Operational software for companies that make and move real things
Stop losing money to double entry, workarounds, and systems thatcan't keep up.
We build operational software for manufacturers, recyclers, and other companies that make and move real things. Whether you're outgrowing spreadsheets or working around a system that never fit, we make sure data gets entered once, mistakes stop compounding, and you can see your whole operation, from the floor to the front office.
Sound familiar?
Most operating companies we meet are running on the same patchwork.
Double entry everywhere.
Orders come in by email or phone, get typed into one system, then re-typed into another. Every re-key is a chance for an error someone downstream pays for. Multiplied across every order, every day, it quietly adds up to a full job's worth of hours.
Systems that don't fit how you actually work.
Your operation is more complex than your software allows, so your team invents workarounds: naming conventions, free-text fields, shorthand only they understand. The data is technically "in the system," but crammed in sideways, where no report can reach it.
Systems that don't talk.
Your ERP, your accounting software, your scheduling tool, and your scale or ticketing system all work fine, separately. The gaps between them are filled by people, spreadsheets, and hope.
The real numbers are hiding.
Some live in a workbook on one person's desktop. Some are buried in the system in a form no report can read. Getting a straight answer about margins, throughput, or job status takes days of assembly, so decisions get made on gut feel.
A quiet ceiling on growth.
When every new customer means more re-keying, more workarounds, and more hours of manual reconciliation, the system itself becomes the reason you can't take on more business. Owners tell us this directly: "we couldn't grow much more on what we have."
Records the law requires.
In industries like environmental services and death care, record keeping isn't optional. Chain of custody, retention, and reporting are mandated, and when those records live in free-text fields and filing cabinets, every audit or request is a scramble.
None of this means you need to rip out your systems and start over. It usually means the opposite:
Connect what you have, automate the handoffs, and build the missing pieces.That's what we do.
What we do
We help you figure out what to fix, then we build it right.
Sometimes the answer is custom software. Sometimes it's configuring the right off-the-shelf tool, or connecting the systems you already own. Usually it's a mix. We're not selling a platform, so we can recommend what actually fits.
We map how work actually flows through your operation, where data gets entered, re-entered, and lost, and identify the fixes with the fastest payback.
We connect your ERP, accounting, scheduling, e-commerce, and industry-specific systems so data is entered once and flows everywhere it needs to go.
When off-the-shelf tools don't fit how your business works, we design and build the ones that do: order intake, quoting, dispatch, tracking, portals, dashboards.
Approvals, notifications, document handling, follow-ups. The repetitive work that eats your team's hours, handled by software.
From agents that triage inboxes and process documents to smarter scheduling and forecasting, applied to solid processes rather than bolted onto broken ones.
New capabilities on old foundations, including digitizing the paper records and tribal knowledge your operation still depends on.
We stick around, or we hand off cleanly. Your call.
How we work
Fix the process, then apply the technology.
Software applied to a broken process just makes mistakes happen faster. So we work in a deliberate order:
- 01
Map it in person.
We come onsite and walk the operation with the people who run it. Where data gets entered, re-entered, and lost. Which answers live only in someone's head or a spreadsheet. What the current system can't tell you that you wish it could.
- 02
Model what's real, not what's ideal.
We decide, deliberately, what the software should handle and what should stay human. When a pricing call depends on market conditions and thirty years of judgment, we build the system to ask for that judgment, not replace it. We're just as deliberate about what not to build; features the floor won't sustain are worse than no features at all.
- 03
Prototype before we build.
You experience the new workflows in a working prototype, running against your real records and real documents, before a line of production code is written. Changes cost minutes at this stage, not months.
- 04
Build to production standards.
Once the model is proven, we build it right. Because we combine that process discipline with modern tooling, including AI-assisted development where it genuinely speeds things up, you get working software in weeks instead of a year-long IT project. No bloated scope, no army of junior consultants.
Every project. Same rigor.
Comprehensive testing
Automated test suites, security scanning, and performance testing on every project.
Real documentation
The kind that actually helps when someone new picks up the system.
Clean, maintainable code
No shortcuts that become someone else's problem.
Security-first development
Your operational and customer data handled carefully.
Built to hand off.
If you grow into your own IT team or bring in another partner someday, they inherit a documented, maintainable system they can pick up without a two-month archaeology project.
Who we work with
Operating companies: the businesses that make, move, fix, and manage real things.
Who we are
We've spent two decades leading agencies and shipping software, from local business websites to platforms serving millions of users, for everyone from startups to the Fortune 500.
Outboard exists because operating companies deserve the same caliber of software the big guys get, without the enterprise consulting circus.
Matt Neuroth
Matt has led software agencies for 20 years, shipping hundreds of projects for everyone from local businesses to the Fortune 500. He started Outboard to do the part he always liked best: sitting down with the people who run an operation and building software that actually fits how they work.
Josh Cary
Josh has spent 15 years leading technical delivery, including long-running work for SP+, one of the world's largest parking operators, and the City of Houston's airport system. He ran his own software agency for a decade before starting Outboard with Matt. He's the pragmatist of the pair, making sure everything we build is solid, secure, and no more complicated than it needs to be.
Contact
Let's talk.
Tell us how work moves through your operation, and where it gets stuck. We'll tell you honestly if we can help.
Most engagements begin with a short, fixed-fee process audit: we map your workflows, show you where the manual work is costing you, and give you a prioritized plan.
We'll be in touch.
Thanks for reaching out — we typically respond within one business day.