Practical Information Management for Growing Small Businesses

Flexible, custom systems built for growing businesses — no tech jargon, no off-the-shelf limitations.

You started your business with a clear vision — not to be overwhelmed by tools, vendors, or spreadsheets. At ALAP Advisory, we help startups and small businesses manage their data, processes, and systems in practical ways that scale with you.

As a small business owner, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the technical side of operations. You may find yourself:

  • Drowning in spreadsheets or disconnected tools
  • Wasting time copying data between tools or spreadsheets
  • Struggling to keep track of processes, clients, or inventory
  • Unsure how to evaluate software or service providers
  • Spending more time managing systems than running your business
  • Intimidated by software vendors or overwhelmed by their questions
  • Feeling like you’re building a business on shaky foundations
  • Worrying that your current setup won’t grow with you

At ALAP Advisory, we help small businesses take control of their information — in plain language, at your pace, and without needing a tech background or expensive software. Your business needs remain front and centre.

Helping your business grow

We meet you where you are — then work together to build practical, step-by-step systems to move your business forward.

Here’s how we support you:

📈 Your needs change quickly — but most software doesn’t.
Start-ups often experience rapid shifts in how they collect, manage, and use information. We build live prototypes that evolve with your business, so you’re not stuck with rigid off-the-shelf tools that no longer fit six months down the line.

🔄 Processes can get messy — especially when no one’s mapped them out.
Many small businesses rely on informal ways of working that grow organically. We conduct workflow analysis to help you understand what’s working, what’s not, and why — so you can improve communication, efficiency, and delegation.

🧩 Your data is scattered — but you still need answers.
Critical business information is often spread across spreadsheets, notes, emails, or apps. We provide data cleaning and integration services — whether one-time or ongoing — so you can actually use your data for reporting, decision-making, or AI tools down the road.

🧭 Choosing software is confusing — and costly if you get it wrong.
Once your business stabilizes, you’ll likely want to move to commercial systems. We support platform evaluations and migrations, comparing features, pricing, and long-term value — and handle the transition so you keep your data and momentum intact.

🤝 Managing vendors is stressful — especially if you don’t speak ‘tech.’
Small businesses often deal with web designers, app developers, API providers and more — without knowing how to assess or manage them. We offer project management services to bridge the gap: you speak your business goals; we translate that into clear direction for your vendors.

📚 The only constant in business is change — and your systems need to keep up.
We offer ongoing support that keeps your systems aligned with your goals. Whether it’s a quick tweak or a new opportunity on the horizon, you’ll never feel locked in or left behind.

How it works

We make the process simple, flexible, and entirely focused on your business goals.

🟡 Step 1: Quick Intro Call
We start with a short, no-pressure conversation to understand what your business does and where you’re feeling stuck. You don’t need to prepare anything — just tell us how things are going.

🟠 Step 2: Diagnostic Sessions
Next, we schedule one or two focused calls to dig a little deeper. We’ll look at your current tools, processes, and challenges, and start shaping a picture of what might help — all in plain English, with no tech-speak required.

🟢 Step 3: Proposal & Pricing
We provide a clear proposal outlining the suggested approach, timeline, and costs. You’ll get options — for example, a one-off project, a retainer, or a hybrid — so you can choose what fits best for your situation and budget.

If you decide not to proceed, no hard feelings! We may both have learned something new from our earlier conversations!

🔵 Step 4: Delivery & Feedback
We get to work — designing, building, and refining based on your input. You’ll see early versions, test them out, and help guide the direction. We’ll keep things transparent and collaborative every step of the way.

🟣 Step 5: Ongoing Support (If You Want It)
If your business keeps changing (and let’s be honest, it will), we can stay on to help your systems evolve with you — on a lightweight retainer that grows with your needs.

Our Clients

We’ve worked with a wide range of small businesses to build tailored, practical solutions, including:

🏋️ The Gym: Getting Members Organised
A newly launched gym needed to track member sessions and manage contracts, but was stuck using paper and WhatsApp. We built a simple digital system tailored to their processes, allowing them to book sessions, check attendance, and communicate directly with members. As the gym’s needs have evolved and grown, so the underlying system has adapted.

🏡 The Life Coach: Tracking Income Without the Hassle
A life-coaching business needed a way to track client sessions and issue invoices, but didn’t want to use full-scale accounting software. We created a streamlined invoicing system that let them generate professional invoices, monitor payments, and plan their schedule — all from one simple interface.

💼 The Service Provider: Managing Requests, One Ticket at a Time
A service-based business was drowning in scattered client requests across emails and messages. We developed a helpdesk ticketing system that matched their workflow, helping them log, assign, and resolve requests systematically — boosting response times and accountability.

🍪 The Nightclub: Linking Apps, Finance & Marketing
A nightclub needed a way to track spending by members, manage membership tiers, and run targeted WhatsApp broadcasts. We built an integrated solution connecting their mobile app, WhatsApp API, and finance system, so they could automate messaging, monitor member activity, and adjust perks based on spending levels.

🌍 The NGO: Financial Tracking
An international NGO needed to budget and monitor fund usage across multiple currencies and projects, with reporting that aligned with their corporate financial system. We developed a system to unify project budgets, track spending in real time, and integrate directly with their accounting platform — ensuring accountability and simplifying donor reporting.

What Next?

If any of this sounds of interest, reach out to us and arrange an obligation-free chat.