Home / Workbench
Workbench
A workbench, not a showroom.
Here is some of what is on the bench right now. A few pieces are polished and out in the world. Others are half-sanded, waiting on their next coat, or resting quietly while something more pressing takes the light. Wander through the way you would a workshop: you may find a finished piece, and you may find sawdust.
Sales Email Tools
Get honest feedback on a sales email or subject line before you hit send, plus commission and activity calculators. Free, no sign-up, nothing stored.
- Grades a draft against published sales methods and explains why in plain English
- Every rule shows the public source behind it
- Commission, on-target earnings and activity calculators
- Coming next: a prospect reply helper and a walk-in brief for local businesses
- No sign-up, and nothing you type is stored
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RightPlace
Know the wait before you go. Local restaurants and bars post their wait and tonight’s deals, and run the whole door from devices they already own.
- For guests: waits, deals, and a way to tell the host you’re coming
- For rooms: waitlist, host stand, kitchen screen, and a TV for the door
- Works in any browser on all devices, nothing to download
- Starting in Akron and Summit County, Ohio
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Restaurant Owner Tools
Find out whether a night actually made money: free food cost, pour cost, labor, tip pool and break-even calculators for independent restaurant and bar owners.
- Food cost, pour cost, labor, tip pools, break-even and more
- Every formula shown with a worked example
- Runs in your browser; nothing leaves the page
Visit restaurantownertools.com →
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Trade Owner HQ
Pricing help for people who run a trade business, so the work pays the owner as well as the bills.
- What a plumber or electrician should charge per hour, by state
- Markup versus margin, with a chart
- Wages drawn from public labor data, with every source named
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Akron Home Costs
Know a fair price before you hire. Repair cost guides for Akron and Summit County homeowners, with the source and date on every number and how to check a contractor’s license.
- Cost calculators for water heaters, sewer lines, sump pumps and drains
- How to check a contractor’s license before you hire
- Every price carries its source and the date it was checked
Built with
Fitness + Nutrition App
Track meals and workouts in one simple app instead of three, with protein, carbs and fat from a large public food database.
- Log meals and track protein, carbs and fat
- A large public food database to search
- Lifting programs and workout logs in the same place
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Teen Driver App
A quiet safety net for families with a new driver: parents hear about risky phone use behind the wheel, without constant tracking.
- Built for iPhone first
- Families join with a private code, no public profiles
- Designed with privacy for the teen in mind
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Credible Theories
Read the original document behind each strange story, from lost texts to declassified records, and judge it for yourself.
- Lost texts, UFO and UAP records, and declassified files
- Every claim points to its original source
- Free to read
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Bottleneck Finder
Follow which parts and materials are running short and which public companies make them, with a source on every pick.
- Shortages ranked by how tight supply is
- Each pick shows its sources
- A public paper log so the results can be checked over time
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Kids Learning Arcade
Calm, free games that help kids 3 to 9 practice letters, spelling and counting. No sign-in, nothing to download, and a child lock.
- No sign-in and nothing to download
- A child lock in every game
- A short guide for parents on screen time
Visit kidslearningarcade.com →
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Household Money App
A calm page that shows a household what is coming in, what bills are due, and what is left after bills.
- Paydays and bills on one simple timeline
- A clear heads-up before a bill turns late
- No bank login needed
Planned with
Business Website Analyzer
Find out what your website is missing as a business, like tap-to-call, hours or reviews, and see the three biggest wins.
- 25 plain checks, like tap-to-call, hours, booking, reviews and offers
- Weighted for restaurants, trades, salons, shops and offices
- A score and the three biggest wins, in under a minute
- Free, and it never makes up a finding
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Website Price Calculator
Pick what your business needs and how long you want to sign up, and see the real price before you ever call.
- Every service listed with what it includes
- Shows what each trade saves you, like a longer term or paying the year up front
- Spread the build over a few months with no interest
- Your website is yours, with no lock-in beyond the hosting term
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Road Trip Weather
See the weather you will actually drive into at each stop, at the time you get there, and the best time to leave.
- Finds the best time to leave, from two hours earlier to six hours later
- Compares routes by weather as well as miles
- Weather alerts along the way, in each stop’s local time
- No account, and the trip lives in a link you can share
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Form Guard
Keep junk out of your WordPress contact forms without making real visitors solve a puzzle.
- Stops bots that post without loading the page or send too fast
- Limits floods from one sender and catches link dumps
- Anything it blocks is kept aside for review, so a real lead is never lost
- Guards my own contact form first
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By kind of business
Websites built around what your customers need
Every kind of business gets asked different things. Here’s what yours needs from its website and how I build it. Every one works on all devices.
Restaurant website design
People check the menu, the hours and whether they can get a table, usually on a phone, before they pick where to eat. I put the real menu on the page instead of a PDF, mark the vegetarian and gluten-free dishes, and let guests book a table in a few taps.
Plumber and HVAC website design
When a pipe bursts, people want a number to tap and proof you come to their street. I keep a call button on every screen, show the towns you serve, and give a ballpark price up front so they call you first.
Hair salon website design
Clients want to book with their favorite stylist without calling while you have your hands full. I set up step-by-step online booking with a stylist picker, a clear price list, and gift cards people can buy any time.
Coffee shop website and online store
If you sell beans or merch online, buying has to be easy and the stock has to be right. I build product pages, a simple cart, subscriptions for regulars, and clear labels for sold out, on sale and pre-order.
Dental office website design
New patients want to know you take their insurance and how to get in. I add an insurance checker, a new-patient request form, and answers to the questions your front desk hears every day.
Gym website design
People shopping for a gym compare class times and prices before they ever walk in. I show a live class schedule, monthly and yearly prices side by side, and a free trial sign-up.
Pet grooming website design
Pet owners want to know what a groom costs for their dog’s size and coat before they book. I add a price estimator, booking requests, and a spot to show off happy regulars.
Landscaping website design
Homeowners want to see your work before they ask for a quote. I build a before-and-after slider, a project gallery, and a yard quote form that asks the right questions up front.
Retail shop website and online store
A shop’s website has to work like the shop: easy to search and honest about what’s on the shelf. I add search, product pages, a cart, your events, and stock labels from in stock to sold out.
Wedding and event venue website design
Couples want to know if their date is open and roughly what it costs before they book a tour. I add an availability calendar, a cost estimator, and tour requests.
Corporate website design
A bigger company has customers, partners and job seekers all looking for different things. I give each their own path: shipment tracking, a locations map, a careers board, and a direct line to sales.
Software and B2B website design
Buyers want pricing they can follow and proof the product pays for itself. I build seat-based pricing, a return-on-investment calculator, a product tour, and a way to ask for a walkthrough.
Client websites
Sites I have built for others.
Some of these businesses are still with me; others have since moved on to new hands. Each one taught me something I carried into the next.
Copley Landscape Associates
Their work is meant to be seen, so the site leads with large galleries that let a visitor picture a finished yard before the first call.
Built with WordPress, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Choice 1 Restoration
People find them on a bad day, so the phone number and the next step sit at the top of every page.
Built with WordPress, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Sensible Accountants
A site that speaks plainly about taxes and answers the questions people search for late at night.
Built with WordPress, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Trinity United Church
A warm front door for newcomers and a simple place for members to find what is happening this week.
Built with WordPress, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
West Forwarding
A clear, no-nonsense site that shows what they move, where, and how to get a quote started.
Built with WordPress, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Bridge to Bridge Lawn Care
A tidy local site built around the service area and an easy way to ask for an estimate.
Built with WordPress, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Pat Malone Personal Safety
A calm, confident site that explains the training and helps groups book a class.
Built with WordPress, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Livaware MD
A clean, reassuring site that helps patients understand the practice and reach the office.
Built with WordPress, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Database Music Studios
A site with the feel of the room itself, showing the space, the gear, and how to book time.
Built with WordPress, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Your turn
Need something custom built?
I also build client portals, booking tools, and custom platforms for businesses. Tell me what you need.