Project Bootstrap · for small finance businesses

I help small finance businesses start their software project right.

From an idea or an AI-built prototype to a project that is ready to start, typically within one to two weeks: the tools you actually need, a system architecture where every part fits, a timeline with work packages, and the right hires. Every technical decision is explained in business terms, so you always know what is going on.

Book a Free Strategy Call

Free and without obligation. You get a short assessment of your project.

Recent work

  • Finance forecasting

    Bayesian regression with a Monte Carlo roll-up

  • Market and news impact

    Sourced live from the FastMarkets API

  • Report extraction

    Profit and loss data from PDF, Word, Excel and CSV

  • Job intake

    From email into Google Sheets and a custom job system

A good idea isn't a project yet.

You have an idea, maybe even a prototype an AI tool built for you. What's missing is everything between that and a team that delivers: which tools you really need, how the parts fit together, what gets built first, and who should build it.

  • Paying for the wrong tools

    Without knowing what you actually need, you end up with too many subscriptions, or the expensive ones, and tools that don't talk to each other.

  • Built the way that suits them

    An external team will usually build the way that is easiest for them. That isn't necessarily what's best for you, and without a plan of your own you can't tell the difference.

  • No plan to steer by

    Without milestones and clear work packages nobody can say whether the project is on track, until it is over time and over budget.

Every week of guessing costs budget, and the earliest choices, like tools, architecture and first hires, are the most expensive ones to undo later.

Start with a project that is ready to run.

When we're done, your project is set up and ready for the people who will build it, and you understand why it is set up the way it is.

  • Only the tools you need

    Every tool has a job. Nothing you pay for sits unused, and nothing important is missing.

  • Parts that work together

    One system architecture, so data, tools and people work with each other instead of against each other.

  • Room to grow

    Work packages that can be done independently, so you can add people or hand a package to an outside team without everything waiting on everything else.

  • Faster onboarding

    Documented tools and hands-on onboarding, so your managers can step in and new hires get going without you explaining everything twice.

  • Decisions you understand

    Tech and hiring choices explained in business terms, before you commit to them.

  • Fewer meetings, clear reporting

    With the Management upgrade I handle the day-to-day. You get one weekly check-in and a status report instead of a calendar full of meetings.

    Management upgrade

In the two projects further down, this freed my clients to take on more work: one now runs parallel projects and has won new clients, the other takes on more jobs with an error rate close to zero.

One person between your business and your tech.

I take your project from an idea to a working setup: project structure, choosing the tools, technology consulting, building the idea and support with hiring.

Along the way I take load off management, cut out meetings nobody needs and translate between business and tech, so a misunderstanding doesn't turn into weeks of rework.

I solve about 95% of the issues that come up without you having to do anything.

Felix, who runs Zentru Systems

How a project comes together

  1. Assess

    Where your idea or prototype stands, what works and what is missing.

  2. Structure

    One system architecture, so every part of the project fits together.

  3. Tools

    Select, set up and connect the tools the project actually needs.

  4. Onboarding

    You and your team learn every tool that is new to you.

  5. Manage

    Issues, tasks, requirements, hires and meetings, handled continuously.

    Ongoing, with the Management upgrade

What you get

Every deliverable is there for a business reason. Here is what each one does for you.

  • Project assessment report

    Where your idea or prototype stands, what is missing and what it will take, so you decide on facts instead of guesses.

    Setup

  • Project timeline

    Milestones with dates, so you know what happens when and can plan budget and people around it.

    Setup

  • Work packages

    The project split into pieces that can be worked on independently, so you can hire, outsource or work in parallel.

    Setup

  • System architecture document

    How every part of the project fits together, written down, so everyone builds towards the same system and nothing has to be rebuilt later to connect it.

    Setup

  • Tools, completely set up

    Project management, communication and development tools sized for your business, connected to each other and ready on day one.

    Setup

  • Onboarding

    I go through the tools with you, your managers and new hires, in the way that suits each person, so the system keeps working without me in the room.

    Setup

  • Tech and hiring consulting

    Help deciding what to build, what to buy and who to hire, so you hire the people you actually need.

    Setup

  • Ongoing project management

    I manage the project day to day: issues, tasks, requirements and hires, with an eye on costs. You get a weekly check-in and a status report.

    Management upgrade

Before and after

Without a sound startWith Project Bootstrap
Uninformed guessingDecisions based on an assessment
Disconnected toolsThe right tools, connected
The wrong, expensive toolsOnly what you need, sized for your business
No real plan behind the projectSystematic documentation: architecture, timeline, work packages
Out of time and over budgetA timeline and budget to steer by
Unneeded or wrong hiresThe right hires
Many meetings, because tech and business speak different languagesFewer meetings, with one person translating

Results from real projects

Two projects I bootstrapped, managed and consulted on.

A finance forecasting system

The situation

Forecasts depended on figures spread across profit and loss statements and reports in PDF, Word, Excel and CSV files.

What I did

Bootstrapped, managed and consulted on a forecasting system: a customised Bayesian regression model with Monte Carlo simulation for the roll-up, market and news impacts sourced from the FastMarkets API, and data extraction from all of those documents.

The result

The client was freed up to run parallel projects and win new clients.

Job extraction from email

The situation

Job orders arrived by email and had to be moved into the job system by hand: slow and error-prone.

What I did

Bootstrapped, managed and consulted on a system that extracts jobs from incoming email into Google Sheets and a custom job system.

The result

The client takes on more jobs, errors dropped to practically zero, and there is time to handle special jobs personally, which improved customer retention and satisfaction.

How it works

  1. Book a strategy call

    We talk about your project, what you want it to achieve and where it is stuck.

  2. Get an assessment and a plan

    I work out the current state, the problems and their solutions, and create the timeline and the system architecture.

  3. Tools get implemented

    I set up and connect the agreed tools, onboard your team and set up the defined tasks.

Book a Free Strategy Call

Free and without obligation. You get a short assessment of your project.

Two ways to work with me

Every project starts with the Setup. Management is an upgrade, for when you want me to manage the project.

The default

Setup

Your project, set up and ready to start.

Choose this if you or someone on your team will manage the project.

Upgrade

Setup + Management

Set up, then managed by me.

Choose this if you want me to manage the project, with one weekly check-in to keep you up to date.

What each package includes
IncludedSetupSetup + Management
Project assessment report
System architecture document
Timeline and work packages
Tools set up and connected
Onboarding for you and your team
Tech and hiring consulting, first 3 weeks included
Day-to-day project management
One weekly check-in instead of many meetings
Status reports
Issue handling and cost control
PricingFixed price, up to 3 weeksSetup at a fixed price, then monthly or hourly

Questions

Will this work with our existing software?

Yes. I start from the tools you already use and build around them.

Do we need technical knowledge?

No. I explain everything in business terms. If you do have technical knowledge, all the better.

How long does implementation take?

The setup typically takes one to two weeks, and it can be faster if I get the information I need when I need it. If we also shape the idea together it can take longer, depending on how much consulting it needs. Management, if you choose it, is ongoing.

Is the consulting included?

Yes, at no extra cost for the first 3 weeks. After that my standard rates apply.

Can others work with the system?

Yes. I build the setup, and onboard your team on it, so that your managers can step in and onboard new hires themselves.

What happens if something stops working?

You can always reach out to me. If you use my standard setup, I also let you know about problems other clients run into and help you apply the fix.

Is this suitable for a smaller business?

Yes, that is who it is for. A small business without its own development team should still be able to build world-class software.

How much involvement is required from our team?

As much as you want. With the Management upgrade you talk to me once a week. You can also manage the project yourself and use me as a consultant.

How is the service priced?

The setup, up to 3 weeks, is a fixed price. Management afterwards is billed monthly or by the hour, whichever fits your project better.

What happens during the call?

I learn about the project you have in mind and whether and how I can help best. If we work together, I start right away. You don't need to decide on the Management upgrade yet, but it helps if you already know.

Find out how your project can start on solid ground.

In a free strategy call you get:

  • A brief assessment of where your project stands
  • Practical recommendations on technology and project structure
  • Clear next steps, whether you work with me or not
Book a Free Strategy Call

For small businesses with a software project in mind. Free, no obligation.