Power Apps and Power Automate for small businesses
Your team is small and hiring is hard. When the week goes to retyping, chasing approvals, and building reports by hand, there's less time for customers. We fix the one process that costs you the most hours, build it in the Microsoft 365 your team already works in, and hand it over so your people run it without us.
This page is for you if:
- Everyone wears more than one hat
- Nobody's full-time job is IT, or an outside provider handles it
- The owner signs off on most decisions
- A few key people hold the business together
Sound familiar?
None of these need a bigger team to fix. They need the right process.
Only one person knows how it works
When they're out, the process stops. When they leave, it leaves with them.
The spreadsheet everyone emails around
Five versions of the same file, and nobody's sure which one is right.
Approvals waiting on you
Requests sit in an inbox, and the team waits until someone catches up.
Sunday-night reporting
You pull numbers from three places just to see how the week went.
Typing the same thing twice
Customer and job details go into several systems by hand.
AI you didn't set up
Your team already uses AI tools, and you don't know what's going into them.
How we work with you
Small teams don't need a roadmap. They need one process fixed properly, by someone who'll still be answering the phone after launch.
Start with one process
In a free 30-minute review, we pick the process that costs your team the most hours.
A fixed scope and quote
You get a short written plan: what we'll build, what isn't included, the timeline, and the price, before any work starts.
Work directly with the expert
The person who designs it is the person who builds it. No hand-offs to junior staff.
Training so you can run it
We train the person who'll own it and leave a plain-language guide. Monthly support is there if you want help with changes.
We build around the systems you already rely on, like your accounting or industry software. They stay the system of record.
What this looks like in your industry
Pick your industry to see problems small businesses like yours run into, the proven fix, and where AI fits today.
Professional services
Law firms, accounting practices, and consultancies where a few people carry every client.
Works alongside: Clio, Karbon, QuickBooks, and similar tools stay your system of record.
Every new client means the same folder, checklist, and emails.
- Proven
- An intake form that creates the client folder, checklist, and reminders, and sends the engagement letter for e-signature.
- Tools
- Microsoft Forms or Power Apps, Power Automate, SharePoint, DocuSign or Adobe Acrobat Sign
Tax season means chasing clients for documents.
- Proven
- A secure upload folder for each client, a status tracker, and reminders that stop when the document arrives.
- AI-powered Available now
- Sort uploaded documents and pull key fields for the preparer to review.
- Tools
- SharePoint, Lists, Power Automate, AI document processing
Staff use AI tools, and we don't know what goes into them.
- Proven
- Move everyone to Copilot Chat on work accounts, with a short AI use policy and signed acknowledgments.
- AI-powered Available now
- Copilot Chat itself, included with Microsoft 365 business plans.
- Tools
- Copilot Chat, Microsoft Forms, Power Automate
Construction and trades
Contractors and trades where the office is small and the work is on site.
Works alongside: If Buildertrend, CompanyCam, or ServiceTitan already runs your jobs, we build around it, or tell you it's enough.
The foreman's notes are in his truck.
- Proven
- A phone app for daily logs with photos that files a PDF report to the job folder. Working without signal needs a premium license.
- Tools
- Power Apps, SharePoint, Power Automate
We did the extra work and never got paid.
- Proven
- A change-order form on the phone with photos and price, signed by the customer before the work starts.
- Tools
- Power Apps, Power Automate, DocuSign or Adobe Acrobat Sign
Toolbox talk sign-in sheets end up in a box.
- Proven
- Phone sign-ins for safety talks and a certification list with expiry reminders.
- Tools
- Microsoft Forms, Lists, Power Automate
Healthcare and insurance
Practices and clinics where the EHR handles clinical work and everything else lands on the front desk.
Works alongside: Your EHR stays the system of record. We handle the administrative work around it. Microsoft covers these services under its standard HIPAA Business Associate Agreement; your setup still determines compliance.
Referrals and prior authorizations live on sticky notes.
- Proven
- Where your EHR has no work queue, a small tracker with follow-up dates and reminders that holds only the details staff need.
- Tools
- Power Apps, Lists, Power Automate
We found out a license expired during an audit.
- Proven
- A credential list with reminders at 90, 60, and 30 days, plus a recurring exclusion-list check with proof attached.
- Tools
- Lists, Power Automate
We have binders of policies and no proof anyone read them.
- Proven
- Policy acknowledgment campaigns with reminders and a record of who signed.
- Tools
- Microsoft Forms, Power Automate, Lists
Manufacturing, distribution, and logistics
Shops, distributors, and small fleets where the owner knows where everything is, until they're out.
When a customer asks for the inspection record, we dig through boxes.
- Proven
- An inspection app with photos. A failed check opens a nonconformance item and alerts the supervisor.
- Tools
- Power Apps, Lists, Power Automate
Only one person knows where every job is.
- Proven
- A job board by work center, with a weekly status email.
- Tools
- Power Apps, SharePoint, Power Automate
Billing waits on signed delivery paperwork.
- Proven
- Drivers upload signed bills of lading and proof of delivery from a phone, and billing is notified.
- AI-powered Available now
- Pull key fields from the paperwork for review.
- Tools
- Power Apps, SharePoint, Power Automate, AI document processing
More about manufacturing, distribution, and logistics on our Industries page
Real estate and property management
Owner-operators, small management companies, and association managers.
Works alongside: If AppFolio, Buildium, or Rent Manager already runs your portfolio, use its portal. We cover what it doesn't.
Everybody saw the maintenance request, but nobody owned it.
- Proven
- One intake form with required photos, a tracker with an owner and a next-update date, and automatic replies to residents.
- Tools
- Microsoft Forms or Power Apps, Lists, Power Automate
Vendor insurance certificates expire on different dates for every property.
- Proven
- A vendor certificate list with 30-day reminders.
- Tools
- Lists, Power Automate
Deposit disputes come down to whose photos are better.
- Proven
- A room-by-room move-in and move-out inspection with photos and a PDF filed to the unit.
- Tools
- Power Apps, SharePoint
More about real estate and property management on our Industries page
Nonprofits
For small nonprofits
Small teams running programs, volunteers, and grants at the same time.
If our director is out, nobody knows a report is due.
- Proven
- A grant register with reminders at 30, 14, and 3 days, and a folder for each grant.
- AI-powered Available now
- Copilot Chat drafts report narratives from your notes, without client details.
- Tools
- Lists, Power Automate, SharePoint, Copilot Chat
We count volunteer hours from three spreadsheets.
- Proven
- Volunteer sign-ups, reminders, and an hours rollup, starting from Microsoft's free templates.
- Tools
- SharePoint, Teams, Microsoft Forms, Power Automate
We enter the same family's information three times.
- Proven
- One intake form that routes to the right program and limits who can see each record.
- Tools
- Power Apps, Lists, Power Automate
Public sector
For small towns and districts
Towns, special districts, and small agencies where a few people cover every role.
Half our forms are scanned PDFs. Are those covered?
- Proven
- Replace your most-used PDF forms with accessible online forms that feed a tracker and approvals, ahead of the ADA Title II date: April 26, 2028 for governments serving fewer than 50,000 people and for special districts.
- Tools
- Microsoft Forms, SharePoint, Power Automate
We don't know how many records requests are open.
- Proven
- A request log with due dates under your state's rules, reminders, and retention.
- Tools
- Microsoft Forms, Lists, Power Automate, Microsoft Purview
Service requests come in on sticky notes.
- Proven
- Resident requests feed a crew app with photos and location, and a weekly summary goes to council.
- Tools
- Microsoft Forms, Power Apps, Power Automate
Utilities and energy
For small utilities and water systems
Town utilities, water and wastewater districts, small co-ops, and private water companies.
Our service line inventory lives in a spreadsheet.
- Proven
- One record per service line with material, verification, photo, and date, updated from the field and ready for your annual state submission. EPA's lead rule makes the baseline inventory and replacement plan due November 1, 2027.
- Tools
- Lists, Power Apps, Power Automate
Our inspection sheets are on clipboards.
- Proven
- An inspection app for hydrants, valves, meters, and lift stations, with photos and overdue flags.
- Tools
- Power Apps, Lists, Power Automate
Pulling a rate case together takes months.
- Proven
- Invoices and plant records filed as they arrive, with an asset list and yearly summaries, so the data is ready when you file.
- Tools
- SharePoint, Lists, Power Automate, Power BI
Proven tools first, AI where it earns its place
For small teams, most of the time back comes from the plain fixes. We add AI when it clearly helps, start small, and measure it.
Proven
- Apps that replace spreadsheets and paper forms, on desktop and phone.
- Approvals in Teams and Outlook, with reminders, so nothing sits in an inbox.
- SharePoint set up properly, so people find things and only the right people see them.
- Power BI reports that refresh themselves from the exports you already pull.
AI-powered
- Copilot Chat for your whole team, signed in with work accounts, plus a simple AI use policy. Maturity: included with Microsoft 365 business plans. A safe first step.
- Reading invoices and forms inside a workflow. Maturity: available now. A person checks anything that touches money.
- A question-and-answer agent over your own policies and procedures. Maturity: the building blocks are production-ready. We start it as a short pilot after checking who can see what.
What it takes
Licensing in plain terms. We confirm the right mix against your actual plan during the free review.
- Many first projects need no new licenses. Power Apps and Power Automate with standard connectors (SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, Excel) come with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, and Premium.
- Sharing reports: Power BI Pro for the people who share or view shared reports.
- Working offline or connecting to systems like SQL Server: a Power Apps or Power Automate Premium license, only for the people who use that solution.
- Copilot: Copilot Chat is included. A Copilot license for each person adds Copilot inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.
- AI steps in workflows: Copilot Credits, used as you go, with spending limits your admin controls.
Built with the same care at any size
Our experience includes large, regulated organizations. Small businesses get the same testing, documentation, and training, at the scale you need.
Common questions
Do we need to buy new licenses?
Often not. Power Apps and Power Automate with standard connectors come with Microsoft 365 business plans, and many first projects fit there. You'd add Premium licenses only for the people who use an app that works offline or connects to systems like SQL Server, and Power BI Pro to share reports. We check your plan in the free review.
Is Power Platform overkill for a business our size?
Sometimes. If an off-the-shelf app already handles the job well for your industry, we'll tell you. Power Platform fits best when the work already runs through Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint and you want it to match how you actually work.
Is SharePoint a good fit for a small business?
Yes, when it's set up with a simple structure and sensible permissions. If your business uses Microsoft 365, you already have it. The trouble usually starts when files get dumped in without a plan, which is the part we fix.
What happens if you're not available later?
Everything lives in your Microsoft 365, under your accounts, built with standard pieces any Power Platform professional can maintain, and documented in plain language. You're never locked in.
Can you work with our IT provider?
Yes. We coordinate on access and security and don't replace them. If basics like multifactor sign-in aren't in place, we'll suggest fixing those first.
Should we buy Copilot?
Start with Copilot Chat, which you already have. Fix sharing so Copilot only shows people what they should see. Then license the people who spend their day in Word, Excel, and Outlook, once you know what you'll use it for.
Growing past this? See how we work with mid-sized businesses.
Ready to get one process off your plate?
Book a free Microsoft 365 value review. In 30 minutes we look at one process and where your team's time goes, then send a short written summary of what's possible and what it would take.