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Stephen Binge

Approach

The simplest solution that works, built around what you already have. Here is what that looks like in practice.

How it works

Four steps. The first one is free and takes fifteen minutes.

  1. Step 1: 15-min chat

    You tell me what you've got and what's not working. I tell you whether I'm the right fit and roughly what I'd do. No pitch.

  2. Step 2: Review and written plan

    I look at what you've got, or at the idea if you're starting from nothing, and come back with a written plan for the simplest route: what to connect, what to build, what not to build, running costs, and a fixed price or day rate. If all you want is the plan, this step stands on its own.

  3. Step 3: Build small, ship early

    Working increments on a live staging URL. You see progress, not status reports.

  4. Step 4: Run and support

    Launch, monitoring, handover docs, and an optional support retainer.

The overbuilt answer and the simple answer

Most problems have a version that involves a new platform and a version that involves a few hundred lines of code. I look for the second one first.

The overbuilt answer
The simple answer
Move everything to a new platform
Connect the CRM you already use
Another subscription for each problem
One small piece of custom code that joins your tools
AI everywhere
AI only where it saves time or money; plain code everywhere else
Rebuild the website
Add the connection or form it was missing
A dozen separate services to keep running
One well-built app, with background jobs where needed
Staff copying data between systems
Automatic sync that retries, logs and tells you when it fails
“You’ll need a data team”
Put your data in one place and a dashboard on top
Replace the old .NET / SQL Server system
Wrap it with an API and extend it safely
“Build the whole product before launch”
The smallest version that proves it, then build out

Experience is mostly knowing what not to build.

Ways to work together

  • Consulting

    A written plan, a second opinion, or a few hours of advice. No build required.

  • Fixed-scope build

    A defined product or feature with a fixed price.

  • Contract / day rate

    Embedded in your team on an ad hoc or ongoing basis.

  • Agency build partner

    White-label AI and systems delivery for your clients.

Stephen Binge

About

I’ve been building software since 1995, from enterprise .NET systems and legal case management to running technology as CTO of a 30-person property and investment company across four countries. Since 2016 I’ve worked independently as an architect, developer and consultant. My work has been integrations, automation and custom systems for agencies and growing businesses, and since 2023 increasingly AI in production: voice agents, LLM scoring pipelines, AI video generation and AI agents that automate back-office work.

I ran my own business for over a decade, which taught me more about cost than any engineering job did. A solution has to be affordable to run, not just to build, and the cheapest fix is often the one that reuses what you already pay for. I explain the options in plain English so you can make the decision rather than just approve it.

Working across that much tech means I can usually build on what a business already has instead of starting again. I like simple solutions, clean architecture and shipping. I work remotely with clients across the UK, Europe and further afield, and I travel for kick-offs or workshops when it helps.

Fifteen minutes, free, and you’ll know whether it’s worth doing.

Bring the problem, or the idea. No sales pitch, and no obligation either way. You’ll leave with a straight answer on the simplest route and roughly what it would take.

Let’s chat

Prefer email? me@stephenbinge.com