Process improvement for small businesses
Keep Excel and cut only the manual steps
Copying data, totalling, producing documents, sorting email: I take only the steps that are the same every time and automate those. You can try it on a single task before replacing an entire business system.
If an off-the-shelf tool is enough, I will recommend it. Building something custom often costs more. When I do build, the plan includes how to fall back to doing it by hand if it fails.
The situations this is for
- The same data is copied from one Excel file to another, or into an internal screen, every time
- One person spends hours on month-end totals or invoices
- Quote requests are split across email and Excel, and no one knows their status
- The person who wrote the macros has left and no one can fix them
- A full business system is too big, but the current way no longer works
One task, working reliably
We go through the steps and the exceptions first, then decide together whether to build anything.
Copying and totalling
- Automate loading and totalling Excel and CSV data
- Catch input errors before they are loaded
- Keep the results in a form a person can check
Documents and PDFs
- Produce quotes, delivery notes and invoices from data
- Agree where files are saved and how they are named
Email and notifications
- Sort routine email and notify the person responsible
- Build in a check to prevent mis-sent email
Quote request management
- Bring intake, assignment and status into one ledger
- Decide who can see confidential information
- Consider moving to a CRM when the need arises
Example deliverables (confirmed in the quote)
- A working automation and a guide to it
- Steps for falling back to manual work if it stops
- The input conditions and the errors it detects
- A list of the access and settings needed for a handover
What helps me to know first
- The steps of the task, how often it happens and how long it takes
- The real file formats (sample contents are fine)
- Where a person makes an exception by judgement
- Your PCs and tools, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace
You get the scope and the price in writing before any work starts
There are no fixed plans or flat rates. The estimate is the expected hours at the rate below, and work starts only once we agree on scope and price. The first 30-minute call and the quote are free.
Base rate for work¥7,000/ hour (excl. tax)
What moves the price
- How inconsistent the input data is, and how many exceptions there are
- Whether existing systems or services need connecting
- How confidential the data is, and the access design
- How much later fixing and operating you want to hand over
System development that replaces a whole process falls under the PoC/MVP and project plans on the pricing page. The approach here applies to small improvements such as automating one task.
What I do not take on
- Guarantees on time saved or return on investment
- Decisions that need a tax or labour professional
- Automating a process whose steps and exceptions are undecided
- Unlimited fixes with no agreed hours
What I can show
A B2B SaaS for lumber distribution (solo)
It moved phone, fax and Excel ordering online, with Excel/PDF generation of quotes, delivery notes and invoices, and import of existing Excel files. I handled it from requirements through operations on my own. The METI Minister's Award was won by the client for this product.
Common questions
Do we have to stop using Excel?
No. Copying and totalling can be automated while Excel stays. Moving the whole process is only needed when Excel itself is the limit, such as several people editing at once.
How much time will it save?
It depends on the task, so I cannot guarantee it up front. We check the current hours and frequency in the first call and work out together whether it pays for the build.
What happens if the automation stops?
The quote includes a notification that it has stopped and the steps for going back to doing it by hand.
Do I have to share files with customers' personal data?
Not at first. We work from a sample with field names only, or made-up data. If real data becomes necessary, we agree how it is handled beforehand.
Tell me the one task you most want gone
If you are not sure where to start, I can help you sort out the current situation first.
I reply within 2 business days.