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The spreadsheet got you this far. Here is what replacing it looks like.

Most small businesses run on a spreadsheet that one person built years ago. It works until it does not. This page is for the week it stops: the signs, what a replacement looks like, what you keep, and what it costs.

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Signs it is time

  • More than one person edits it and nobody is sure which copy is right.
  • It has a 'FINAL(2)' in the filename.
  • Formulas have been pasted over with numbers to make it balance.
  • Only one person understands it, and they are on holiday.
  • Someone has asked you to show the evidence and it took a day to produce.

What replacing it looks like

  • Each tab becomes a screen

    Each column becomes a field with a label, a type and a rule, so a date is a date and a phone number is a phone number.

  • Formulas become reports

    The totals, the overdue list and the month-end summary are produced for you, the same way every time.

  • Colour coding becomes reminders

    Anything with a date sends an email before it lapses, instead of relying on someone noticing a red cell.

  • One file becomes logins

    Each person sees what they need and every change is logged with who and when.

What a first build looks like

A training records spreadsheet

Before
A 40-row workbook with a tab per site, colour-coded renewal dates and certificates in a shared drive.
What we build
  • A staff list with roles and sites
  • A course list with your own renewal periods
  • Certificate uploads against each record
  • Overdue flags and reminder emails
  • A one-page export for an inspector or an insurer
Outcome
The spreadsheet is imported on day one, and from then on the system chases the renewals.
How long
The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.

More worked examples

What you keep

Do we lose the spreadsheet?

No. We import it, and you can export everything back to CSV at any time.

Can we still see everything in one grid?

Yes. Most systems keep a table view that looks like the sheet, with filters, plus the screens that make it safe to edit.

What if we only need part of it replaced?

Then we replace that part. Most first versions take the painful tab and leave the rest where it is.

  • Fixed price, agreed in writing before we start.
  • A working version in weeks, not months.
  • Hosted, backed up and supported afterwards.

Questions we are often asked

How much does it cost?

Every proposal is a fixed price for a written scope; there are no hourly rates and no per-user fees. Hosting and support are a fixed monthly fee on top. Nothing per user.

How long does it take?

The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.

Will our data be safe?

Hosting we manage under UK GDPR, with a written data-processing agreement. Each person has a login; every change is logged.

We are a very small business. Is this for us?

Yes. Most of our work is for businesses with one to fifty staff, and a single spreadsheet is the most common starting point.

Can it connect to our accounts software?

Yes, to your accounts software (Xero at minimum; others where they are in scope), stated in the proposal.

Tell us which spreadsheet it is.

A few lines is plenty. We reply within one working day.

If you would rather we rang you

What you do by hand today, roughly how many staff, and what prompted you to look now.

We use what you send us only to reply to your enquiry. We also record which page you sent it from and your IP address, so we can stop spam. We will not add you to a mailing list. How we look after your details.

or email hello@dowco.co

The form is never the only route. Email hello@dowco.co. We reply within one working day.