The problem
Customer records and enquiries were scattered across a notebook, a spreadsheet and WhatsApp threads. Floor staff could not see what management had agreed, and customer data circulated with no rule about who was allowed to see what.
Independent developer
When the spreadsheet stops holding up,
I'm Ricardo. Ricardo IA Studio is an independent studio. I build custom management systems, mobile apps and websites, from the first sketch to the live server, which I run myself.
First conversation and quote cost nothing.
01 Starting point
You're probably here for one of these reasons
None of them start out as technology problems. They are work problems that turned into technology problems.
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My team runs everything on spreadsheets and information keeps going missing.
Everyone keeps their own copy, nobody knows which version is current, and the history disappears along the way. A proper system fixes that with role-based access and a record of who changed what.
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I want an app, but the quote I got was out of touch with reality.
A large share of an app budget goes to app stores and paperwork. It can be delivered as an app installed straight from a link, opening like a native app on the phone. An Android APK too, when that makes sense.
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My website is slow, awkward on mobile and invisible on Google.
A company website does not need a heavy platform. Built as static pages, it loads fast, behaves properly on a phone and is ready to be indexed.
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Someone built my system and then vanished.
This is exactly why I run my own servers. Once delivered, the system still has an owner: backups, certificates, updates, and someone to answer when it breaks.
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Every week I redo the same task by hand.
Checking a spreadsheet, sending a reminder, generating a report, chasing whoever forgot. These are routines that can run on their own, on schedule, with nobody having to remember.
02 The other side of the bill
Leaving things as they are costs too
The conversation about a system usually stops at the price of building one. It rarely reaches the price of not building it, which gets paid every month without ever showing up on a line item.
What the manual work costs, using your numbers
Nothing here is a guess of mine. Replace the three fields with your own figures. The maths runs in your browser and nothing is sent to me.
The values already filled in are only an example.
864 hours per year
US$30,240 per year, as things stand
Assuming 48 working weeks a year, excluding holidays.
This is not a promise of savings. It is the arithmetic of what is already being spent. How much of it can be automated depends on your case, and that is what the first conversation is for.
And what never reaches a spreadsheet
- Information that goes missing, with nobody able to say when it went or who had the correct version.
- Decisions made on hunches, because pulling the actual number is too much work to bother with.
- A customer waiting on an answer because the one person who knew is not in today.
- Redoing what had already been done, because there was no way to know it had.
- Personal data moving around a shared spreadsheet with no record of who opened what. That is data protection exposure.
03 Services
What I build
Always custom. I do not resell off-the-shelf software or charge a monthly fee per user.
01 Custom management systems Lightweight CRM and ERP, for when spreadsheets and WhatsApp no longer hold up.
Customer records, a pipeline for handling enquiries, role-based access, reports, and personal data handled under Brazilian data protection law. Built around the process your business already has, not the other way round.
02 Mobile apps Installed from a link, no app store. An Android APK when you need one.
The app installs straight from the browser and becomes an icon on the phone. It works on Android and iPhone, updates itself, and never waits on store approval to ship a change.
03 Company websites Fast, static, with an SSL certificate and ready for search engines.
Static pages served directly by the server: fewer moving parts, faster loading and better performance scores. HTTPS, sharing metadata and sitemap configured from the start.
04 Automation and integrations Routines that run themselves: alerts, reports, bots and system-to-system links.
Automatic alerts by message or email, reports generated on schedule, systems exchanging data with each other, and repetitive work taken off someone's desk.
05 Hosting and maintenance I run the servers. The system still has an owner after delivery.
Daily automatic backups, a security certificate that renews itself, monitoring, and fixes when something breaks. This is the part that usually goes missing once a project ends.
04 Case study
A CRM for a restaurant
The name was changed at the client's request. The project is real and live. It is the identification that cannot be published.
What was built
A web system with three access levels, each one seeing only what belongs to its role. Records were designed around data protection rules from day one: consent recorded, personal data kept apart from the rest, and deletion possible on the subject's request.
Where it stands today
Live, on a server I operate, with daily automatic backups and a certificate that renews itself. When something needs adjusting, the client talks to me directly.
- FastAPI
- SQLite
- Nginx
- Daily backups
- Data protection
05 Other projects
What else has come out of here
Most of my clients work with sensitive information, so names stay out of it. What I can tell you is what was built.
B2B prospecting CRM
For a public speaker
A system to organise the search for companies, log every contact and track where each negotiation stands.
- FastAPI
- SQLite
Patient records and management
For a clinic
Patient records, treatment history and scheduling, with strict access control because it handles health data.
- Web
- Role-based access
AgencyOS
My own product
A management platform for agencies, with an inbox that brings every channel into one place and an AI assistant that triages first contact.
- Next.js
- PostgreSQL
06 Who builds it
You deal with me, from quote to support
There is no sales team and no account manager between us: the person who answers your message is the person who will build the system. That comes with an advantage and a risk, and I would rather name both.
The advantage is that the person writing the code is the same person who heard your problem. Nothing is lost in translation between sales and engineering, because that handover does not exist.
The risk is obvious: I am one person. I deal with that in two ways. I run my own servers and put everything in writing, so the system never depends on my memory or on a bad day of mine. And when a project is too big for one person, I bring in partners I know. I do not hand you over, and I remain the person you deal with.
What I commit to in writing
- The first conversation and the quote cost nothing
You explain the problem, I tell you whether I can solve it and what it would cost. If I am not the right person, I say so, and the conversation cost you nothing.
- A dated deadline in the proposal, not a vague estimate
The delivery date is written into the proposal, together with what is in scope and what is explicitly out.
- 30 days of adjustments included after delivery
A new system always reveals details that only surface in real use. For the first month, sorting those out is part of the deal.
- The code and the server are yours
You get the repository and the credentials. If you ever want to hand it to another developer, you can, without asking my permission.
07 How it works
From first contact to a running system
Five stages. You always know which one we are in.
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First conversation
You tell me how the work happens today and where it jams. No commitment, no charge. If I think I am not the right person for the problem, I say so.
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Proposal
I write down what will be built, what is out of scope and what it costs. Pricing is per project, set after that conversation. Every system is different, and a guess helps nobody.
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Build
You see the system working as it is built, not only at the end. That way changes happen early, while they are still cheap.
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Launch
I put it live on its own address, with a security certificate and backups configured. A user manual comes with it.
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Maintenance
The system stays looked after: backups running, certificates renewing, fixes when something breaks, and adjustments as the business changes.
08 Before you ask
What people usually want to know
The questions that come up in almost every first conversation, answered before you have to ask them.
How much does a custom system cost?
It depends on scale: how many screens, how many access levels, whether it has to connect to something you already use. Pricing is fixed per project, not hourly, and it goes in the proposal before any work starts. The first conversation and the quote are free.
How long does it take to build?
A simple system usually takes weeks, not months. One with many access levels and integrations takes longer. The date goes in the proposal, and you watch the system working as it is built, not only at the end.
What if you disappear, get ill, or stop working?
The code sits in a repository that belongs to you, and the server has automatic daily backups. Any other developer can pick up where I left off. That is why I hand over the credentials with the system, not after someone has to insist.
Does the system run on your server or mine?
Whichever you prefer. By default it runs on a server I operate, with daily backups and a certificate that renews itself. If your company requires its own server or a specific cloud, I deploy there and hand over the documentation.
Is my data safe? What about data protection law?
Systems are built with role-based access, a record of who changed what, and personal data kept separate from day one. Consent and deletion on request are part of the build, not a patch added later.
You work alone. Can you handle my project?
I run one project at a time with full attention, and bring in partners when the size calls for it. I do not hand you over, and I remain your point of contact. If my schedule is full when you arrive, I tell you the date I can start rather than accepting and running late.
Can I start small and grow later?
That is what I recommend. We put live the part that solves the most urgent pain, you use it for real for a few weeks, and then we decide what comes next based on actual use rather than guesswork.
I already have a system. Can it be improved instead of rebuilt?
Often yes, and it usually costs less. I look at what exists and tell you honestly whether it is worth repairing or whether rebuilding is cheaper over time. That assessment is free too.
The three usual routes, side by side
A comparison of approaches, not of companies. Each one makes sense in a different situation.
| Off-the-shelf software | Marketplace freelancer | Here | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit with your process | You adapt to the software | Varies a lot | Built around your process |
| Cost over time | Monthly fee that grows per user | Low at delivery | Fixed price per project |
| Who supports it after | Ticket-based support | Usually ends with the project | The same person who built it |
| Where the data lives | Company servers, sometimes abroad | Wherever is convenient | A server with automatic daily backups |
| You own the code | No | Sometimes | Always |
When I am not the right choice
Better said now than after you have wasted time.
- You need a contractual response time, around the clock. Automated routines do answer outside working hours, but I will not sign up to a deadline I cannot meet at three in the morning.
- Lowest price is how you choose. There will always be someone cheaper. I do not compete on price.
- You want something ready to use tomorrow. A custom system takes weeks. If that is the urgency, off-the-shelf software serves you better, and I will say so in the first conversation.
10 Contact
Tell me what the problem is
You do not need a finished project in mind. Describe how the work happens today and where it gets stuck. We design the rest together.
The fastest way to reach me.
Start a chatIf you would rather write at length, or send a document along.
Send an email
The person reading your message is the person who will build the system.