There’s the obvious way of doing things. Then there’s the Sidedoor.
Websites, booking systems, tills and the software behind them, for independent businesses. Built in Southport by the person you actually talk to.
Step insideMost people come in the front.
They sit through the meetings, pay the agency mark up, and end up with a template wearing their logo. Sidedoor is the other way in: you talk to the person who builds it, from the first chat to every day after it goes live. Here’s how it’s gone so far. Pick a name and the work gets painted in.
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Before there were clients, there was a site of my own. Built, torn down and rebuilt until it felt right, and every version taught me something the next client got for free.
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The Provision RoomsTill and pre-orders on Square
The first real build for a real business. A custom till and pre-order system on Square for The Provision Rooms, made to survive a busy service. It did, and that’s where Sidedoor got its start.
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A family lifestyle site with its own admin, built around exactly how the owner works. Blog, recipes, podcast and a shop, all run from one place.
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A pick and mix shop where customers build their own bag online. Stripe checkout, allergen filters, and stock that looks after itself.
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A tattoo studio app that lives on customers’ phones. Loyalty stamps, referrals, merch, aftercare and a gallery, and it looks like nothing else out there.
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An RC digger experience cafe on Lord Street, Southport. Customers book their session online and the staff run the whole day from their own dashboard.
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Antique and vintage jewellery out of Southport. A catalogue that treats every one of one piece like it’s sat in a glass cabinet, not a bargain bin.
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A multi page campaign site with an interactive map of UK data centres, a build guide and an action hub. Proof the work goes a lot further than shop fronts.
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A premium whiskey brand with the weight a triple distilled, double casked spirit deserves. Story, founder and shop, all built to feel expensive.
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A UK wide security and debt collection firm. A single page, high end site that works as an advert without ever looking cheap.
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The hub for a bare knuckle fight promotion. Tickets sold in house, pay per view, the next fight night front and centre, and the archive from the very first event.
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Your place,
next.What’s stopping your business from being the next one on here? Tell me what’s slowing you down.
So what do you actually get?
Fair question. Most people aren’t sure, and that’s not your fault. Here it is without the jargon.
- A website is your shop window
- It’s what people see when they search your name. Built to look like your place, not everyone else’s, and set up so you show up on Google and maps when locals search for what you do.
- A system is the stuff behind the counter
- Bookings, orders, the till, stock, rotas, loyalty cards. The jobs you currently do on paper, in your head or across five different apps, pulled into one place that works the way you already run.
- Support means you’re never on your own
- Something needs changing on a Friday night? You message the person who built it. Not a help centre, not a queue.
Why not just use Wix or GoDaddy?
You can, and for some people that’s the right call. I’ll tell you if it is. Here’s the difference.
Do it yourself builders
- You build it yourself, usually at midnight
- The same templates thousands of other businesses use
- Bookings, payments and loyalty are add ons, each with its own fee and login
- When it breaks, you’re reading help articles
- Outgrow it and you’re often starting again
Sidedoor
- I build it, you get on with running your business
- Made around you, so it looks and works like your place
- Everything built in and talking to each other, one monthly fee
- When something needs fixing, you message me
- It grows with you, no starting over
What gets built behind the door
If it runs on a screen and makes your week easier, it’s probably on here. If it isn’t, ask anyway.
- Websites
- Built from scratch around your business and set up so search engines and maps actually send people your way.
- Booking systems
- Deposits, reminders, staff calendars and a waitlist that fills a cancelled slot on its own.
- Tills and POS
- Till, stock and staff working together, and all of it talking to your website.
- Online shops
- Checkout, stock and delivery sorted, so you’re not chasing orders at midnight.
- Apps
- Loyalty stamps, referrals, merch and notifications on your customers’ phones. No app store needed.
- Custom software
- Dashboards, staff tools and member systems, for when nothing off the shelf fits how you work.
Every lit window is somebody’s business
Cafes. Restaurants. Salons. Barbers. Shops. Gyms and studios. Tattoo studios. Tradespeople. Venues. The one you haven’t opened yet.
Independent places, run by people who would rather be doing the actual job than the admin. Tap a window to light it.
That’s the whole street lit. Yours is the one that’s missing. Knock.
Who we build forWhat people say once they’ve been through the door
The system Sidedoor built was bespoke to us and how we run things, with all the data we needed to improve rapidly. Ongoing support at a very competitive rate.
The visuals are mind blowing.
Super excited to get started.
Asked for a quote regarding a site. Walked me through several different options, attentive and professional.
It doesn’t get built and left
A fair one off fee to build it, then a low monthly fee that covers the lot. Payment plans if you’d rather spread it.
- Hosting, security and a backup every day
- Changes when you need them: new prices, new menu, new staff
- Fixes, fast, because it’s my name on it
- A direct line to the person who built it, with no tickets and no call centre
- A straight answer when something new is worth having, and when it’s just noise
Knock.
Tell me what’s slowing you down. You’ll get a straight answer on what’s worth building, and if you don’t need me, I’ll tell you that too.
Three knocks and the doors open. Or just send an email.