Custom software
Internal tools, customer portals and booking or quoting systems shaped around how your business actually works.
Typically £4,000–£18,000
One engineer · based in the UK
Software that does the dull work, built and looked after by one person you can call.
LanceTek builds custom tools, AI-assisted automations and the servers they run on, for small businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets and copy-and-paste — but don't need an agency.
What I do
Four kinds of work, one person accountable for all of it.
Most projects mix two or three of these. You get one point of contact who wrote the code, set up the server and will answer the phone when something needs changing.
AI automation
Agents that read emails, documents and forms, then file, draft or route them — with a person approving what matters.
Typically £2,500–£12,000
DevOps & self-hosting
Servers, backups, deployments and monitoring set up properly, on UK hosting or hardware you own.
Typically £1,500–£6,000
Looking after it
A monthly care plan: updates, backups checked, small changes made, and someone who already knows your system.
From £250 a month
How working together goes
Small steps, each with a fixed price and something you can see.
You never commit to a large build on the strength of a sales call. Each stage ends with a decision point, and you can stop at any of them with everything delivered so far.
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Free · 45 minutes
A conversation
A video call about the problem, what it costs you now, and whether software is the right answer. Sometimes it isn't, and I'll say so.
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Fixed price · 1–2 weeks
Discovery
I map the process, look at your existing systems and write a short plan: what to build, what not to, a diagram and a firm quote.
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Fortnightly demos
Build
Working software early, on a test link you can try. A short written note every fortnight: done, next, and any decisions I need from you.
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Ongoing, optional
Handover & care
Documentation, access to the code and servers in your name, and an optional care plan if you'd like me to keep it running.
What the work looks like
Diagrams, screens and write-ups — not promises.
Client work stays private unless a client agrees otherwise. These are the kinds of artefacts every project produces, shown with sample data, so you know what you'll be handed.
# Fortnightly note — week 4 of 8 Done · Quote builder saves drafts · Email to customer from the quote Next · Price list import from your sheet Need from you · Confirm VAT wording on quotes Budget: on track · 46% used
$ restic snapshots --latest 1 nightly ok 02:10 verified $ ./restore-test.sh --dry restored 1,204 files ✓ checksums match
From the Journal
The tools I use for client work, and why.
Honest notes on software I've chosen, replaced or ruled out — written so a business owner can follow the reasoning, not just engineers.
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Self-hosting your apps without a platform team
What a small self-hosted deployment platform gives you, where it falls short, and when I'd still pick plain Docker Compose instead.
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Workflow tools vs. writing code: where I draw the line
Visual automation tools are brilliant for some jobs and a trap for others. A plain guide to which is which.
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Why nearly everything I build starts with PostgreSQL
One boring database that does most jobs well, and why boring is exactly what you want holding your customer records.
Next step
Tell me about the job that eats your week.
A few sentences is plenty. I'll reply within two working days with honest thoughts on whether — and how — I can help.