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.
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.
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.
