Custom software for the businesses nobody builds it for.
Big companies hire whole teams to build their software. Everyone else runs on spreadsheets, sticky notes, and a memory that's doing too much. I build small businesses their own software, and I keep it running.
Watch one come together.
A rough sketch of what I build, so you get the feel of it. The numbers are made up, not a real client's.
This is a sketch. The real one is built around how you actually work.Tell me what's driving you crazy →
For the person actually running the place.
Owner-operators, tradespeople, agents, shop owners, anyone running a real business on tools that never quite fit. If you have been holding it together with spreadsheets, a notes app and a good memory, this is for you.
Nothing new to learn. You tell me, in plain words, the part that keeps going wrong, and I build you something of your own to fix it.
I don't force you into someone else's system. I build you your own.
Four things I build.
Whichever one you need, it's built around how you already work, not the other way around.
A clean, fast site built to be found and to take bookings, and that you never have to touch.
DashboardsYour whole business on one screen, kept current, so you stop digging through tabs.
Custom systemsThe busywork handled in the background, before it ever lands on your plate.
AutomationsThe small repeated things that eat your day. I set them up once, and they keep happening on their own.
You get looked after, not handed a login and left to it.
You describe the problem in your own words. I handle everything behind it, and nothing lands on you to learn.
You see it working on your own business inside a week, not months from now, and not in a demo.
I don't build it and vanish. I stay on it, make it better as I go, and tell you how it's doing.
Early days, and on purpose. Every client gets my whole attention, because I'm the one doing the work.
Tell me what keeps going wrong.
One straight reply, no pitch, telling you whether it's something I can take on.
What I build.
Four kinds of thing, each built for the owner running the place, not a tech team. For each one, here's what it is, who it helps, and a short sketch of it running. The sketches run on made-up numbers, not a client's.
Websites
A clean, fast site built to be found and to take bookings. I build it and I look after it, so there's no template to fight with and nothing for you to update.
Dashboards
Your whole business on one screen, kept current. The numbers that matter are right there, and you don't have to dig for them or wonder whether they're right. And it says when it's guessing: a number that was worked out instead of looked up is marked, so you know which ones to trust.
Custom systems
The busywork, handled in the background. A lead comes in and it gets logged, filed and set for follow-up before you even see it.
Handled in the background, before it ever lands on your plate.
Automations
The small repeated things that eat your day, done for you. I set them up once, and they keep happening on their own.
Not sure which one you need?
That's fine. Tell me the problem and I'll tell you which of these fixes it, or whether it's a mix. If you'd rather see one running first, say so and I'll show you one live, free, before you decide anything.
How it works.
Start to finish, it's a normal conversation that turns into something that works. Here's the whole path, and how little of it lands on you.
Five steps, in order.
Most of it is on me. The small part where I actually need you is marked.
You tell me what's broken
A conversation, nothing to fill out and no jargon to learn. You tell me the part of your business that keeps going wrong, in your own words.
Your part about twenty minutesI map what you actually need
I look at how you work and find the smallest thing that fixes it. If I'm not the right person for it, I tell you, instead of selling you something.
My part a day or twoI build it
You get back to your work. I build it, shaped around how you run, and you see the first piece inside the first week, built on your own business.
My part the first weekYou review it
You see it working on your real business, tell me what feels off, and I change it until it fits the way you actually work.
Your part a quick lookI keep it running
I keep it working, improve it as your business changes, and once a month I send you a short note on how it's doing.
My part every monthNot much.
One good conversation at the start, some back and forth while I build, and a look when it's ready. Nothing to learn, install or manage on your end. The whole point is to give you time back, not hand you another tool to babysit.
What you do
- Tell me the problem, in plain words
- Take a look when the first piece is ready
- Say what feels off, so I can fix it
What I do
- Work out the smallest thing that fixes it
- Build it around how you already run
- Keep it running and measure how it's doing
- Handle every piece of the tech, so none of it lands on you
Who this is not for.
Not for you if you want a login to a tool you'll run yourself, if you need a full online store with hundreds of products, or if you want it built and then left alone. If a system won't help you, I'll say so before you spend a dollar. If it's not a fit, or the timing's wrong, I'd rather tell you straight than sell you something.
How long it takes
Most small builds land in a few weeks, and you see the first part inside the first week. Bigger ones grow from there. I give you a real range once I understand the job, and I tell you early if a date is going to move.
Why I do this.
My story
For years, the software that runs a business well went only to companies big enough to hire a team to build it. Everyone smaller got left with spreadsheets, sticky notes, and a Sunday spent catching up.
I'm Lawton Hinely. I worked out how to build this kind of software without a team, the kind that used to need one. Once I saw how much I could ship that way, I kept thinking about everyone it could help: people who aren't technical, who tried a few off-the-shelf tools and gave up because none of them fit.
So that's what I do now. The first ones I built were for people I already knew, and they worked well enough that I'm doing it properly. I build each client something of their own, shaped around how they already work, with nothing new to pick up on their end.
That's the whole idea: take what I know and use it to make someone else's work lighter. When their business runs better because of something I built, I've done my job.
This isn't a big agency with a sales team and account managers. You deal with me directly from start to finish, and I'm the one looking after it. That's how each client gets their own system and my full attention instead of a template and a spot in a queue.
Lawton Hinely LWH Systems, Columbus, Ohio
How I price it.
You're never locked in and there's no long contract. The monthly stops whenever you say, and what I build is yours to keep.
One build, then a monthly.
Two parts, both simple. First, a one-time build: I quote one price once I understand the job, and you decide before anything begins. Then a monthly that keeps it running and improving, with a clear measure of how it's doing.
The build price depends on the job, so I don't put a number on it before I've seen it. Builds come in three sizes, small, medium and large, and I tell you which yours is after one conversation. You get one figure, and you decide before anything begins.
You get one figure for the build, quoted after I understand the job, and a monthly to keep it running. You decide before anything begins.
- One build price, quoted up front
- A monthly that keeps it running and improving
- A real monthly measure of how it's doing
- No card fee on top of the price
Software that is looked after.
Every month I look after it, improve it as your business changes, and send you a short note on how it's actually doing. If a number moved, you'll see it. If the month was flat, I'll tell you it was flat.
I'll never promise you a specific result, and I won't pretend to. What I stand behind is the work itself and an honest measure of it, so you always know whether it's earning its keep.
It measures results. It doesn't promise them.
You keep what I built.
The work lives on your own accounts, under your control, the whole time. If you stop the monthly, what I built is still yours. I don't hold it hostage, and I don't hold your passwords.
How you pay
By Zelle, from your bank's app to mine. The build fee is paid up front. The monthly is a repeating Zelle payment you set up from your own bank, which we do together on the call, and you can change or stop it there at any time. The figure you're quoted is the figure you pay; no card fee on top. One price to build and one monthly to keep it going, both spelled out before you agree to anything.
Straight answers.
The real questions a busy, non-technical owner asks before reaching out.
Common questions
No, and that's the whole idea. You tell me the problem in your own words, I handle the rest, and nothing lands on you to learn.
You see the first working piece within the first week, built on your own business, not a demo. Bigger builds keep growing from there, but you're not waiting months to see the point of it.
One build price, quoted once I see the job, plus a monthly to keep it running and improving. Every project is different, so every price is too. The pricing page explains how it works.
I measure it and tell you straight. If it isn't helping, I say so. I'd rather lose the work than keep billing you for something that isn't earning its keep. Either way, you see the real number.
It lives on your own accounts, in your control. I never hold your passwords, and I never reuse one client's information for another.
One number to build, paid up front, and a monthly by Zelle to keep it running, set up once as a repeating payment from your own bank. The build invoice says exactly what you agreed to.
That's exactly what the monthly is for. Your business changes, so what I built for it should change too. You tell me, and I adjust it.
The work is yours, on your own accounts. You keep it. The build is paid once and isn't refunded once it's under way; the monthly is month to month, and stopping it means I'm no longer the one looking after it.
It tells you when it's guessing. Anything it worked out instead of looked up is marked, and when something's off you tell me and I fix it.
Yes. I'll show you one running, live, for about 45 minutes. No slides, no charge, no pitch.
Tell me what keeps going wrong.
A few quick questions. You'll get one straight reply within two business days, no pitch, telling you whether it's something I can take on. If it is, we talk for about twenty minutes and you get one price before anything starts. Want a quote? Say so, and roughly what you need.
Get in touch
Privacy.
A simple, straight note about what happens to what you send me. LWH Systems is Lawton Hinely, based in Columbus, Ohio.
How I handle your information
Who I am. This site is run by Lawton Hinely, doing business as LWH Systems, in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States. You can reach me any time at lawtonhinely@gmail.com.
What you send me through the form
When you fill out the contact form, I collect what you type: your name, your business, the problem you describe, and the email or phone you give me to reply with. Your note is delivered to my email through Resend, an email delivery service, so I can read it and get back to you. If sending ever fails, the page hands you your own note to copy or email directly, so nothing gets lost.
Analytics and cookies
This site uses Vercel Web Analytics, a privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics tool from Vercel, the company that hosts this site. It counts pageviews and basic, anonymous information about a visit (which pages are viewed, the site you came from, and general device type and country) so I can see how many people visit and what they look at. It does not use cookies, it does not follow you across other websites, and it does not build a personal profile of you. I do not use Google Analytics, advertising pixels, or any cross-site tracking, and there are no advertising or tracking cookies.
The site stores nothing in your browser that identifies you. The only two things it keeps are switches you set yourself: whether you have paused the site's motion (kept in local storage so it stays off), and whether you have already seen the opening animation this visit (kept for the session). Neither one is used to identify or track you, and neither leaves your device.
Why I collect it
The form data is used to reply to you and, if we work together, to do that work. The analytics data is aggregate and anonymous, used only to understand overall traffic. That is all.
Who else is involved
I do not sell, rent, or trade your information. The outside services that touch it are my email provider, which receives your note so I can read it and reply, and Vercel, which hosts this site and provides the privacy-friendly analytics described above. I never reuse one person's information for another client's work.
How long I keep it
I keep what you send me while we might work together and for a reasonable time after. If you would like me to delete what you sent, email me and I will remove it.
Your choices
You can browse without filling out the form. The analytics are cookieless and anonymous, so there is no tracking cookie to opt out of; the two motion switches above are the only things kept in your browser, and you can clear them any time and the site still works. To have your form information removed, email lawtonhinely@gmail.com.
Children
This site is meant for business owners and is not directed at children under 13. I do not knowingly collect information from children.
Changes and governing law
If this changes, I will update this page and the date below. This site and this notice are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, in the United States.
Last updated 1 October 2026. This is a plain-English summary of how I handle your information, not legal advice or a formal legal policy. If you need one of those for your own business, talk to a lawyer.
Terms.
Who you are dealing with: LWH Systems, which is Lawton Hinely, in Columbus, Ohio. A quick, straight note on what this site is and is not.
What this site is and is not
Who you are dealing with. This site is run by Lawton Hinely, doing business as LWH Systems, in Columbus, Ohio. By using it, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.
This site is here to inform
Everything here describes what I do and how I work. It is written to be plain and true, and I keep it current, but it is provided as is, without warranties of any kind. It is not a contract, and nothing on it commits you to anything.
Sending the form is an inquiry, not a deal
When you send the form, you are starting a conversation. You are not hiring me and you are not paying anything. Any actual work, price and terms get agreed between us in a separate written agreement first, before anything begins. That agreement, not this site, governs any work I do for you.
What I stand behind
I do not guarantee a specific result, and I will never pretend to. What I stand behind is the work itself: that I build what we agree on, keep it running, and tell you how it is actually doing. The examples and figures shown on this site are illustrative and made up, not real client data or a promise of what you will get.
Your own accounts and my content
What I build for you lives on your own accounts, under your control. You own it, and I look after it for as long as you want me to. The words, design and logo on this site are mine, so please do not copy or reuse them without asking.
Limits
To the extent the law allows, I am not liable for any loss that comes from using this site itself, such as relying on general information here before we have a written agreement. Nothing here limits anything that cannot be limited by law.
Changes and governing law
I may update these terms, and I will change the date below when I do. These terms and any dispute about this site are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, in the United States, and belong in the courts serving Franklin County, Ohio.
Last updated 1 October 2026. This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice or a formal contract. The real terms of any work are the ones we put in writing together.