Keep what works.
Replace what’s holding you back.
Old software usually works fine right up to the day the vendor folds or the one person who understands it retires. I modernize those systems in stages, so your team keeps working the whole time.
Excel macros • Old SQL Server • PC in the back office
Hosted in Canada • Works on any device
Signs it’s time to upgrade
If two or more of these sound familiar, your current setup is probably costing you more in lost hours and risk than it should.
Only one or two people know how the system works.
Key workflows live in someone’s memory rather than in documentation. If that person is sick, on vacation or retires, daily work grinds to a halt.
It runs on an old server, outdated Windows, or a bloated Access file.
The application crashes when more than two people open it, or relies on a humming desktop tower under someone’s desk that nobody dares turn off or reboot.
Your team can’t use it from a phone, tablet, or from home.
Field techs, project managers and dispatchers write things on paper or wait until they’re back at the office to re-type them.
Adding a simple feature takes weeks, or can’t be done at all.
You want to automatically email invoices or integrate with a modern customer portal, but your developer says “the database architecture won’t allow that.”
You’re worried about security, backups, or what happens if it fails tomorrow.
There’s no real recovery plan. Backups go to a USB drive when someone remembers, and a single crash could lose years of billing, job history and customer pricing.
How I move you forward without breaking anything
A careful, step-by-step approach for businesses that can’t afford an afternoon of missed work.
Review & Document
Review your current system and document how it really works. I sit with the people who use it every day to find the workarounds and spreadsheet tricks nobody wrote down.
Safe Data Migration
Move your data to a modern database, with checks at every step. I clean up duplicates and keep your full history.
Web Rebuild
Rebuild the system as a secure, fast web application that works on any device, keeping the shortcuts and habits your team relies on.
Side-by-Side Run
Run old and new side by side until you’re confident in the switch, so invoicing and payroll keep moving and nothing is lost along the way.
I Come to You
No questionnaires over Zoom. I visit your shop, office or yard in person.
A system your newest hire can learn without asking the one person who’s been there 20 years.
You end up self-sufficient. You own the code, the data and every account login, with no ongoing fees to me unless you want support.
“I won’t switch off your old system until the new one has proven itself with your team, on real work.”
Documented Source Code
Clean code in widely used languages (TypeScript, Python), documented and owned by your business.
Canadian Cloud Infrastructure
Hosted in Canadian data centres (for example AWS Calgary or Montreal), so your data stays in Canada.
No Lock-In
Standard, open tools (Docker, PostgreSQL). Any competent developer can maintain it later, with no licence fees.
Staff Hands-on Training
On-site or video walkthroughs for office, field and admin staff, plus one-page quick-reference sheets.
Support After Launch
I stay close while your team settles in, at least until your first month-end close runs cleanly.
Big-Bang Replacement vs. Step-by-Step Modernization
Many legacy projects go wrong because everything is switched over at once. Here’s how a step-by-step approach protects your business.
| Criteria | Big-Bang Replacement | SparkUp, Step by Step |
|---|---|---|
| Operational Continuity | Everything switches overnight; staff arrive to a system they haven’t used under real load. |
Both systems run side by side until you sign off.
|
| Budget & Timeline | Growing scope, long roadmaps and a steady stream of change orders. |
Hourly billing with a written estimate and budget cap; progress you can see every couple of weeks.
|
| Staff Adoption & Training | Generic manuals and a support desk; staff resist the change. |
In-person training, and screens designed around how your team already works.
|
| Intellectual Property & Ownership | Proprietary platforms with per-seat licence fees that never end. |
You own the code and data, built on open, standard tools.
|
| Accountability | Work passed to junior subcontractors; your contact keeps changing. |
One engineer, start to finish, based in Calgary.
|
Tell me about your system. Start with a free call.
A free 15–30 minute intro call to hear what’s going on. If it makes sense, a 1–2 hour consultation ($110/hr, credited to the project if you go ahead) gives you an honest written assessment. If your current software still has years of life in it, I’ll tell you that straight.
What I look at:
- Your data: SQL Server, MS Access, FileMaker, or spreadsheets and CSV files.
- How people use it: desktop programs, remote desktops, paper forms.
- Security: what’s exposed to the internet, password habits, backups.
- Payoff: hours saved per week and licence fees you could drop.
No sales reps. You talk directly with the engineer who would do the work.