Sails & Syntax
Technical Insights From The Helm Of The Red Halyard
Welcome aboard Sails & Syntax, the official logbook of Red Halyard Consulting.
Here we chart our course through automation, custom tooling, and the occasional over-engineered metaphor. Whether you're wrangling rogue spreadsheets, tuning up a Rails app, or dreaming of smoother workflows, you’ll find ideas here to help you catch the wind—and leave the busywork behind.
No-Code, Low-Code, & The Case For Real Code
No-code and low-code tools have exploded in popularity—and for good reason. They promise fast results, drag-and-drop simplicity, and the ability to build workflows without writing a single line of code.
For small businesses and non-technical teams, this can feel like unlocking a superpower. Suddenly, you can automate emails, track customer inquiries, or even launch a new service without waiting on a developer or paying for custom software.
Automation Without a Tech Team: A Small Business Guide To Fixing Broken Workflows
Running a small business is a juggling act. You’re managing customers, vendors, inventory, marketing, invoices—and probably doing it all with a mix of spreadsheets, inbox flags, calendar reminders, and sheer willpower. If you’ve ever thought, “There has got to be a better way…” …you’re right. There is.
Build Once, Breathe Easy: Smart Patterns For Reusable Automation
When you're juggling multiple clients, it’s tempting to treat every problem like it’s brand new. But if you find yourself solving the same core issue over and over just wrapped in slightly different business logic, you’re sitting on an opportunity. Reusable automation isn’t just a developer flex; it’s an investment in scalability, sanity, and speed.
This Is Your Sign To Build The System, Not Just The Product
If you're a scrappy founder or leader of a small business team, chances are you've already heard some version of “focus on product-market fit.” And yes—you absolutely should. But there's another piece of the startup puzzle that often gets sidelined until it’s nearly too late:
Your operations.
The Spreadsheet Spiral: How To Spot It—And Escape It
There comes a moment in every growing business where things just feel... off. Tasks take longer than they should. Data lives in ten different places. Everyone is constantly double-checking numbers or asking, “Wait, is this the latest version?” And somewhere at the center of it all—there’s a spreadsheet trying to do way too much.
Welcome to the Spreadsheet Spiral.
