setting the new one up the way you already work rather than the way the box came.
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Backups worth having
A backup you have never restored from is a rumour. I set one up on site and off site, restore a file from it in front of you, and show you how to check it yourself in thirty seconds a month. Nothing gets called finished until a restore has actually worked.
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Locks on the doors
A password manager everyone will actually use, two-factor on the accounts that matter, and closing the logins of people who left years ago. Not exciting, but it stops most of what really happens to businesses your size.
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When something breaks
The laptop that takes four minutes to boot. The printer nobody in the back office can reach. The shared drive that quietly stopped existing on a Tuesday. On site or remotely, whichever gets you working sooner.
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Networks and Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi that reaches the back office and the yard. Guest traffic kept away from your files. Ports labelled at the switch. A router that belongs to you rather than whatever the internet company left behind.
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Domains, email and hosting
Your own domain in your own account. Email that doesn’t land in spam, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC set properly so nobody can send mail pretending to be you. A website that stays up.
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A second opinion before you sign
An honest read on what a vendor is selling you: what it costs over three years rather than this month, whether the cheaper option does the same job, and what happens to your data if you leave. I take no commissions, so there is nothing in it for me either way.
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Writing it down
What’s plugged into what, which accounts exist, who pays for them and when they renew. One page in plain English, included with every job, that belongs to you and works whether or not I’m the one holding the phone.
Being clear about the edges saves us both a phone call.
I don’t build custom software, run marketing campaigns, or take on enterprise networks with their own IT department — you’d be paying me to learn.
I also don’t sell hardware at a markup. You buy the equipment directly, in your name, at the price anyone else would pay.
If what you need is outside this, say so anyway. I would rather point you at the right person than take the work.
Describe the symptom. I’ll work out the cause.
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