The right tools save you time and help you run your business better.
As a developer and designer I've created a set of custom tools that make my business more efficient, organized, and responsive. Having a working knowledge of Python, Google Cloud, and automation has opened up new ways to manage everything from reporting to client communication.
When you understand a bit of code, you stop accepting every problem as “just the way it is.” I’ve used Python to automate everyday tasks. Generating analytics summaries, cleaning data, and sending regular performance updates without me having to do these manually. These small scripts save hours each week and make sure clients get consistent, accurate information on time.
These are a few tools I've scripted that save me TONS of time and deliver quality results:
I wrote a script to find local businesses according to my specifications (this many, in this km radius, this kind of business).
I use the google maps API and python to find local businesses and add them to a google sheet. I hook into the builtwith api to determine how the businesses website was built (if they have one), and I hook into a speedtest api to get best practices, speed and accessibility stats on their site.
All of this data is compilted in a google sheet with the businesses phone number and a few checkboxes for cold-call status.
Finally, this tool stores data in a local database so that when I run it, I never end up adding businesses to the list that I've already added.
This tool saves me a lot of time and headache. Without it, I would be scouring google maps for businesses, unsure of whether I'd phoned them already. I'd be manually adding each one to my sheet, running tests on their websites, each one taking more time.
Effectiveness rating for my business: 5/5
A lot of my work involves updating client websites. These requests come in by text or email.
I wrote a google appscript that accepts requests, triggered by my phone and by incoming emails.
When I recieve a text, my phone sends a request to the appscript, the script then checks if the phone number is one of my clients. If it is, a row gets added to my sheet with the client's name, the time of the message, the message, and a few checkboxes for the text's status.
The same is triggered by emails from my clients and as a result, I have an ordered list of messages from clients. They can still get a hold of my by email or phone, but I get to review everything in a consolidated location, where I can track the status of each communication.
A ticketing system is something you can pay monthly for as a service... or you can write it youself in a weekend.
Effectiveness rating for my business: 5/5
One of my key offerings is analytics and reporting around my client's websites.
I wrote a script to hooks into google analytics.
After my clients are set up with a template in GA4, data is captured at their website. My script then hooks into the GA4 api, and for each client, it runs data aggregations and produces insights around the data using AI.
This report then automatically gets formatted and sent in an email, monthly and quarterly, to each client.
This tool is valuable to my operations, not only for my clients but for my own website.
Analytics captures a huge range of data, so I can know everything about how my website, and how my client's websites are working.
We can then use these insights to inform web updates. Traffic leaving the page at a certain point? Change that section. Most of your traffic coming from a specific location? Target that location with ads and keywords, look at ways to make the site more appealing in other locations.
This tool is powerful and allows for real progress and growth for all Good Valley sites.
Effectiveness rating for my business: 10/5
Technology doesn’t replace personal connection of course, but it enhances it. By understanding how to build and automate with code, I can give small businesses the same kind of operational power larger companies enjoy, without the cost or complexity. It’s one more way I stay focused on what matters most: helping clients grow with clarity and confidence.
