A custom ERP that fits your orders, stock and books
Your orders, stock and invoices live in spreadsheets, QuickBooks and a few apps, and someone spends hours each week copying numbers between them. A custom ERP puts that work in one system that follows your rules, with your accountant’s books kept in step.
When a custom ERP makes sense, and when it does not
NetSuite, Odoo, or QuickBooks with a few apps serve many businesses well. A custom ERP is worth it when they keep getting in your way.
When it makes sense
- Your customer prices, cartons, units or approval rules need workarounds in every product you try.
- Wholesale, online store and marketplace orders need to meet in one place, against one stock count.
- You have outgrown spreadsheets, and the big systems are more than you need.
When it does not
- Your work follows the usual pattern, and Odoo or QuickBooks with a few apps covers it.
- What you need is bookkeeping: your books stay in your accounting software, and an ERP connects to it.
- You need it running soon: setting up a product is faster than building one.
What it covers, module by module
Choose the modules you need. Each one can go live on its own.
- Orders: wholesale, online and marketplace orders in one list, each with a clear status.
- Purchasing: purchase orders to suppliers, and deliveries received against them.
- Inventory: stock by warehouse, what is promised to orders and what is free to sell.
- Pricing: price lists by customer or group, carton and unit prices, and promotions.
- Customers: ship-to addresses, payment terms, contacts and order history.
- Invoices: made from what shipped, with payments matched and passed on to your accounting software.
- Reports: sales, margins, stock value and what to reorder.
Connected to your stores, warehouse and books
Orders from your stores, marketplaces and wholesale customers reach the ERP without retyping, and bills go on to your accounting. Here is one restock from start to finish.
- Automatic
This morning’s Shopify and Amazon orders take the blue mug below the level you set for reordering.
- Automatic
The ERP drafts a purchase order to the supplier for 600 mugs at the last agreed price.
- Person
Your buyer checks the quantity and sends the order.
- Person
The delivery is received against the purchase order: 580 good, 20 damaged.
With a custom WMS, the scans at the dock record this as it happens.
- Automatic
The 580 mugs go on sale on every channel, orders waiting for stock are released, and the supplier’s bill goes to QuickBooks.
- Automatic
- The system does it
- Person
- A person checks or acts
Phases, one module at a time
- 01
Follow one order
We follow how one order moves today, from the first message to the invoice.
- 02
First phase
Usually orders and stock, built around your rules.
- 03
Move your data
We clean up your spreadsheets with you, load them into a test copy and check them against real orders.
- 04
Go live, then the next phase
The first phase goes live; purchasing, pricing or reports follow.
Questions about a custom ERP
How is this different from NetSuite or Odoo?
NetSuite and Odoo are products: you fit your process to them, and most charge per user. A custom ERP follows your process instead.
Can we start with one module?
Yes. Start where the hours go, for example orders and stock, and add the rest later.
How do we move our data out of Excel?
Send your spreadsheets as they are. We sort out duplicates and gaps with you and load a test copy first.
Next step
Contact us about a custom ERP
Tell us which spreadsheets you rely on and what you retype each week.