Custom software · Quebec SMBs
When Excel has become your management software, it’s time for a real one.
Your business has grown faster than its tools. Quotes live in one file, hours in another, projects in email — and no off-the-shelf software fits the way you work. I build the internal system that’s missing, piece by piece, connected to what you already use.
Gabriel Nadon, independent consultant in Montreal. You talk to the person who builds it.
- Quotes and estimates from your prices and templates.
- Work orders, timesheets and job-site or production tracking.
- Inventory, supplier orders and receiving.
- A dashboard that finally brings together the numbers from all your software.
The signs
Your real management software is a file nobody dares to touch.
Excel is an excellent tool to start with. It becomes a risk when the whole company depends on it and only one person knows how it works.
- Several versions of the same file are going around, and nobody knows which one is right.
- You pay for three or four subscriptions that each cover part of the need.
- Off-the-shelf software forces you to change a way of working that works.
- The numbers you need to make decisions arrive at month-end — too late.
- Your old in-house software is no longer maintained by anyone.
Buy or build?
If off-the-shelf software does 80% of the job, buy it. Custom is worth it when the way you work is your advantage.
I’ll tell you frankly during the review: often, the right answer is existing software, properly configured. Custom becomes worthwhile when you’re juggling several tools that don’t talk to each other, when your process is unusual, or when the combined cost of licences exceeds that of a system built for you.
Is your current system getting old? See how I replace it without stopping your operations →
In increments
Each increment is delivered, used and pays for itself before the next one. No eighteen-month project.
Connected to what exists
The system plugs into your accounting, your ERP or your files instead of replacing everything at once.
Built for AI
Clean, centralized data: that’s the prerequisite for automating next, with or without AI.
How it works, in five steps
Review
We look at how information really flows in your business, and where it gets lost.
Split into increments
The system is split into pieces that are useful on their own; we start with the one that costs you the most today.
First increment
Built and put into service within a few weeks, on your real data, with your team.
Data migration
Your files and history are imported, checked and reconciled — the totals have to match.
Next increment
At the pace of your operations and your budget, until the system covers what matters.
Real results
Pricing
Questions I often get
How much does custom software cost for an SMB?
With me, in increments of about $6,000, and most systems total between $12,000 and $30,000. Broader integrated platforms can exceed $100,000; at that level, insist on a step-by-step breakdown.
How long before we have something usable?
The first increment is in service within a few weeks. That’s the principle: you use the system while it grows, instead of waiting for a final delivery.
Why not off-the-shelf software?
It’s often the right answer, and I’ll tell you so. Custom is worth it when no product fits your process, when you pay for several partial subscriptions, or when the way you work is a competitive advantage.
Does the system connect to our accounting software?
Yes, depending on the access your software offers: API, file import or structured export. We confirm that path during the review.
What happens after delivery?
The system is handed over to you documented, with its access credentials. Support and changes are agreed together — per increment or under a monthly arrangement.
Free review
Which Excel file runs your business?
Describe it, or what’s not working in your current tools. I’ll reply within 24 hours with a first breakdown and an honest idea of the effort.