Sharing the love…
Where it started: curiosity became capability
Islay started with curiosity, creativity, and a challenging idea. She was working in media production, not software development, but she had a strong instinct for organising complex information.
The first idea was a book publishing database that could hold research, section material, references, and links into InDesign for print-ready pages. It was ambitious, and the early structure had become tangled.
We started again, gently, with cleaner layers and a better foundation. Instead of building it for her, we worked together over short focused Zoom sessions. The learning became part of the build.
What emerged was not just a database, but confidence. In a few months Islay moved from unsure beginner to independent FileMaker developer, able to plan and build systems she understands from the inside out.
Where it started: bringing gallery life into one place
Andrew started with a gallery that was already full of life: artists, exhibitions, workshops, customers, sales, and constant movement between them. The idea was not to make the gallery more corporate, but to give that activity a clearer, calmer place to live.
We began with the practical need to manage artwork, exhibitions, sales, catalogues, labels, customer details, and reporting without losing the personal nature of the gallery.
The system grew through a regular remote working rhythm. Ideas were explored, tested, refined, and folded back into the way the gallery actually works.
Today the system continues to evolve alongside Resipole Studios, supporting the gallery without getting in the way of the art, the people, or the pace of the business.
“Working with David has allowed me to develop a bespoke gallery management system that is intuitive and tailored to our specific needs. It has been integral to streamlining the business into one easy-to-use piece of software.”
“Having worked together for many years, David now feels like another member of the gallery team. His professional and enthusiastic approach has been invaluable in improving organisation and productivity as the gallery continues to grow and evolve.”
Andrew Sinclair
Artist and Gallery Owner, Resipole Studios
Where it started: craft brewing needed a better fit
Jamie started with a very practical observation. Industry-specific brewery software only solved parts of the problem, while broader ERP systems felt too heavy and too generic for the way Fyne Ales actually made beer.
The idea was simple: build around the brewery, rather than forcing the brewery to adapt to the software. Recipes, brews, materials, stock, scheduling, packaging, and reporting all needed to reflect the craft and rhythm of the business.
We began with mentoring and co-development, working remotely in focused blocks so Jamie could keep running the brewery while steadily shaping tools around real operational needs.
Over time those tools became part of a broader operational framework. The important point is not that the system became large, but that it grew naturally from useful ideas, tested in the real world, one step at a time.
Overview
- Recipe management
- Automated material ordering and stock management
- Racking and packaging
- Stock taking
- Process tracking
- Brew scheduling
- Multi user
- Cloud based
Visit fyneales.com
“Before we went down this route we spent a lot of time looking at what industry specific solutions were available and we also looked at a couple of tailored ERP applications. The industry specific applications only hit certain areas of the business which would have left us with a very fragmented overall solution.”
“The ERP solutions were broad, but they didn’t cover some of the industry, company specific problems we were looking for without the complexity getting beyond a level that we were confident was appropriate for our business and team. Going for a custom solution has meant we can focus the development on addressing the parts of our processes that would most benefit our way of making beers, and as a result, the solution is a much tighter fit to how we work compared to anything else currently available in the market.”
Jamie Delap
Owner, Fyne Ales
Digital Boost, second phase
A later phase of the project was supported through Digital Boost funding, which helped accelerate a focused set of improvements. This phase concentrated on strengthening the day-to-day operational flow, tightening reporting, and ensuring the system stayed aligned with how the brewery actually works, rather than forcing the team to adapt to a generic package.
Where it started: valuation work needed clarity and speed
Angus started with deep industry knowledge and a clear sense that valuation work could be faster, clearer, and easier to manage. Existing tools were either awkward, slow, or poorly matched to the way professional valuation work actually happens.
The idea was to create something practical enough for day-to-day use, but strong enough to handle serious inventory, reporting, and client work at scale.
Working through mentoring and co-development, the early ideas became Avido: a focused valuation and inventory system shaped around real-world use rather than generic software assumptions.
What mattered most was clarity. The system gave Angus a way to carry his own expertise into a tool he could understand, refine, and use as the service developed.
Visit covingtonfineart.com
Overview
- CRM
- Cataloguing
- Valuation certificates
- Inventory reporting
- Online valuation service
- Multi user, cloud based
“Avido was built to provide a very easy to use valuation database system. After 20 years working in the industry it was clear that alternatives were far too difficult to navigate, slow to use, and provided unclear results. Covington decided to change that and create something smart, highly secure, and adaptable.”
“Working with David through mentoring, the process was practical and focused, he has a knack for making what initially feels impossible become clear and achievable, and that momentum carried straight into the build.”
Angus Milner-Brown
Owner, Covington Fine Art
Where it started: more time for clients, less time on admin
Paddy started with a familiar business problem: too much valuable time was being absorbed by campaign administration, contact management, reporting, and assembling targeted media activity.
The idea was not to buy a generic PR package, but to build a tool that reflected how Littlehouse Media actually worked. Paddy already understood the value of FileMaker and wanted to take that further with one-to-one support.
We worked together to turn those ideas into Home Podge, a practical system for campaigns, client reporting, mailing groups, time tracking, and day-to-day visibility.
The result was more than saved time. Paddy gained a system he understood, a clearer working rhythm, and more space to focus on clients rather than administration.
Overview
- CRM
- Mailing Groups
- Bulk Mailing
- Project Management
- Time Tracking and Reporting
Visit littlehousemedia.co.uk
“Working with David has been an absolute pleasure. Having access to his vast wealth of FileMaker knowledge and business experience has been a significant advantage, and an incredible boost to my business.”
“David has a very laid back and calm approach, and strong design skills that have resulted in a beautiful system that is intuitive and very easy to use. Working one-to-one was hugely beneficial, it gave me a far greater understanding of how FileMaker works, and allowed me to take full advantage of its capabilities.”
Paddy Cuthbert
Owner, Littlehouse Media
Where it started: ideas needed stronger foundations
A J & D Chapelhow started with a successful craft manufacturing business and a set of ideas that needed stronger operational foundations. They already had some FileMaker experience, but the existing tools were fragmented and too dependent on one person.
The first need was practical: quote jobs more quickly, manage work more clearly, simplify purchasing, and give the team better visibility of what was happening across the business.
Working closely with Helen, Jon, and the team, the system grew through steady mentoring and co-development. Ideas were tested against real manufacturing work, then refined into tools that supported quoting, job management, purchasing, WIP, dashboards, and production flow.
The story is not simply that a large system was built. The story is that the business kept turning operational ideas into usable assets, supporting natural growth without losing the craftsmanship and flexibility that made the company strong in the first place.
Overview
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• Quote generation
• Job management
• Purchase ordering
• WIP reporting
• KPI dashboards
• Contact management
• Multi user, cloud based
• manufacturing workflow bridges
• CAD/CAM operational integration
• turning machine exports into usable operational systems
• manufacturing preparation tooling
• spreadsheet transformation and reporting
• live operational visibility
• production dashboards
• operator-friendly manufacturing outputs
Visit ajdchapelhow.co.uk
“We have worked with David in a very close and partnered way to both design and build our new FileMaker system, which for us is quite a transformation from where we were, with limited FileMaker knowledge and skills. We knew FileMaker was capable of doing what we wanted, but we needed help to bring our ideas to life. Working with David has been instrumental in this, where David brings his vast FileMaker knowledge and business skills together as a mentor and co-developer, which has allowed us to steer quickly in the right direction, and build our own custom solution. As a long standing business director, I can say with qualification that David’s approach to helping his clients to build their own technology is second to none, and offers an amazing alternative to off the shelf systems, or commissioning software developers. We have made a significant investment in these tools, and will continue to do so.”
Helen Law
Managing Director, A J & D Chapelhow
Where it started: collaboration needed a shared home
The DRNS project started with a need for collaboration. Several organisations were contributing to work connected with reducing drug-related deaths, and the project needed a shared place where people, documents, discussions, and project activity could be brought together.
The idea was to create a practical working platform without forcing everything through unsupported internal university systems. Tecbyte worked in partnership with Quay Tech Solutions to provide a flexible web-based environment using Stack3.
What emerged was a members portal with discussion forums, private project group areas, file storage, forms, data management, and an archive for materials that might otherwise have gathered virtual dust.
The project matters because the technology supported cooperation. It gave a complex network a clearer place to work, share knowledge, and keep important activity moving.
David and Nikky have been extremely helpful in the set up and ongoing maintenance of our internal members portal for the Drugs Research Network Scotland website. Tecbyte have been able to create a site which allows us to create discussion forums for our members, private project group areas where teams can collaborate and be kept up-to-date on progression, as well as build an archive of old DRNS materials which may otherwise be left gathering ‘virtual dust’. We think that this will be a useful resource for various groups within our network including academic researchers, third sector organisations and practitioners working in the substance use field. We recommend their services greatly.
Jessica Greenhalgh
Where it started: control mattered more than commissioning software
Johnson Maintenance started with a clear preference for control. Lucy wanted the business to build and understand its own tools, rather than commission software that would leave them dependent on someone else.
She had no prior FileMaker experience, but she was a capable computer user and could see that the business needed better ways to book jobs, track appliances, support engineers in the field, and manage recurring service reminders.
Through mentoring and co-development, Lucy learned while the system took shape. The work grew from practical ideas into an in-house application used across the business, including by engineers on mobile devices.
The important part is not just that Johnson Maintenance gained a system. They gained capability, confidence, and the ability to keep improving what they use as the business changes.
FileMaker makes it very practical and completely doable to build your own custom applications without having to learn any coding. Getting software written for the business was not an option we were willing to undertake as we wanted a system that would be flexible, in our control and not too expensive. FileMaker is amazing, you can build pretty much anything you need.
Lucy Ashe
Where it started: a service model needed to scale
Where it started
Jumpstart started with a service idea that needed to become repeatable. The founders were pioneering outsourced R&D tax credit claims in the UK, and the challenge was to turn specialist knowledge, judgement, compliance checks, priorities, and reporting into a dependable operational model.
What emerged
I embedded with the founders and CTO for three days a week over three and a half years, helping shape the service model while building a bespoke FileMaker platform around the way the work actually needed to happen.
Capability that lasted
The platform became an execution engine for scale, but the deeper value was capability. Processes were clarified, knowledge was embedded, and succession was planned so the organisation could continue beyond my direct involvement.
Planned succession, lasting capability
As part of a clean and intentional exit, I recruited and mentored David Ryan to take over in-house stewardship of the platform, ensuring continuity after my departure and leaving embedded technical capability inside the organisation. Richard Edwards went on to found Whisper Claims and later the R&D Community, now working directly with HMRC, whose teams recognise the contribution these organisations have made in shaping ethical, compliant practice that protects the scheme from abuse and unnecessary enquiries. The seeds planted in the original service design and system architecture grew into an ecosystem of new ventures and sector advocacy.
“I worked with David a number of years ago and he remains a good friend. David thinks methodically about system development and uses a very comprehensive modelling system to make sure that all the bases have been covered before work starts. He is engaging, personable and easy to work with, and brings a wealth of experience to projects.”
Richard Edwards
Founder, Jumpstart
“David mentored me from early spreadsheet work into FileMaker development, then recruited me to take over stewardship of Jumpstart’s bespoke FileMaker platform. That platform became the operational backbone, enabling faster delivery, better responsiveness, and a scalable model that supported accelerated growth and acquisition. David doesn’t just build systems, he builds resilience.”
David Ryan
Former Lead Developer, Jumpstart
