Before you hire a developer or build with AI, get the blueprint.
I'll lay out exactly what needs to be built and in what order, so you're never at the mercy of someone who says 'trust me.'
Most people call me when one of these is already true.
Start where you are.
Every business I work with is in one of three places. Pick yours and we'll start there.
Opening something real.
You have a location, inventory, and staff. You need your POS, Wi-Fi, and payments to work together every day, without calling three different vendors.
Launching something new.
You have an idea and some runway. You need a plan an investor can follow and a developer can actually build from.
Fixing what grew too fast.
Success is breaking things. I'll find what's fragile, fix what's urgent, and give you a plan for the rest.
You walk away with the Blue Book.
It's a written plan for your technology: what you have, what's at risk, and what to fix first. It's yours to keep. Hand it to any developer, mine or someone else's, and they'll know exactly what to build.
- ✓What you have today, and what it's costing you
- ✓What's at risk, ranked by how much it matters
- ✓What to fix first, and what can wait
The
Blue
Book
I've been building business technology since 2002, from a Fortune 20 company's budget forecasting platform to the loyalty program at a neighborhood shop.
The problem is the same at every size. Nobody planned how the pieces fit together, so every new tool makes things a little worse. I fix that, and I build solutions that save you money and make you more of it.
"Everyone who can add cannot manage your books, and everyone who can use a keyboard cannot manage your technology."
Louis Alston · Founder & Principal
More about me →Recent work
Real projects. I keep client names private.
How I work
- 01.Look at everything before touching anything.
- 02.Write it all down, so you're never dependent on me.
- 03.Build it so the next person can maintain it.
For the business
Rewards that run themselves
Built a loyalty and voucher platform wired into Clover POS. Shops stopped tracking rewards by hand, and promotions now run off real sales.
Stalled products, shipping again
Startups have brought me MVPs that had stopped moving. Within weeks they had stable releases and deadlines they could keep.
Under the hood
A rebuild nobody noticed
Led the AngularJS-to-Angular modernization of a Fortune 20 company's multi-billion-dollar budgeting platform, with zero downtime.
Fix what hurts, then fix the foundation
Critical bugs first, then reliable deployments, then clean structure, so the team can move fast again without breaking things.
How I can help
From keeping your email and hosting running to leading your engineering team. Start with whatever you need right now.
Foundations
We handle the domains, hosting, and systems your business depends on. Simple, reliable, and maintained.
- ›Managed Hosting
- ›Domain & Email
- ›Device Support
Operational Systems
Streamline your workflows with integrated CRM, ERP, and automation tools designed for efficiency.
- ›Workflow Automation
- ›Data Integrity
- ›Reduced Manual Entry
Platform Engineering
Custom infrastructure and internal developer platforms to accelerate your product velocity.
- ›Faster Time-to-Market
- ›Developer Experience
- ›Cloud Scalability
Advanced Systems
Enterprise-grade architecture, AI governance, and compliance frameworks for regulated industries.
- ›Compliance Readiness
- ›AI Governance
- ›Legacy Modernization
Fractional CTO
Senior technical leadership without a full-time executive salary. I own the architecture decisions, vet your vendors and hires, and keep tech debt from piling up.
- ›One person accountable for technical decisions
- ›A second opinion before you sign a vendor or make a hire
- ›A plan for tech debt before it slows you down
Technical Due Diligence
Buying a company? I'll look under the hood before you close and tell you, in plain English, what you're really getting.
- ›How healthy the code and systems really are
- ›What the tech debt will cost to fix
- ›A plain-English risk memo for your partners
Not sure where you stand? Start here.
Answer a few questions about your business and your tech. You'll get a short written brief on your biggest risks and what to do next.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Real questions, not a chatbot.
The same careful set of questions I'd ask you in person.
No sales pitch halfway through.
I diagnose before I prescribe.
Private by default.
Nothing is saved unless you choose to submit your brief.
How I work with you
Enterprise engagements are covered by NDA and MSA. Whatever the size of the job, your information stays yours.
Let's talk about what you're building.
Tell me where things stand. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help.
Talk to Louis