LanceTek is one engineer, on purpose.
There is no account manager and no junior handed your project after the sale. The person on the first call is the person who writes the code, sets up the servers and answers when something needs fixing.
Why one person
Small businesses rarely need a team of eight. They need someone who understands how the business actually runs, builds something that fits, and is still around a year later. Staying small keeps my overheads low, which keeps your prices sensible, and it means nothing gets lost between people.
The honest trade-off: I take on a limited number of projects at a time, and I'm not the right choice if you need a large team on site by Monday. If that's what you need, I'll say so on the first call.
How I work
- Plain English, in writing
- Proposals, progress notes and handover guides are written for the person paying, not for other developers.
- Fixed price per phase
- You know the cost before each phase begins. If I underestimate, that's mine to absorb.
- You own everything
- Code, domains, hosting and AI accounts are in your name. I'm given access; I don't hold the keys.
- Boring where it counts
- Well-understood tools for anything your business depends on. New things get tried in my lab first.
- A person in the loop
- Automation never sends, pays or deletes anything that matters without someone approving it.
- UK-based, UK hours
- Calls and replies during working hours. Data kept in the UK or EU unless you choose otherwise.
The stack
What I reach for by default. The Journal explains each choice in more detail.
- Applications
- Python with Django or FastAPI, TypeScript where an interface needs it, and server-rendered pages wherever possible.
- Data
- PostgreSQL for almost everything. SQLite for small single-site tools.
- Automation and AI
- Claude and other hosted models through their APIs, n8n for simple glue, and plain Python for anything with real logic.
- Infrastructure
- Linux, Docker Compose, Caddy, Tailscale, restic backups, and Uptime Kuma for monitoring.
- Hosting
- UK and EU virtual servers, or hardware on your premises if you'd rather keep it in the building.
- Source and deployment
- Git for everything, with automated tests and deployments that run the same way every time.
The homelab
A small set of machines in my office where I test tools before recommending them, rehearse migrations and run my own business systems.
Your live systems don't run here. They run in accounts you own. The lab is where things get tried and broken first, so that doesn't happen on yours.