Everyone's building for the cloud. I'm going the opposite direction.
As a practicing engineer (P.Eng.), I've watched good businesses get held hostage by subscription software. Monthly fees that never end. Data locked in someone else's servers. Features you don't need bundled with ones you do.
My philosophy: simplicity over complexity, privacy first, always.
That's why I'm building the SoloStaff suite - AI tools you actually own.
Take bookkeeping. Drop a receipt in a folder. SoloStaff Bookkeeper parses multi-item receipts and maps expenses to CRA or IRS Schedule C categories automatically. Local SQLite database. No cloud required.
Or meeting follow-up. Most tools are either too simple (just transcription) or too complex (full CRM). SoloStaff Meeting Secretary manages meeting flow from sending meeting placeholders, creating and managing agendas, creating and managing minutes, and tracking action items. Desktop app with a browser-based interface. Your computer. Your data.
The Technical Approach
The technical approach is deliberately different:
- Python/PySide6 for cross-platform reliability
- Local-first architecture with optional sync
- P.Eng. rigor applied to workflows and calculations
- Single-purchase pricing, not subscriptions
This isn't nostalgia for desktop software. It's recognition that not everything belongs in the cloud.
For solo entrepreneurs who value data ownership over convenience, who prefer tools that work for years without vendor drama, who want AI capabilities without surveillance capitalism.
Building tools I use myself. Testing in real business scenarios. Shipping when they're genuinely useful, not when the runway runs out.