When your business needs a systems analyst, not just a web designer
I’ve been building software for 25 years but my main degree is in Business Analytics, and I can tell you this without hesitation. A good-looking website has never fixed a broken business process. It can hide it. It can decorate it. It can distract from it. But it cannot fix it. Over the years I’ve had many conversations that start like this: “We need a new website.” After about twenty minutes of asking the right questions, it becomes clear that what they actually need is not a web designer. They need a systems analyst. The difference most business owners don’t see A web designer focuses on layout, branding, responsiveness and user interface. All of that matters. Presentation affects trust. Conversion design influences sales. Professional branding and graphic design shape perception. But a systems analyst looks beneath the surface. They ask uncomfortable questions about workflow. About data structure. About integration. About…
Bespoke software vs SaaS subscriptions – which is more cost-effective for growing SMEs?
After 2 decades in software development, I’ve seen the cycle repeat itself. A small or medium-sized business starts lean. They subscribe to a CRM. Then accounting software. Then inventory management. Then a staff management tool. Then a point of sale system. Then an eCommerce platform. Each one solves a problem. At the beginning, SaaS makes perfect sense. Low upfront cost. Fast setup. No need for in-house technical oversight. But growth changes the equation. The question I get asked more often now in 2026 is not “should we subscribe to another tool?” It’s “at what point does bespoke software become more cost-effective than stacking subscriptions?” Let’s unpack it properly. The appeal of SaaS in the early stages SaaS subscriptions are attractive because they reduce friction. You pay monthly. You log in. You get features. Updates happen automatically. Hosting is handled. Security patches are applied in the background. For startups and small…