Small business software that takes the busywork off your week.
If your business runs on a spreadsheet, a paper ticket book or a desktop program that has seen better days, you are in good company. I build simple tools and connections, sized for a small business, so the same information gets typed once and the rest happens on its own.
I usually reply within a couple of hours.
caleb@calebdorris.com · Call or text (615) 914-1073
Sound familiar?
- There are three copies of the spreadsheet, and nobody is sure which one is right.
- The same customer gets typed into the spreadsheet, the invoice and the calendar.
- Only one person understands the formulas, and everything waits when they are out.
- Someone has to be at the office computer to look up an address or a price.
- Invoices go out late because they are built by hand from notes and texts.
- Bookings happen by phone tag, and double bookings still slip through.
- Your main program says it is no longer supported, or only runs on one old PC.
None of that means you did anything wrong. It means the business grew and the tools did not. The good news is that fixing it is usually smaller, and more affordable, than people expect.
What I build for small businesses
Job and work-order tracking
A simple job board your team opens on their phones. Today's jobs, directions, notes and photos, and a clear list of what is done and what is next.
A customer list that remembers
One place for every customer, their history, their payments and their follow-ups, instead of a spreadsheet, a notebook and somebody's text messages.
Quotes and invoices on autopilot
Quotes that pull from your price list and do the math, then turn into jobs and invoices without retyping. Invoices can land in QuickBooks Online or Stripe ready to send.
Online booking and reminders
A booking page on your own website that only shows real open times, takes a deposit if you want one, and sends reminders so fewer people forget.
Inventory that matches reality
Stock counts that update when you sell and when deliveries arrive, with a short low-stock list in your inbox instead of a surprise at the counter.
Paper forms, gone
Intake forms, waivers and order forms your customers fill out on their phones, with uploads and signatures, saved straight to the right record.
Apps that finally talk
If you like your tools but they do not share information, I connect them through their official APIs so a new customer, sale or booking shows up everywhere it should. More on integrations.
Moving off old software
An aging desktop program or an old Access database becomes a web app that works on any device. Your data comes with you, and the old system stays up until the new one has proven itself.
Typical before and after
These are typical examples of this kind of work, not stories about specific clients.
- A service company: jobs on a whiteboard and invoices typed up every Friday becomes a phone-friendly job board where finished jobs turn into draft invoices on their own.
- A retail shop: a stock spreadsheet that never matches the register becomes one count that updates with every sale, plus a Monday low-stock email.
- A contractor: retyping every quote from an old Word file becomes a quote form that builds the PDF, emails it, and turns into the job when the customer says yes.
Buy, connect or build. I'll tell you which.
Not every business needs custom software, and I will say so. If a good off-the-shelf app fits most of how you work, buy it. If you like your apps but they do not talk to each other, connecting them is often the biggest win for the money. I build when your process is what makes you different, when every app you try forces a workaround, or when you are paying for several subscriptions to cover one job.
Most small projects are a mix. I build in PHP, as custom WordPress plugins and themes when you already have a WordPress site, and in Next.js on Vercel when it should behave like an app. Paying for a big rented system you would rather own outright? That is a different kind of project: replacing a subscription.
Where this comes from
At my day job I build the in-house tools and automations a busy office runs on. Several of them replaced paid subscriptions and saved the company a lot of money and a lot of retyping. I bring the same approach to small businesses: watch how the work actually gets done, take out the steps a computer should handle, and keep the parts people like.
I am based in Nashville and work with businesses across Davidson County, Franklin, Brentwood and the rest of Middle Tennessee, in person when that helps. More about working with a Nashville web developer. For the longer version, read what a small custom tool can do for your business.
How a project works
Tell me what bugs you
A few sentences about the chore you would most like to never do again. The quote is free, and you can stop after you read it.
Start with the smallest fix
A written scope with a fixed price for each phase. The first phase solves one real problem, so you see it pay off before you decide on more.
You own it
You get the code, the accounts it runs on, and plain notes for your team and for the next developer.
FAQ
Is custom software only for big companies?
No. Most of what I build for small businesses is small on purpose: a few screens and a connection or two that take one chore off your plate. In a five-person shop, every hour you get back counts more than it does in a big company.
How do I know if I have outgrown my spreadsheet?
When more than one person updates it every day, when the same information gets typed into it and somewhere else, when it is slow to open, or when mistakes show up in front of customers. Spreadsheets are great for planning. They get shaky as the live record a whole team works from.
Do I have to give up QuickBooks, Square or the apps I already use?
Usually not. If you like a tool and it has an API, which most modern tools like QuickBooks Online, Square, Stripe and Google Calendar do, I connect it instead of replacing it. Older desktop programs are harder to connect, and that is often a good reason to plan a move off them.
Our software says it is no longer supported. What should we do?
Do not panic, but do not wait for the day the old PC will not start. We list what the program actually does for you, move the data somewhere safe, and replace it with an off-the-shelf tool or a small web app, running both side by side until you trust the new one.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the job, so I do not publish one price. The quote is free, and you get a written scope with a fixed price for each phase before any work starts. The first phase is the smallest piece that fixes a real problem, so you can see it pay off before deciding on more.
Will my team actually use it?
That is the point of building it around how they already work: fewer screens, plain words and only the buttons they need. I would rather watch your team do the job for an hour than guess.
What happens if you are not around later?
You own the code and the accounts it runs on, and every project ends with notes for the people using it and for the next developer. You are never locked in to me.