Irish dog grooming studio
From minimum-wage employee to running her own grooming business.
A booking system that gave her the confidence to go independent →Our work
Real problems. Real software. Real results
Every project here started the same way — a business with a problem nothing off-the-shelf could fix. Here's the problem, what we built, and what changed.
21stcentury sailing club rescue — one modern system replacing the old way of doing things
Selected work
From a manual booking nightmare to a club fit for the future
A UK sailing club with a fleet of three yachts was taking bookings the hard way. The whole thing ran on one volunteer's complicated patchwork of spreadsheets — and with him nearing retirement and no one able to take it on, it was casting real doubt over the future of the club. We built them an online booking system that lets members reserve the right yacht on the right dates, validate their membership and add crew details themselves — bringing it all into one place the whole club can use, not just one person.
What changed. Bookings the club can rely on, the knowledge no longer trapped with one person, far less manual work behind the scenes, and a system the committee can trust to keep the club running for years to come.
Smithies Studio saved the future of our sailing club — taking us into the 21st century with a fully automated online booking system.
Steve Cade, Commodore, Go Sailing Association
60 secsto verify a new customer's identity — biometrics, document verification and KYC checks
Selected work
From paper checks to identities verified in minutes
Accountants, solicitors and other regulated professionals must verify who they’re dealing with — a process that was once slow and paper-based. Identitech saw a better way and asked us to build it. We designed and developed a secure cloud platform that lets customers prove their identity online in minutes, while giving clients a single dashboard to manage every check. Powered by industry-grade authentication, bespoke verification algorithms and a frictionless user experience, the platform became an award-winning market leader.
What changed. Onboarding down from two weeks to under two minutes — secure, compliant, and fully remote.
Partnering with Smithies Studio to build Identitech was the best decision we could have made. They took it from concept to launch — a secure, award-winning platform that balances real business goals with genuine craft.
Manoj Khetia, CEO, Identitech
98%less time on booking admin and booking conversion up 200%
Selected work
From schedule juggling to the bliss of automated bookings
The Milestone Detox runs wellness retreats, and their bookings — accommodation, payments, client onboarding, follow-up emails — were eating hours of manual admin every week. We built them a custom booking system wired straight into their website: availability, invoicing, card payments and automated email sequences all handled in one place.
What changed. Booking admin down 98%, booking conversions rocketed, and client communication fully automated — across a partnership now in its ninth year.
Smithies Studio transformed the way we operate. The booking system they built automated what used to take hours, freeing us to focus on our clients. A skilled, can-do partner that is friendly, efficient and reliable. I'd recommend them to anyone.
Helena Tibocha, The Milestone Detox
15 hrsof manual admin gone, every week — replaced by one GDPR-compliant system
Selected work
From manual sales admin to a system that runs itself
Sales and marketing were being run by hand, customer data was scattered across half a dozen places, and tightening data-protection rules were turning that into a real risk. We built a GDPR-compliant CRM shaped around how the business actually sells — all the customer data in one place, the repetitive sales and marketing jobs automated.
What changed. One compliant view of every customer, sales and marketing that runs itself, and around 15 hours a week handed back to the team.
They listened, recommended the right approach, and built a system that has completely automated my sales and marketing.
Chani Martin, Director, Marketing & Merchandise
Green lightfor the full platform — a proof of concept that proved the approach
Selected work
From big idea to proof it would work
Before committing to a full identity-verification platform, Illustrate Digital wanted to know the approach would actually work. We designed and built a proof-of-concept admin dashboard — enough to show how administrators would manage verification, review documents and read the data — focused on being clear, secure and easy to use.
What changed. A working prototype that proved the design, validated the approach, and secured the go-ahead for the full platform.
Smithies Studio delivered a focused proof of concept that gave us confidence in our vision — translating complex requirements into a clean, functional interface that let us move forward with clarity and momentum.
Illustrate Digital
10 yrsas a trusted development partner — booking platforms shipped across the UK to Colombia and beyond
Selected work
From one-off briefs to bespoke booking systems worldwide
WebIntuitive needed a development partner to build bespoke online booking systems for their clients around the world. Drawing on deep knowledge of the Planyo platform and custom API work, we delivered tailored booking systems — bespoke features, integrations and advanced reporting — for businesses from yacht rental to ski-chalet holidays.
What changed. Smooth, automated booking for clients across the UK, Canada, Colombia and beyond — less manual admin, better conversion, and a partnership now 9+ years strong.
I've worked with Smithies Studio for many years, and their technical expertise is outstanding. They approach complex projects with precision and care, consistently delivering reliable, high-quality work — and they're a pleasure to work with. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.
Ian Gibbins, WebIntuitive
Aheadof schedule, project after project — a seamless extension of the in-house team
Selected work
From a stretched in-house team to projects shipped early
MUD, a creative agency, needed extra hands to build and maintain client websites on Craft CMS without stretching their in-house team. We worked alongside them — adding features and improvements across multiple client sites — fitting into their process rather than disrupting it.
What changed. Projects delivered ahead of schedule, happier clients, and a dependable extra gear for the team whenever they needed it.
Smithies Studio gave us the extra support we needed to deliver client projects ahead of schedule. Their flexibility and seamless collaboration with our in-house developers made them a valuable extension of our team.
Our Name Is Mud
More of our work
More direct-from-business stories are being added as they're gathered and approved.
Brazilian builders merchant
From end-of-day manual syncing to real-time stock across every store.
One cloud-backed POS and inventory system, no more close-of-business catch-up →Wildlife photography & woodwork
From hobby and handmade pieces to a self-running online shop.
Prints and products sold online with print-on-demand, on next to no monthly overheads →Let's talk
Could your business be the next story here?
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