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Zenith Consulting Services
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Based in Brisbane / 25 years in technology

Your team is good. Give them software that keeps up.

We’re a Brisbane software agency for small and medium business owners who aren’t technical. Show us the job your team still does by hand, and we build the app or automation that does it for them.

A fixed quote before we start, and a first working version in about two weeks. Our delivery system handles the security, testing and documentation on every build, and we take full responsibility for the result. You approve the look and feel.

Tell us about the problemSee apps we’ve built
James Pepplinkhouse, founder of Zenith Consulting Services

James Pepplinkhouse, Founder

No tech knowledge needed. Just tell us the problem, and if software isn’t the answer, we’ll say so. Based in Brisbane: we’ll come to your office or meet for a coffee.

Where are you starting from?

Solve a problem now

One job is burning up your team’s time every week: the Monday report, typing the same data twice, the spreadsheet everyone is scared to touch. We build one tool that does it for them, often as a single fixed quote.

Build custom software

Your business has outgrown spreadsheets and off-the-shelf apps. We build one system around how your team already works: quotes, jobs, rosters and reports in one place, connected to Xero and the tools you already use. Built stage by stage, each with its own fixed quote.

Build a product

You have an idea for software you could sell to others. We start with a clickable prototype you can put in front of customers, then build it stage by stage. You own it, code and all.

What we build for Brisbane businesses

Don’t see yours? If the work lives in a spreadsheet, a whiteboard or somebody’s head, it can probably be an app. Tell us about the problem.

Apps we’ve built, in use today

See apps we’ve built

You bring the problem. We do the rest.

Three steps, and you always know what happens next.

  1. 01Show us the problem

    A conversation, ideally a screen share. We come back with a written proposal: what we will build, what it costs, and a simple payback calculation showing how quickly it pays for itself.

  2. 02Agree a fixed price

    A fixed quote before each stage starts. Small jobs: up front. Bigger jobs: half at the start, half on completion. You own it, and it runs on accounts in your name: your own website or tools for smaller jobs, or a cloud account we set up for you for bigger systems. No monthly maintenance fees: support and small changes are $250 + GST an hour, only when you need it.

  3. 03We build it, you use it

    First working version in about 2 weeks. You try it, we adjust. Then it’s yours, with 30 days of free bug fixes and no monthly fees after that.

See apps we’ve built

See how a project works, step by step

It pays for itself

A worked example, in plain numbers.

  • Saves three senior team members 4 hours a week each, at $75 an hour: about $3,900 a month
  • Costs a fixed $15,000 + GST to build
  • Pays for itself in about four months, then saves around $46,800 a year. Plus they get 12 hours a week back between them for work that grows the business.

We help you understand this calculation for your business.

James Pepplinkhouse, founder of Zenith Consulting Services

Who you are working with

James Pepplinkhouse

Founder

“I started my career as a small business owner for 10 years, so I know how hard it is. Now that I’ve come full circle, I want to use my expertise to help other small business owners win with apps and automation.” James’ career spans 25 years leading technology in CTO and founder roles. He is hands-on in every Zenith build.

Member of BNI Brisbane Central (opens in a new tab) · 0422 627 577

Safe, quick and supported

Your data is protected

Only the right people can see the right things, and your data is backed up. We build to the same security standard large companies are audited against (ISO 27001), whether or not you need the certificate.

Quick on any device

Works fast on a laptop in the office or a phone on site, and keeps up as your business grows.

We don’t disappear

The people who built it are the people who fix it. Small changes are $250 + GST an hour.

Questions owners ask

Are there monthly maintenance fees?
No. Many software companies charge a monthly maintenance fee whether anything changes or not. We don’t. You get 30 days of free bug fixes after launch. After that you only pay when you ask us for something: $250 + GST an hour, and anything bigger gets its own fixed quote. Your only running cost is hosting, paid straight to the provider, not to us.
Can you connect ServiceM8, simPRO or Cin7 to our other systems?
Usually, yes. If a system has an API (a standard way for software to talk to other software), we can connect it. For a Brisbane trade supplier we sync Cin7 trade price tiers to their WooCommerce store every hour. We check your setup before we quote.
We built an app with Lovable, Bolt or Replit. Can you turn it into the real thing?
Yes. Your vibe coded version already shows what the app needs to do, which is a great head start. Our engineers rebuild it properly, with security, testing and your own hosting, at a fixed quote. You own the code.
Do I need to be technical?
No. Tell us the problem in plain English and we handle the technical side. You see working software, not jargon.
What if it doesn’t save us money?
Every proposal includes a payback calculation for your business, so you see the numbers before you commit. If software isn’t the answer, we’ll tell you.
Does it work with Xero or MYOB?
Often, yes. We can connect to systems that offer an API (a standard way for software to talk to other software). We check what’s possible for your setup, case by case, before we quote.
Is there a minimum term?
No. You pay a fixed quote for each stage, agreed before it starts, and nothing after unless you ask for more.
Who looks after it after launch?
Our team of product engineers. The same people who build your software support it after launch, with no monthly fee. Small changes are $250 + GST an hour.

Not sure yet? Tell us the problem anyway.

We’ll tell you honestly whether software is the answer. If it isn’t, we’ll point you somewhere better. Prefer to talk? Call James on 0422 627 577.

No obligation, and no wrong answer if you are still figuring it out.

James replies personally, usually within two business days.