Mandara Systems

Software & automation for SMEs

Software that fits your business – not the other way round.

Inventory and stock systems, internal tools, dashboards and automation – built to fit, instead of spreadsheet chaos. I build the software your business actually runs on: on your own server, with no per-seat subscription, and without your data drifting abroad.

Free initial call What I build

Sound familiar?

When the tool slows the business down instead of helping it

  • Key processes live in a spreadsheet that almost nobody can read any more.
  • Another subscription for every little feature – each priced per head, each its own login.
  • The off-the-shelf software does almost everything – except the one thing that matters most to you.
  • Someone counts by hand at month-end, because nobody trusts the numbers in the system.

What I build for you

From a stock system to an internal tool

Inventory & stock systems

Stock levels you can trust: goods in and out, label and barcode scanning, batches, minimum quantities and reports at the push of a button – instead of counting by hand at month-end.

Internal tools & dashboards

Your process as a clean interface instead of nested spreadsheets – with the numbers that matter at a glance, in real time.

Automation & integrations

Let the machine handle the repetitive work: processes automated with n8n, existing systems connected via APIs, sensible AI integration where it genuinely helps.

Web apps & customer portals

Fast, privacy-friendly web applications with no tracking baggage – booking, ordering or customer portals that run on any device.

Why build to fit

Your business, your software, your data

Fits exactly

The software mirrors how you actually work – no ballast, and no bending your process to a foreign program.

No per-seat fee

Built once, it's yours. No monthly licence per employee, no data on someone else's servers abroad.

Open & maintainable

Open standards, source and data are yours, handed over fully documented – no lock-in, not even to me.

How a software project runs

Start small, at the point that hurts most

A good software project almost never starts by rebuilding everything at once. We begin where it pinches most day to day – often that's a spreadsheet that has grown over years, or a paper-and-word-of-mouth process that has to be re-explained every time someone new joins. In the free initial call I look at how you actually work, where the numbers become unreliable and where time gets lost. From that comes a clear plan with a first, usable version that solves a real part of the problem – instead of waiting months for one big system that turns out not to fit.

Take an inventory or stock system as an example: first comes what makes the biggest difference – recording stock, booking goods in and out, scanning by label or barcode so the numbers finally add up. Then comes what eases the day further: minimum quantities with alerts, batch or expiry dates, reports for purchasing and accounting, clear permissions for different roles. Each step is useful in itself, and after each you decide whether and how to continue. The same approach applies to internal tools, dashboards or a customer portal.

It's built on proven, open technologies – the same foundation I run my own infrastructure on. The source code and database are yours, everything is handed over documented, and the software runs on your own server or on a server in Switzerland. On request I take on operation, backups and further development long term – or you run and extend the system yourself. Both are possible, because nothing is hidden in a black box.

Price

Transparent ballpark figures

from CHF 3’000 · project with a fixed cost frame
  • Smaller internal tools often in the low four figures (CHF); larger systems by scope
  • Built once – no per-user subscription, no feature behind a paywall
  • A concrete quote with fixed figures after the free initial call

The goal isn't as much software as possible, but as little as possible – that fits exactly. Where an off-the-shelf tool is cheaper, I say so.

Process

Four steps to software that fits

Initial call

We look at your process – no obligation.

Concept & quote

Clear plan, first version defined, fixed figures.

Build in steps

Usable version first, then extend – you steer.

Handover & operation

Documented, source is yours, support on request.

FAQ

Good to know

Leaving rented cloud for the whole office? See the Microsoft 365 alternative.

Why custom software instead of off-the-shelf?
Off-the-shelf software is great when your process matches what the product expects. The moment your business has a quirk – your own way of batching, labelling, invoicing or scheduling – ready-made software often forces you to bend a working process to fit the program. Custom software goes the other way: it mirrors exactly how you work, without the ballast of features you never use. Often the best route is a mix – proven open-source building blocks as the foundation, plus the part that genuinely fits you. In the free initial call I tell you honestly when an off-the-shelf tool makes more sense and when a tailored one does. The goal isn't as much software as possible, but as little as possible – that fits exactly.
What does custom software cost?
It depends on scope, so these are deliberately just ballpark figures. Smaller internal tools – a lean stock or inventory system, or a dashboard – often start in the low four figures (CHF); larger systems with several roles, integrations and reporting are typically in the mid five-figure range. Work is billed as a project with a fixed cost frame. After the free initial call you get a concrete quote with clear figures – you know what you get and what it costs. The key difference from rented software: there's no per-user subscription. You pay once to build it, then only for operation and further development if you want them.
Where does our data live?
On your own infrastructure or on a server in Switzerland – your choice. Your operational, stock and customer data doesn't quietly flow to a US corporation and doesn't sit under foreign jurisdiction. I set the systems up in line with Swiss data-protection law (revDSG/nFADP); for clients with an EU angle I add the necessary GDPR points. Access runs through clear permissions and is transmitted encrypted, and I set up a proper 3-2-1 backup from the start, so a hardware fault or a misclick doesn't turn into data loss. You keep control over who sees which data – and where it physically lives.
Will I be locked in to you afterwards?
No – that matters to me. I build on open standards and documented, widely used technology, not a secret black box. The source code is yours, the database is open and exportable, and I hand everything over fully documented. You can keep running the system yourself, bring in another developer, or move to a different solution later without starting from scratch. On request I look after operation and further development long term – but because you want that, not because you're forced to. That independence, including from me, is exactly the point of sovereignty.
How does a software project run, and how long does it take?
We start small, with whatever hurts most day to day. In the free initial call we look at your process – often it's a spreadsheet or a paper process that has grown out of hand. From that comes a clear plan with a first usable version that solves a real part of the problem, instead of waiting months for one big system. Depending on scope, such a first version is often ready to use within a few weeks; after that we extend in manageable steps, always close to your real needs. You see results early and can steer, rather than being handed a finished product at the end that turns out not to fit.

Contact

Let's talk about your process

A free, no-obligation initial call. Tell me where it pinches – I'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Free initial call Go to contact form