Shipment exception platform
Watches every parcel an online retailer ships, finds the ones that have stopped moving, and gives customer service a short list to work before customers have to ask.
- Node.js
- TypeScript
- Fastify
- PostgreSQL
Spreadsheets that stop eating your week
A spreadsheet that takes three hours to update every week can often be fixed with better formulas, an automatic import, or a small dashboard. Sometimes it should become an app. Often it just needs someone to tidy it properly.
In short
I clean up and automate Excel and Google Sheets workbooks, build reports and dashboards that refresh themselves, and connect spreadsheets to the other systems you use. When a spreadsheet has outgrown itself, I can move it into a small database-backed app. Small jobs get a flat quote after I see the file.
Signs
You probably have a spreadsheet problem if
- One person is the only one who understands the file, and they want a vacation
- Numbers are typed from one report into another every week
- There are files called Final, Final v2 and Final USE THIS ONE
- The same customer or job is entered into the spreadsheet, the accounting system and an email
- A formula broke months ago and nobody is sure which numbers are right
- The file takes a minute to open, or crashes when two people use it
- Monthly reporting takes a day that could be spent running the business
What I do
From a tidy-up to a new system
Most jobs are at the small end. That is fine.
Tidy
Cleanup and structure
Separate inputs, calculations and reports. Fix broken formulas, remove duplicate data, name ranges, add data validation and drop-downs, and document how the file works.
Automate
Formulas, imports and refresh
XLOOKUP, dynamic arrays and pivot tables instead of manual sums. Power Query or Apps Script to pull in CSV exports, bank files or another sheet without copy and paste.
Report
Dashboards and KPIs
One page with the numbers you check every week: sales, jobs, margins, stock, overdue invoices. Charts that update themselves, in Excel, Google Sheets or Looker Studio.
Connect
Data between systems
Forms that feed a sheet, a sheet that feeds an invoice, exports from your store or point of sale that land in the right place on a schedule.
Graduate
From spreadsheet to app
When the sheet has become a database, move it into a real one with a simple web interface, user logins and history, and keep Excel exports for the people who like them.
Examples
The kind of job this is
Illustrations of typical requests, not client case studies.
Weekly job costing
A contractor copies hours and materials from three sheets into a summary every Friday. An import and a pivot table turn it into a one-click refresh.
Inventory counts
A shop's stock sheet has no validation, so counts drift. Drop-downs, a reorder column and conditional formatting make problems visible.
Bookings to invoices
A seasonal business retypes bookings into its invoicing tool. A scheduled export and a mapped import remove the retyping.
Pricing
Know the cost before anything changes
Send a copy of the file, or a description of the process, and a sentence about what you want to stop doing. I reply with either a flat price for the job or a few questions.
Larger automation that connects several systems is scoped like a small software project: a written plan and a fixed price for the first phase.
I won't promise how many hours a week you will save until I have seen the work. I can tell you what will change.
Related work
Projects that used this kind of work
Built by Code Hawk's founder. Each card says whether it was employment, team or independent work.
Questions
Spreadsheets and automation: common questions
Can you automate an Excel spreadsheet?
Yes. Common jobs are replacing copy and paste with Power Query imports, adding formulas that calculate what someone used to work out by hand, building pivot tables and charts that refresh in one click, and adding drop-down lists and validation so bad data cannot be entered. Macros and Office Scripts are used when they are the simplest option, and avoided when they would make the file fragile.
Do you work with Google Sheets too?
Yes. Google Sheets is often the better home for a shared business sheet, because several people can edit it at once. Apps Script can import data, send emails, fill templates and move rows between sheets on a schedule.
How much does spreadsheet work cost?
Small cleanups are quoted as a flat price after I look at a copy of the file, so you know the cost before anything changes. Larger automation work, such as connecting a sheet to other systems, is scoped like a small software project with a fixed price per phase.
Is my data safe if I send you a spreadsheet?
Send a copy, not the original, and remove anything sensitive you can, such as card numbers or personal details. I work on the copy, keep it only as long as the job takes, and delete it afterwards. If the file cannot leave your office, I can work on site in the Flathead Valley or over a screen share.
When should a spreadsheet become an app?
When several people edit it at the same time, when it holds customer or order records rather than calculations, when one wrong cell costs real money, or when it has become too slow to open. Until then, a well-built spreadsheet is usually the cheaper and better tool. A longer answer.
Will I still be able to use and change the file myself?
That is the point. Formulas are kept readable, inputs and outputs are clearly separated, and the workbook gets a short "how this works" tab. You should not need me to change next month's numbers.
Next step
Send me the spreadsheet you dread opening.
A few sentences is enough to start. I will reply within one business day with questions or a rough price, and there is no charge for the first conversation.