£500
saved every month
A small specialist business
We moved everything onto one server, sized for the visitors the site actually gets, and tuned it. The site's faster than it was, the bill is £500 a month lower, and we still look after it.
We help businesses make sense of the technology they depend on.
We're an independent IT consultancy in Preston, Lancashire. We give advice, build websites and software, and look after the hosting they run on. We don't sell anyone else's products, so there's no commission behind anything we recommend.
- Trading since
- 2023
- Based
- Preston, Lancashire
- Led by
- Brad, with specialists
- Services
- 4
- Products we resell
- 0
- Rated on Google
- 5.0 / 5
- Hosting checks
- Every minute
- First reply
- Within 2 working days
Why people usually get in touch
Most small businesses set up their IT in a hurry and never had time to go back to it. These are the four things we hear about most.
- Hosting and infrastructure
01
Your hosting bill has gone up again, and nobody's quite sure what it covers.
- Website design
02
Your website was built in a weekend to get you going. The business has grown and the site hasn't.
- Custom software
03
Quoting, job tracking or stock lives in one spreadsheet, and everyone's nervous of breaking it.
- IT strategy and advisory
04
You're choosing a support company, some software or a developer, and every proposal sounds the same.
What we do
Four services, and plenty of clients use more than one, because a new website needs somewhere to live and a review often turns up something worth building.
01
IT strategy and advisory
Independent advice before you renew a contract, buy new software or pick a supplier. We look at what you've got, what it costs and what you actually need, then write it all down.
You get a written report
How a review works
02
Website design
Websites that are quick on a phone, show up in search and are easy for your team to update. We write the words with you, build it, then hand over every login and file.
You own everything at launch
What's in every build
03
Custom software
Booking systems, customer portals and internal tools for jobs that have outgrown a spreadsheet. We keep them small and document them, and you get the code.
The code is yours
What we build
04
Hosting and infrastructure
Hosting, backups and monitoring sized to what your site actually needs. It's usually cheaper than what you have now, and it's all written down so you're never stuck with us.
Backups we actually test
What's included
We don't sell hardware or software, so we've no reason to push you towards any.
We don't take commission, mark up hardware or get referral fees from the suppliers we recommend. So if the right answer is to spend nothing, we can tell you that, and we often do.
It also means we've no reason to make anything bigger than it needs to be. A smaller server, a simpler website or a better deal with the IT company you already use are all answers we're happy to give.
Some recent work
Hosting and infrastructure
1 week
back every month
A professional membership organisation
We built them an expenses tool that takes a claim from submission to approval in one place. Claims now arrive complete and in the same format, and the finance team has that week back.
Day one
online from opening night
A new takeaway
By opening night the domain, the email and the Google Business Profile were all set up, and the website was live with the full menu, prices and dietary information. It runs on our hosting, and the owner has the keys to every account.
What clients say. 5.0 out of 5 on Google.
"I would have no hesitation in recommending you to any organisation looking for a knowledgeable, dependable, and forward-thinking technical partner."
"Thanks to his exceptional advice, skills, and expertise, IT is no longer a burden or concern."
Read the full review
I've worked with Brad for several years, and he remains one of the most valuable business connections I've ever made. Thanks to his exceptional advice, skills, and expertise, IT is no longer a burden or concern. His support has truly been second to none!
"I've noticed a steady flow of traffic on the website and believe it has made a big difference with the success of my takeaway."
Read the full review
Brad and Nicole did a very good job helping me set up my Italian takeaway website and helping me get online.
I've noticed a steady flow of traffic on the website and believe it has made a big difference with the success of my takeaway. Very fair price and worked with me and my budget with honest recommendations and guidance.
"From our very first conversation, he made the whole website process feel easy, clear, and totally stress-free."
Read the full review
Working with Brad was an absolute dream. From our very first conversation, he made the whole website process feel easy, clear, and totally stress-free. He translated my ideas into a site that not only looks stunning but also performs flawlessly.
He handled everything from build to hosting seamlessly, with great communication throughout. I couldn't recommend him more highly if you're looking for a professional, high-end web presence without the usual hassle.
"Over 5 years working together we have had nothing but good service and honest conversations about how we manage our IT, reduce costs, and optimise."
Read the full review
Working with Brad and Nicole on all of our business IT and website work has made a huge difference.
Over 5 years working together we have had nothing but good service and honest conversations about how we manage our IT, reduce costs, and optimise. I highly recommend.
Questions we get asked a lot
How much does an IT consultant cost for a small business?
It depends on the job, but you'll know the price before we start. Advice, like a strategy review, choosing a supplier or a security audit, is scoped and quoted after a first chat. Bigger pieces of work, like a website, an app or moving your hosting, get a fixed quote once we've looked at what's involved.
Either way, the quote's in writing before anything starts, and the invoice matches it.
We don't charge for advice by the hour. When people are watching the clock, they stop asking the questions they need to ask.
We already have someone doing our IT. Do we still need a consultant?
Probably not full time. Most of the organisations we work with already have an IT team, an IT support company or a developer they trust, and they carry on doing the day-to-day work.
We come in for the bigger decisions: which system to choose, what to do about security, or whether a project's been scoped properly. Basically, we help you work out what should be on the to-do list in the first place.
How do I switch IT providers without disrupting the business?
Slowly, and in stages. First we spend about a week listing everything your current provider looks after, writing down the logins and access, and flagging anything that would break if they walked away tomorrow.
Then we move things across one piece at a time, starting with the parts your customers never see. Most organisations have switched completely within four to eight weeks, without going offline.
Is the cloud actually cheaper for a small business?
Often it isn't. Cloud bills creep up, especially when the setup was put together quickly rather than cheaply, and we regularly see businesses paying two or three times what a normal virtual or dedicated server would cost.
The cloud makes sense if your traffic goes up and down a lot, if you're connecting to other cloud services, or if you've genuinely outgrown what you had. For a steady website or system, a properly sized server is usually cheaper.
What does basic cyber security look like for a small business?
A handful of things, done properly: two-step sign-in on every account that supports it, backups that someone has actually restored to check they work, staff who know what a phishing email looks like, and a written plan for the day something goes wrong.
None of it costs much, and between them they cover more than most audits do. Most businesses we see are missing at least one of them.
Tell us what's going on. We'll tell you what we'd do about it.
Send us a few lines about the problem, or ring and talk it through. We'll get back to you within two working days with what we think, even if that's that you don't need us.