Taking on founding clients

What do workarounds cost you?
Find out in four weeks.

What do workarounds cost you?
Find out in four weeks.

I put a monthly cost on every manual task and system in your business, then rank the fixes by what saves you most, before you spend anything on new software.

I put a monthly cost on every manual task and system in your business, then rank the fixes by what saves you most, before you spend anything on new software.

Book a Free Cost Check

Book a Free Cost Check

Previously at Salesforce and the Student Loans Company.

Sound familiar?

You'll know at least one of these.
Each one costs you every month.

Two system windows, labelled CRM and Scheduling, showing the same job entry, with an arrow marked “Typed again by hand” between them.

Data typed in twice

Your team copies the same job from one system into another, every day.

A quote marked “Waiting 3 days” above an invoice whose amount has been corrected, with a credit note raised.

Slow quotes and invoices

Quotes and invoices take too long, and errors reach your customers.

A list of five business systems with question marks where the monthly cost and number of users should be, and a total marked “unknown”.

Unknown software spend

Nobody can tell you what your systems cost each month or who uses them.

An inbox with four unread sales emails from software vendors, offering demos, discounts and full system replacements.

New software pitches

Vendors keep calling, and you’re not sure which problem to fix first.

THE STATEMENT

One statement.
Every cost on it.

Monthly cost

What your workarounds cost you every month, in hours and pounds.

Cost to fix
What to fix first
The sit-down
Example page from a Hidden Cost Statement listing five manual tasks and unused software, with hours and monthly costs, totalling £2,970 a month.
Example page from a Hidden Cost Statement comparing five-year costs of four ways to fix spreadsheet quoting, with “Change” recommended at £18,000.
Example page from a Hidden Cost Statement ranking four fixes by monthly saving, cost and payback time, from cancelling unused licences to digital job sheets.
Example page from a Hidden Cost Statement showing a 90-day and 12-month plan, three spending rules, and dates for the leadership sit-down and 30-day follow-up.
  • Monthly cost

    What your workarounds cost you every month, in hours and pounds.

    Example page from a Hidden Cost Statement listing five manual tasks and unused software, with hours and monthly costs, totalling £2,970 a month.
  • Cost to fix

    Five-year costs for every option on each item: keep it, change it, replace it or build new.

    Example page from a Hidden Cost Statement comparing five-year costs of four ways to fix spreadsheet quoting, with “Change” recommended at £18,000.
  • What to fix first

    Every fix ranked by what saves most for least spend, including where automation and AI pay off.

    Example page from a Hidden Cost Statement ranking four fixes by monthly saving, cost and payback time, from cancelling unused licences to digital job sheets.
  • The sit-down

    Your 90-day and 12-month plan, gone through with your leadership team, plus a call 30 days later.

    Example page from a Hidden Cost Statement showing a 90-day and 12-month plan, three spending rules, and dates for the leadership sit-down and 30-day follow-up.

How it works

From first call to a
ranked plan in four weeks.

Week 1
Watch the work

Watch the work

I talk to five to eight of your people and follow two or three key jobs from quote to invoice.

Week 2
Count the cost

Count the cost

I list every cost and work out what it adds up to each month.

Week 3
Price the fixes

Price the fixes

I cost each fix over five years and rank them.

Week 4
Sit down together

Sit down together

You get your statement and we go through it with your leadership team.

WORKING TOGETHER

Light on your time.
Clear about whose side I’m on.

One named lead

Someone on your side who keeps things moving.

An hour from each person

Five to eight of your people, for about an hour each.

Your systems and spend

A list of what you run and what you pay for it.

No vendor commissions

I take no commissions or referral fees from any vendor or implementer.

Fixes costed honestly

Plenty of fixes mean changing what you have, and they’re costed that way.

A plan anyone can run

Your own team or any supplier can carry it out.

Find out what it’s costing you.

Book a Free Cost Check

Book a Free Cost Check

Book a Free Cost Check

Book a Free Cost Check

WHY INDEPENDENT

Whose advice are you taking?
It changes the answer.

Whose advice are you taking?
It changes the answer.

Asking a vendor

Starts from the product they sell

Leave out integration, migration/training

Replacing everything tends to be the answer

Gets paid when you buy

Starts from how your business runs

Every option costed over five years

Fixing what you have stays on the table

A fixed fee, whatever you decide

IN PRACTICE

What this looked like
at Smart HRV.

From an audit I led and the UK systems I then designed.

12%

12%

est. margin loss from manual

12%

12%

est. margin loss from manual

24hrs

24hrs

quote turnaround after the rebuild

24hrs

24hrs

quote turnaround after the rebuild

50%

50%

less admin time

50%

50%

less admin time

ABOUT ME

Hello, I'm Jonathan.

Hello, I'm Jonathan.

Hello, I'm Jonathan.

I've spent 20 years on both sides of business software. I've worked with the vendors who build it, and I've replaced it inside the organisations that bought it.

I've spent 20 years on both sides of business software. I've worked with the vendors who build it, and I've replaced it inside the organisations that bought it.

I've spent 20 years on both sides of business software. I've worked with the vendors who build it, and I've replaced it inside the organisations that bought it.

Book a Free Cost Check

Book a Free Cost Check

Book a Free Cost Check

Book a Free Cost Check

1

Smart HRV

An audit I led found manual quoting was costing an estimated 12 to 15% of margin. In the UK business I then designed, quotes went from a day to under an hour and admin time fell 70%.

2

Student Loans Company

I built the digital team from scratch, led 50+ people and replaced 10+ old systems, across a £294B loan book.

3

Salesforce

I oversaw the technical plans of 50+ enterprise software companies, so I know how vendors price and where the hidden costs sit.

4

Microsoft

My testing of AI coding tools fed into Microsoft’s product development and earned me an MVP nomination from their research team. When I recommend automation or AI, it’s because I’ve tested whether it works.

1

Smart HRV

An audit I led found manual quoting was costing an estimated 12 to 15% of margin. In the UK business I then designed, quotes went from a day to under an hour and admin time fell 70%.

2

Student Loans Company

I built the digital team from scratch, led 50+ people and replaced 10+ old systems, across a £294B loan book.

3

Salesforce

I oversaw the technical plans of 50+ enterprise software companies, so I know how vendors price and where the hidden costs sit.

4

Microsoft

My testing of AI coding tools fed into Microsoft’s product development and earned me an MVP nomination from their research team. When I recommend automation or AI, it’s because I’ve tested whether it works.

MY CAREER

20 years on both sides of the software.

Founder & Principal Architect

Live Gallery

2025 → Now

Founder & Principal Architect

Live Gallery

2025 → Now

Founder & Principal Architect

Live Gallery

2025 → Now

Technical Founder

Smart HRV

2024 → 2025

Technical Founder

Smart HRV

2024 → 2025

Technical Founder

Smart HRV

2024 → 2025

Technical Strategist & Delivery Lead

Salesforce

2020 → 2023

Technical Strategist & Delivery Lead

Salesforce

2020 → 2023

Technical Strategist & Delivery Lead

Salesforce

2020 → 2023

Digital Transformation Lead

Student Loans Company

2015 → 2020

Digital Transformation Lead

Student Loans Company

2015 → 2020

Digital Transformation Lead

Student Loans Company

2015 → 2020

FAQ

You have questions.
I have answers.

Do we have to buy new software?

No. Plenty of fixes mean changing what you already have. The statement costs every option, including leaving things as they are.

Do we have to hire you afterwards?

No. The plan is written so your own team or any supplier can carry it out. If you want my help, it’s there.

How much of our time does it take?

About an hour each from five to eight people, plus 90 minutes for the sit-down.

How much does it cost?

It depends on the size of your business, so I’ll give you a fixed quote after the free cost check.

Will you recommend AI?

Only where it pays for itself. The statement shows which manual work is worth automating and where it isn’t worth it yet.

What if the numbers come out small?

Then you’ll know, and you can stop worrying about it. You’ll usually have a rough idea from the free call before you commit to anything.

Do we have to buy new software?

No. Plenty of fixes mean changing what you already have. The statement costs every option, including leaving things as they are.

Do we have to hire you afterwards?

No. The plan is written so your own team or any supplier can carry it out. If you want my help, it’s there.

How much of our time does it take?

About an hour each from five to eight people, plus 90 minutes for the sit-down.

How much does it cost?

It depends on the size of your business, so I’ll give you a fixed quote after the free cost check.

Will you recommend AI?

Only where it pays for itself. The statement shows which manual work is worth automating and where it isn’t worth it yet.

What if the numbers come out small?

Then you’ll know, and you can stop worrying about it. You’ll usually have a rough idea from the free call before you commit to anything.

Your workarounds cost you every month.
Find out how much.

Book a free 30-minute cost check. You’ll leave with a rough number, whether we work together or not.

Book a Free Cost Check

Book a Free Cost Check