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The Small Business Project

Helping real businesses go digital — starting with my mum's. Every honest step, in order.

01

The first thing we fixed wasn't software — it was Office 2010

Everyone loves to talk about AI and automation. Here's the unglamorous truth about where this project actually started: my mum's Outlook kept crashing.

02

Use the apps you're already paying for

Here's a question I ask every business before suggesting they spend a cent on new software: what are you already paying for that you're not using?

03

Where do we put the time and effort?

When you finally look at a business properly, you don't find one problem. You find a dozen. A crashing inbox, no website, a payroll process held together with spreadsheets, a brand

04

Madrin's real problem wasn't technology — it was spreadsheets

When people picture "bringing tech into a business," they imagine something flashy. The reality is usually far more boring — and far more valuable.

05

Refreshing a brand that's nearly 20 years old

Madrin has been around for almost 20 years. That's two decades of customers recognising a logo, a look, a feel. You don't get to just bin that because you fancy something trendier.

06

Why I built the software instead of buying it

Once we knew the real problem — kill the manual copying between call reports and payroll — the obvious question was: isn't there already an app for that?

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The experiments, what worked, what flopped, and the tools I build along the way — straight to your inbox.