Skip to content
Mainland Software
Blog

Notes on building software properly.

Plain-English thoughts on websites, custom software, performance, and practical AI — no jargon, no fluff.

AILatest post

· 3 min read

What does an AI consultant actually do all day?

What AI consulting looks like for a small business in practice: finding the real use cases, prototyping fast, wiring AI into existing tools — and saying no a lot.

Read more
AI

· 2 min read

What should you automate first? (Not the fun thing)

A practical way for small businesses to pick their first automation project: score tasks by frequency, tedium, and rule-clarity — and skip the flashy ideas that fail.

Read more
Websites

· 3 min read

What a small-business website really costs in Canada

Canadian small-business website pricing without the runaround: DIY builders, template builds, and custom sites compared — plus ongoing costs and the pricing traps to avoid.

Read more
Custom software

· 2 min read

The spreadsheet that runs your business (and when to worry)

Five signs a small business has outgrown spreadsheets, and the cases where a spreadsheet is still the right tool.

Read more
Custom software

· 3 min read

How long does custom software take?

Realistic timelines for small-business custom software: what takes weeks, what takes months, what actually causes delays, and the schedule red flags to watch for.

Read more
Custom software

· 3 min read

Custom software vs. off-the-shelf: how to actually decide

A framework for the build-vs-buy decision: when off-the-shelf software wins, when custom pays off, and the hybrid answer nobody sells.

Read more
Custom software

· 4 min read

How much does custom software cost for a small business?

Custom software pricing for small businesses: what drives the cost, ballpark ranges, why quotes vary so wildly, and how to get a real number for your project.

Read more
Custom software

· 4 min read

Red flags when hiring a software company (I paid for these lessons)

Before I built software for other businesses, I was the customer. Billing-clock meetings, a four-hour invoice to change one word, and what good aftercare actually looks like.

Read more
Custom software

· 4 min read

How long does custom software last?

How long is custom software good for? The short answer, and why it's a completely different question than it is for off-the-shelf tools.

Read more
Custom software

· 3 min read

Why custom software pays off in the long run

I learned this the expensive way: outgrowing cheap inventory software, buying an enterprise system that nearly sank us, and why I eventually built my own.

Read more
AI

· 2 min read

AI won't build your software for you (yet)

AI has a bad rap in software development, and some of it's earned. But used as a tool, it's putting custom software within reach of small businesses.

Read more
Websites

· 3 min read

Do you actually need a custom website?

When a website builder like Wix or Squarespace is the right call for a small business, and when it starts holding you back.

Read more
AI

· 4 min read

Practical AI a small business can actually use today

Skip the hype. Here are the down-to-earth ways a small business can put AI to work right now — what it's genuinely good at, and where to keep it well away.

Read more
Custom software

· 4 min read

Custom software used to be a big-company thing. Not anymore.

Off-the-shelf tools are built for everyone, which means they rarely fit anyone. Here's what custom software can actually do for a small business, and why it's finally within reach.

Read more
Performance

· 5 min read

Why PageSpeed matters (and what usually slows a site down)

What website speed actually measures, why it affects your customers and your Google ranking, and the everyday things that slow most sites down.

Read more