Get in touch
Build. Host. Evolve.

You've outgrown the workarounds.

The spreadsheets, the manual steps, the "it works for now" systems. There's a better way. I build operational software for businesses that have hit the ceiling of off-the-shelf tools.

Phil Kurth 20 years building software Melbourne, Australia
Is this you

The system that got you here won't get you there.

Most businesses I work with have the same story. Things were fine for a while. Then they weren't.

Frustrated & Fed Up

You're sick of patching things.

"Every time we fix one thing, something else breaks. I just want it to work."

You need to feel understood within 30 seconds.

Anxiously Ambitious

You need to get this right.

"We're growing fast and the tech can't keep up. This has to be done properly."

You need evidence of capability and judgement.

Referred & Checking

Someone told you about me.

"A friend said to talk to Phil. Let me see what this guy's about."

You need validation of what you were told.

Post-Disappointment

You've been burned before.

"The last developer disappeared. The one before that didn't understand the brief. What's different here?"

You need substance, not sizzle. Proof, not claims.

Sound familiar? Let's talk.

What I do

I build the software your business depends on, then I stick around to make sure it keeps working.

Three services, one relationship. The person you talk to is the person who builds it.

I use AI the way a master craftsman uses power tools. It makes me faster, but the judgement is still mine. AI-amplified, not AI-dependent.

01

Build

Replace the cobbled-together mess with proper software. I build operational systems: the admin panels, workflows, and data pipelines that your business actually depends on. Not marketing websites. The real infrastructure.

The cost of not doing this is real. It's the hours your team spends on workarounds every week. It's the invoices that go out late because the system makes billing harder than it should be. It's the growth you can't pursue because the platform can't handle it.

02

Host

Servers, firewalls, monitoring, performance, backups. The entire technical backbone, managed by the person who built it. No third-party support desk. No ticket queue. If something breaks at 2am, I'm the one who knows how it works.

03

Evolve

Monthly development allocation. The system grows with your business. New features, integrations, refinements on a schedule, with context that never gets lost. The same developer year after year.

How it works

Conversation to partnership.

Every engagement follows the same honest structure. No surprises, no hidden costs. An agency wants to scope a discovery phase. You just need someone who gets it.

Conversation

You explain what's broken, what's painful, what you wish existed. I ask a lot of questions. If I can help, I'll tell you what I'd build and roughly what it costs. If I can't, I'll say so.

No proposals. No presentations. Just a straight conversation about what needs doing.

Shape

I map out what needs to happen. Architecture, scope, timeline, and a fixed price. You see the plan before any work starts and you know exactly what you're paying for.

Clear scope. No surprise invoices. No open-ended discovery phase.

Build

A fixed-scope project to replace what isn't working. Laravel, React, custom integrations, whatever the problem calls for. You see working software throughout, not just at the end.

Typical builds: $15K – $75K+, depending on complexity.

Ongoing

A monthly retainer that covers hosting, maintenance, and continued development. The system evolves as your business does. Same developer, same context, no re-onboarding.

Retainers: $1.5K – $5K/month. Hosting, support, and development hours included.

I work with a focused number of retainer clients. Enough to go deep, few enough that you always have direct access.

Proof

What the work looks like

Not a portfolio of screenshots. These are operational systems that businesses run on every day.

Plumbing Inspection Platform

Replace 10 years of disconnected tools and spreadsheets with one system that runs the entire operation.

Existing hosting client. I proposed the build because I could see the pain. Client since 2022.

What they had

A 10-year-old system stitched to spreadsheets and manual processes. Jobs tracked in one place, reports written in another, invoices done by hand. Every inspection required switching between four different tools.

What was built

One system. Job import via API, kanban board for scheduling, mobile technician interface for on-site use, admin report writing, automated PDF generation, and direct Xero invoicing.

What changed

Report writing dropped from 4 hours to 20 minutes. Technicians complete reports on-site. Invoices go out the same day. The business runs faster with less staff overhead.

Home Builder Client Portal

Turn a nest of gravity forms into a proper application with real version control and workflow.

Referred by an agency partner who knew this needed a proper developer. Client since 2023.

What they had

Nested forms trying to do the job of an application. Package configuration, material schedules, and client selections all crammed into form fields. Slow, fragile, and impossible to maintain.

What was built

A purpose-built application with package versioning, user management, dynamic material schedule editing, and automated PDF generation. Each client gets their own portal. Each builder gets oversight of every project.

What changed

Eliminated 6 hours of weekly manual scheduling. A process that used to generate support tickets now handles itself. Builders configure packages once. Clients make selections cleanly. PDFs generate on demand.

Automotive Publishing Platform

Migrate 30,000 posts off a $10K/month headless CMS and cut costs to a fraction.

Hosting costs reduced from $10,000/month to $800/month. Client since 2021.

What they had

30,000+ posts on an expensive headless CMS with hosting costs running at $10K per month. Custom content blocks, a complex ad system, and a codebase nobody wanted to touch.

What was built

A complete migration to WordPress on managed infrastructure. Custom content blocks preserved, ad system rebuilt, editorial workflow maintained. All running at a fraction of the previous cost.

What changed

The same site, the same features, the same editorial experience, at a dramatically lower operating cost. The savings paid for the build in the first quarter.

About

I'm Phil Kurth.

I've been writing code and building systems for twenty years. Wolf Digital is a solo consultancy. Deliberately.

The depth of an agency, the directness of a sole operator, the continuity of having the same person from day one through year five. No project managers, no handoffs, no "let me check with the developer."

I build deterministic software that is consistent and reliable, then plug AI into the parts where it genuinely adds value. Twenty years of experience directing AI, not AI directing the work. 20 years of craft, now accelerated.

philkurth.com.au

Continuity

Every project is built on standard, well-documented technology. Laravel, React, not proprietary frameworks. Your codebase, your servers, your credentials. They're yours.

I document every decision, every change, every conversation. If something happens to me, any competent developer can pick up where I left off. I also keep a backup developer in the loop for emergencies, because your business shouldn't depend on any single person. Including me.

Phil Kurth / photo placeholder
20 years building production software
Melbourne, Australia
Laravel, WordPress, custom systems
Solo by choice
Get in touch

Got a system that needs building properly?

No forms, no sales funnel. Just an email to a person who'll read it and reply directly. Tell me what's broken. I'll tell you if I can help.

phil@wolfdigital.com.au

You own everything from day one. Code, servers, credentials, documentation. If you walk away tomorrow, you take a working system with you. Builds are billed at milestones, not upfront.

No tickets. No hold music. Just Phil.

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