What we build for Devon businesses
We build bespoke business systems and rebuild websites for Devon businesses, from holiday-let operators in the South Hams to boatyards on the Dart and garages on the edge of Dartmoor. We're based in South Devon, so discovery happens on your site. The build runs remotely, with a working demo every week.
Devon businesses and the system each one outgrows
The county runs on a handful of trades. Each tends to hit the same wall.
| Business | What it usually runs on | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday lets and cottage agencies | Airbnb, Booking.com and a direct site, each with its own calendar, plus a changeover rota on a whiteboard | One booking system that holds every calendar and gives the cleaners their list |
| Boatyards, marinas and marine trades, from Plymouth to Brixham | A diary for lift-outs, a spreadsheet of berths and winter storage, and a lot of phone calls | Job management with the boat as the record: owner, berth, work done, invoices |
| Farms and food producers | Orders by phone and email, then invoices typed into Xero by hand | A trade ordering portal that posts invoices straight to the accounts |
| Independent garages and trades | A desktop program on the PC behind the counter, years out of support | A browser-based replacement, with every customer and job record moved across |
Built for places with no signal
A lot of Devon work happens out of mobile range. A pontoon in a steep river valley is a dead spot. So is a field on the far side of Dartmoor. Software that needs a connection to save a form is useless there.
So we build the field side to work offline. A job sheet or a changeover checklist is saved on the phone first. It syncs when the phone finds signal again, and the office sees it then. That costs more to build, so we'll only suggest it where your staff do lose signal.
What Devon businesses ask us for
Booking systems
Direct bookings, deposits and a changeover rota for holiday lets, boat hire and activity businesses.
Read moreWebsite rebuilds
Fast sites you can edit yourself, rebuilt with redirects so existing search rankings carry over.
Read moreSEO and content
Pages written for the searches local customers type, such as a service plus a town on the coast.
Read moreReplacing desktop software
Moving a garage or workshop off the old PC system and into a browser, with the history intact.
Read morePlanning around the season
Tourism and marine businesses here are quiet in winter and flat out from Easter. That shapes when a project should run.
- Build over the winter, while there is time to test and train.
- Launch a booking system or website before the spring bookings start, never in August.
- Move data from the old system at a quiet weekend, with the old one left running in case.
- Leave search changes time to settle. New pages can take weeks to be picked up by Google.
How a Devon project runs
Discovery on site
We come to the yard, the farm office or the reception desk and watch the work happen. That's where the real process shows up, including the bits nobody writes down.
Written scope and fixed price
You get a written scope for the first phase and a fixed price for it. If a package would do the job, we say so here.
Remote build with a weekly demo
We build at our desks and show you working software every week on a video call. You test it between demos.
Training and launch in person
We come back for training and go-live, so staff learn it on their own machines in their own building.
Questions from Devon businesses
Do you come to us?
Yes, for the days that matter. Discovery, training and launch happen in person at your site. The build itself runs remotely, with a demo on a video call every week so you can see progress without anyone driving across the county.
Are you web designers or software developers?
Both. We rebuild websites and we build business systems, and often the two connect. A holiday-let site, for example, usually needs its booking calendar built in. See [website rebuilds](/website-rebuilds) for the web side.
Can you help a holiday let business take more direct bookings?
It depends on how much demand already comes to you by name. A direct booking site with real availability and online payment helps repeat guests book without a listing site in between. New guests mostly still find you through the big platforms.
Will the system work where we have no mobile signal?
It can, if we build it to. Forms and checklists save on the device and sync when signal returns. We decide this in discovery, based on where your staff work.
Do you only work with Devon businesses?
No. We work with businesses across the UK. Devon clients are close to us, so more of the project can happen face to face.
Tell us what runs your Devon business today
Book a 30-minute initial alignment call. If a visit would help, we'll arrange discovery at your site.