Plymouth Meeting, PA · Business Systems Consulting

Tell me what you'd like to improve. Let's get it done.

Whether your systems aren't working, you need something new, or you just know something could run better — I start with what matters most to you. No package deals. No telling you what you need. Built around how your business actually works.

Start the Conversation See how it works
Solo practice · Direct work with Derek Spicer
Free scoping · No clock running until scope is agreed
$125/hr · Flat-fee projects · No lock-in
Serving Plymouth Meeting, PA and contractors across:
MontgomeryBucksChesterDelawareBerks

You don't have a software problem. You have a setup problem.

Most contractors I talk to have at least QuickBooks — many also have Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, sometimes a project management tool. Some have more, some have less. The problem usually isn't what they have. It's that it was never set up for how their business actually runs. So the team works around it instead of through it.

Field crew gathered around a laptop on a jobsite, working through software
Sound familiar?

The everyday friction that never gets fixed.

  • The workaround economy. Your office manager is doing manually what your software was supposed to handle — and everyone's figured out their own workaround.
  • Disconnected systems. Job costs are a guess until after the job closes. Reports mean someone spending a Friday afternoon on a spreadsheet.
  • Owner bottleneck. You're still the one person everything flows through. Approvals, questions, fixes — it all comes back to you.
  • Something broke. Or stopped working right, and there's nobody on staff who knows how to fix it — and you don't have time to figure it out.
  • Shelfware. You bought the software. You went through the setup. Three months later, half the team still isn't using it.
Toolbox with hammer, level, tablet and a chat bubble
What's in the toolbox

What the work actually involves.

01 Software Setup & Configuration

Getting the tools you already have — or are adding — properly built around how your business actually runs. Not the default out-of-the-box configuration. Built for your workflow.

02 Integrations

Connecting systems that should be talking to each other but aren't. When your project management tool and QuickBooks don't sync, someone is doing double entry. That's fixable.

03 Automations

Replacing repetitive manual tasks with processes that run on their own. Weekly reports, follow-up reminders, status updates — if it happens the same way every time, it can usually be automated.

04 Training & SOPs

Making sure your team actually uses what's been built, with documented procedures so the knowledge doesn't walk out the door when someone leaves.

05 AI Readiness

Your software probably already includes AI features — most sitting unused. I help you figure out which ones actually make sense for your business and get them working. I use AI extensively in my own practice; I know what it can do and what it can't.

Three steps

Here's how it works.

01

Tell me what you'd like to improve.

One thing. I start there — not with a full audit of your business. You set the agenda.

02

I'll tell you what it takes.

Straight answer. Scope, cost, and timeline before anything starts. No surprises.

03

We get it done.

Then you decide if you want to keep going. But you're never locked in.

How working together works

Start with a free scoping process.

Every engagement starts with conversations — however many it takes to align on what you want to improve and what it would take. No clock running until we agree on scope.

Always Free

Free Scoping

A call, a few conversations, or an in-person walkthrough — whatever it takes to align on what you want to improve and what it would take.

How scoping works
Flat-fee SOW

Project Work

Anything substantial gets scoped and priced flat before we start. You know exactly what the project costs before anything begins.

What a project looks like
Ongoing

Ongoing Retainer

For clients who want someone consistently in their corner — proactive check-ins, priority response, and someone who already knows their systems. Not required, but available.

How retainers work
Client stories

What this looks like in the field.

Short write-ups from real engagements — the problem, the fix, and what changed.

Roofing contractor · 12 employees · Bucks County

A bid process that used to take all weekend.

Problem: Owner spent Saturdays building proposals from scratch in Word.

What we did: Set up estimate templates in CRM with QuickBooks pricing.

Result: Bid time dropped from 5 hours to 30 minutes.

"I went from dreading Saturdays to actually closing more work because I'm not burnt out by Monday."
Painting contractor · 8 employees · Montgomery County

Getting the team off the shared inbox.

Problem: Five people watching one Gmail.

What we did: Migrated to shared helpdesk with assignment rules and ownership protocol.

Result: Zero missed messages in first 60 days.

"My office manager finally stopped being the human router for every email."
Specialty sub · 20 employees · Chester County

QuickBooks and the field finally talking.

Problem: Field crews on paper timesheets retyped every Friday.

What we did: Rolled out mobile time-tracking integrated to QuickBooks.

Result: Real-time job costs, payroll closes in 30 minutes.

"I can see if a job is bleeding before it's already lost. That alone paid for everything."
Roofing contractor · 12 employees · Bucks County

A bid process that used to take all weekend.

Problem: Owner spent Saturdays building proposals from scratch in Word.

What we did: Set up estimate templates in CRM with QuickBooks pricing.

Result: Bid time dropped from 5 hours to 30 minutes.

"I went from dreading Saturdays to actually closing more work because I'm not burnt out by Monday."
Read all client stories
From the blog

Wondering about AI for your business?

I wrote about what AI actually does — and doesn't do — for a trades operation. No hype. Just what's realistic for a contractor running a real business today.

Read the post
Why I started this

I grew up in the trades. Then I spent 30 years fixing systems in corporate IT.

My grandfather built residential and commercial properties. My mother ran the realty and building office. My father ran a carpentry business. My stepfather ran a painting business. Both of them spent years fighting with manually creating estimates and proposals. Now retired, they never got to take advantage of what's available today. That's exactly why I built this.

I came back to do for trades businesses what nobody ever did for my family's.

More about how I work
Common questions

Before you reach out.

What do you actually do?
I help trades and construction businesses fix the systems that aren't working — whether that's setting up software properly, connecting tools that should talk to each other, automating repetitive work, or getting a team actually using what's already been bought. I start with whatever you want to improve, not with a predetermined package.

Related resource: Resources Hub →
How is this different from regular IT support?
Regular IT support handles hardware, networks, and troubleshooting when something breaks. I work on business systems — the software your operation runs on, how it's configured, and how it's connected. Different problem, different skill set.

Related resource: Resources Hub →
What does it cost?
My hourly rate is $125/hour. Project work is scoped and priced flat-fee before we start — you know the total upfront. Retainer pricing depends on hours per month and engagement level. The scoping process is always free. I accept payment by check, ACH, and credit card via QuickBooks Payments.

Related resource: Resources Hub →
Where do you work?
I'm based in Plymouth Meeting, PA and work with contractors across Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Berks Counties. Most work is remote, but I'm available for in-person meetings when it makes sense.

Related resource: Resources Hub →
Field Notes

Worth an occasional email?

A short note when I have something useful — systems, software, things I see in the field. Nothing on a schedule.

Ready to fix something?

Tell me what you'd like to improve. I'll figure out together whether and how I can help — no commitment, no pitch, no pressure. Just a straight conversation about what's not working.

Start the Conversation
Have a question first? Send me a message.