●  ABOUT
SOLO OPERATOR · VICTORIA, AU

I'm Brad. I run a field-service business, and I built the tech I needed.

Bolt On Ops isn't an agency. It's me, a trade business owner who writes code, running as the outsourced tech department for other trade owners who need the software the off-the-shelf tools don't ship. The in-house tech hire you can't yet justify, without the salary.

What that means
You talk to the person building your system. The number you call is mine. The audit you book is with me. Nobody to pass you off to.
Brad Stribley, founder of Bolt On Ops, on a dark studio background with a warm orange backlight
BRAD STRIBLEY ● VIC, AU
●  THE STORY

Why this exists.

I started in the field. I've been the one on tools, the one quoting jobs, the one chasing late payments at 9pm, the one running the office out of a ute. I know what a Sunday looks like when you've got three quotes left to finish and the kids want you outside.

I've used every piece of trades software you can name. Some of it's fine. None of it does the full job. There's always a gap. A spreadsheet still doing the work. A whiteboard tracking jobs that should be on a dashboard. A 90-minute Friday re-keying details into Xero. The off-the-shelf tool gets you 70%. The last 30% eats your weekend.

So I started building the missing 30%. Small stuff first. A quote calculator for my own jobs. A simple dashboard so I could see margin live instead of waiting for the bookkeeper. A client portal for the recurring maintenance work. None of it was supposed to be a business.

Then mates in the trade started asking me to build them the same thing. Then their mates. Then mates of mates. Eventually I had to put it on a website with prices and a name.

Bolt On Ops is what happens when a trades operator who can code refuses to recommend the software he wouldn't use himself.

That's the whole pitch. I'm not a designer who watched a trades show and decided to "disrupt" it. I'm not a SaaS founder who needs you on a $400/month plan to make payroll. I'm a trades operator who builds the missing piece, charges a fair price, and hands you the keys.

If that sounds like the kind of person you want building your tools, the audit is free. If it doesn't, no hard feelings. There are some good agencies out there. I'll send you to one.

Brad Stribley
Founder · Bolt On Ops · Stribley Ventures Pty Ltd
●  MY OPS STACK

What I actually run my business on.

Full disclosure. The exact stack keeping my field-service business running. I'm not going to recommend you something I wouldn't use myself.

01 · Leads
Custom booking site
Customers book themselves while I'm up a roof. I own the site and the leads. No SaaS clipping a fee off every job that comes in the door.
02 · Quoting
Custom quoting tool
Off-the-shelf forces a workflow that doesn't match how I quote. I built one that does, and the quote goes out same-day instead of Sunday night.
03 · Jobs + crew
Custom field-service app
ServiceM8 is honest about its limits. I run the crew off a build I own and bolt it around the gaps instead of fighting them.
04 · Profit
Custom live-margin dashboard
Job margin live, while the job's still open. The thing I couldn't buy off the shelf, so I built it. Three weeks before invoicing day tells me.
05 · Accounting
Xero
Nobody should pay me to rebuild accounting. Boring, stable, plays nicely with everything. Pay the subscription and move on.
06 · Website
Astro (custom static build)
Static and instant. No plugins to patch, no platform rent, no security theatre. I own the code. The WordPress site it replaced was the slowest, most-hacked thing I ran.
07 · Automations
n8n + custom code
Zapier gets expensive fast. I self-host n8n and write custom code where it matters. Cheaper, faster, and it doesn't break when a vendor changes a price.
08 · AI
Claude (Anthropic)
AI does the heavy lifting in the build, so your tools cost a fraction of agency rates. I don't bolt it onto features that don't need it just to say it's there.
09 · Comms
Slack + SMS
Slack for the crew. SMS for clients. Email for the paper trail. Nothing fancy, nothing that needs a manual.
10 · Backups
Backblaze + Git
Everything mirrored, two locations. If a drive dies on a Wednesday I lose an hour, not a business.
●  WHAT I BELIEVE

Six things I'd rather lose a sale over.

Not values on a poster. The actual lines I won't cross on a build.

01

Software is plumbing.

Nobody walks into a house and admires the plumbing. They turn on the tap. Software should do its job and get out of the way. If you can tell my system was built by a designer you're holding it too long.
02

Your data is yours.

Your data, your credentials, your platform accounts, exportable any day, no hosting ransom. The software is mine and I keep it running; that's what Ops Care is. Want the source outright? There's a buyout price in writing from day one. If I get hit by a bus, the source goes into escrow so you still have a working business.
03

Boring tools win.

I won't recommend AI just because it's on a slide somewhere. I won't put you on a six-figure platform when a $1,500 build solves the same problem. The most exciting tech is the one your office manager doesn't complain about.
04

Prices on the page.

Every package on /services has a "From $X". The full range lives in the proposal but the entry point is public. If you have to ask for a price, the answer is too high. I don't want a quote-on-request relationship.
05

I say no.

I turn down maybe 4 in 10 projects. Wrong fit, wrong size, wrong industry, or wrong moment in the business. A refusal at the audit is cheaper than a botched build six months in. I'd rather lose a sale than lose your trust.
06

Sundays are sacred.

I'm not building you a system so you can answer emails until 10pm. I'm building it so you don't have to. If the tool I ship makes your Sundays worse instead of better, I've failed and I'll rebuild it.
●  FIT CHECK

Who I take on. Who I send elsewhere.

About 4 in 10 audit calls end with me sending someone to a better-fit person. Saving us both 6 weeks of mismatch.

RIGHT FIT
I'll take it on if
  • Trade business owners with 4 to 19 staff
  • Specific operational problem, not vague "we need a system"
  • Decision-maker available for the call
  • Realistic budget for the package size
  • Willing to invest 60 minutes of their own time during the build
WRONG FIT
I'll send you elsewhere if
  • Solo operators with no operational complexity yet
  • Marketing-first projects (logo, branding, social, campaign SEO and paid ads)
  • Enterprise platform migrations
  • Bookkeeping or accounting outsourcing
  • AI agents replacing human judgement
  • Race-to-the-bottom pricing
●  READ THIS FAR?

Let's see if I can actually help.

Run the free 60-second check to see your gaps on screen. If they're worth fixing, the free 30-minute Trades Tech Leak Audit costs them out and tells you what I'd build. If we're not a fit I'll point you to someone who is. Either way, you walk away with a written 30/60/90 day plan.

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Prefer to talk? Book the Full Tech Leak Audit · or call 03 4327 9657.
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