# Helmsman Consultancy

> Helmsman Consultancy is a design- and solution-driven technology consulting and development company. Based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, Helmsman builds the systems businesses run on: enterprise software (ERP, CRM, HRMS), AI and digital transformation, and digital products (web, mobile, SaaS): for clients in India and overseas. Motto: "Understand first. Build second. Evolve always." Tagline: "You're the Captain. We're your Helmsman."

## Key facts
- Projects delivered: 80+
- Specialist network: 220+
- Signs an NDA on every project; most case-study clients are kept confidential.
- Every engagement starts with response times and check-ins agreed in writing.
- Industries: Manufacturing, distribution and trading, retail and e-commerce, professional services, healthcare, education, jewellery, capital and consumer brands, in India and overseas.

## Contact
- Address: A-603 Shapath Hexa, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380060, India
- Phone: +91 94086 64922
- Email: contact@helmsman.in
- Website: https://www.helmsman.in/
- Start a project: https://www.helmsman.in/contact

## Services
### [Enterprise Software](https://www.helmsman.in/services/enterprise-software)
ERP, CRM, HRMS and the business systems your teams work in every day.
- ERP: Operations, inventory, purchase, accounts.
- CRM: Leads, quotations, customer history.
- HRMS: Attendance, leave, payroll, appraisals.
- Sales & Distribution: Field sales, schemes, dealers.
- Manufacturing: Planning, job work, batch and quality.
- Supply Chain: Procurement, vendors, stock, dispatch.
- Finance & Accounting: Billing, receivables, payables, costing.
- Workflow Automation: Approvals, escalations and alerts.
- AI Automation & Predictive Analysis: Systems that decide, and forecast what comes next.
- Business Intelligence: Dashboards management can act on.
- System Integration: Making existing tools talk to each other.
- Custom ERP Platforms: Where no product fits the way you work.
- [Custom ERP Software](https://www.helmsman.in/services/enterprise-software/erp-software-development): Helmsman builds custom ERP software for companies that have outgrown their spreadsheets, or a product that almost fits them. Operations, inventory, purchase, sales and accounts work from one record, shaped around your own workflows, approvals and reports, so a number entered once is the number everyone sees.
- [CRM Software](https://www.helmsman.in/services/enterprise-software/crm-software-development): Helmsman builds custom CRM software that keeps every lead, quotation and customer conversation in one place, including the work of field sales teams and dealer networks. It is shaped around how your company sells and connected to stock and accounts, so the next person to speak to a customer knows everything the last one did.
- [HRMS & Payroll Software](https://www.helmsman.in/services/enterprise-software/hrms-payroll-software): Helmsman builds custom HRMS and payroll software that runs attendance, leave, payroll and appraisals in one flow, from the first punch of the day to the payslip. It is shaped around your own shifts, leave rules, pay structures and approvals, so payroll is worked out from the attendance behind it instead of being rebuilt in a spreadsheet each month.
- [Manufacturing & Supply Chain Software](https://www.helmsman.in/services/enterprise-software/manufacturing-software): Helmsman builds custom manufacturing and supply chain software that records production planning, job work, batches and quality checks on the floor and carries them straight into stock and costing. Procurement, vendors, stock and dispatch run as one chain on the same record, so what was ordered, made, received and shipped is never a matter of opinion.
- [Retail POS Software](https://www.helmsman.in/services/enterprise-software/pos-software-development): Helmsman builds custom point of sale (POS) software for retailers with one store or many: billing, returns and tax at the counter, with offline support so the counter keeps selling when the connection drops. Items and prices are managed centrally and pushed to every store, so head office sees store-wise and item-wise sales without assembling the picture by hand.
- [Dashboards & Business Intelligence](https://www.helmsman.in/services/enterprise-software/business-intelligence-dashboards): Helmsman builds management dashboards and business intelligence on live data from the systems that run your business. Sales, stock, production, cash and people are shown on one screen, so every department reads the same figure on the same day and nobody rebuilds the management report in Excel.
### [AI & Digital Transformation](https://www.helmsman.in/services/ai-digital-transformation)
Connecting what you already run, automating what is repeated, and modernising what has aged out.
- Software consulting: A written plan before you build.
- Process automation: Repeated work, done by the system.
- System integration: Making existing tools talk to each other.
- API development: Clean doors between systems.
- Data migration: Years of records, moved and checked.
- Legacy modernisation: Replacing what has aged out.
- Dashboards & analytics: One screen, the numbers that matter.
- AI assistants & agents: AI that answers, reads and follows up.
- AI automation & predictive analysis: Systems that decide, and forecast what comes next.
- AI matching & recommendations: The right people, products and content.
- [Software Consulting & Planning](https://www.helmsman.in/services/ai-digital-transformation/software-consulting): Helmsman software consulting is a paid study of how your business runs, ending in a written plan: what to build, in what order, how it should be structured, and roughly what it will cost and take. The plan is yours. Build it with us, or give it to your own team or another company.
- [Workflow & Process Automation](https://www.helmsman.in/services/ai-digital-transformation/workflow-process-automation): Workflow and process automation hands the steps people repeat every day to the system: raising documents, moving approvals, sending reminders and escalating what is stuck. Helmsman builds that automation around your own rules, inside the software you already run or a new system, so work moves on time without someone chasing it.
- [System Integration & API Development](https://www.helmsman.in/services/ai-digital-transformation/system-integration-api-development): System integration connects the software a business already runs, so a record created in one place appears everywhere it is needed. Helmsman connects accounting packages, store software, portals and spreadsheets, and builds APIs, the agreed ways one system asks another for data and sends it, where none exist, so an order entered once reaches invoicing, stock and the dashboard on its own.
- [AI for Your Business](https://www.helmsman.in/services/ai-digital-transformation/ai-automation-predictive-analytics): Helmsman implements AI inside the systems your business already runs: assistants that answer questions from your own data, AI that reads invoices and orders so nobody types them, chatbots on your website and WhatsApp, agents that handle routine follow-ups, and forecasts of demand and stock. Each one starts where it saves the most time or money, and people approve what matters.
- [Data Migration & Legacy Modernisation](https://www.helmsman.in/services/ai-digital-transformation/data-migration-legacy-modernisation): Data migration moves master data and open balances from old systems and spreadsheets into a new one, checked line by line, with full history moved when you want it. Legacy modernisation rebuilds software a business has outgrown while keeping the rules and knowledge built into it. Helmsman does both in stages, and rolls the new system out department by department rather than all at once.
### [Digital Products](https://www.helmsman.in/services/digital-products)
Web, mobile and SaaS platforms built for your customers, partners and field teams.
- Web Applications: Browser products for daily use.
- Mobile Applications: iOS and Android, customers and field.
- SaaS Platforms: Subscriptions, roles, multi-tenant.
- B2B Platforms: Dealer, partner and ordering networks.
- B2C Applications: Consumer products people come back to.
- E-commerce: Storefronts tied to stock and pricing.
- AI Matching & Recommendations: The right people, products and content.
- Customer Portals: Orders, documents and tickets.
- Management Dashboards: One screen, the numbers that matter.
- Partner Portals: Dealers and suppliers, self-served.
- [Web Applications & Portals](https://www.helmsman.in/services/digital-products/web-application-development): Helmsman designs and develops web applications and portals: browser-based products for your customers, dealers, partners and internal teams. Each one is connected to the systems behind it, so the orders, documents and figures people see are the ones your business actually holds.
- [Mobile App Development](https://www.helmsman.in/services/digital-products/mobile-app-development): Helmsman designs and develops mobile apps for iOS and Android, for the customers who buy from you and the teams who work in the field. Each app is designed around the few things its users open it to do, and connected to the systems behind it, so the bookings, orders and stock it shows are real.
- [UI/UX & Product Design](https://www.helmsman.in/services/digital-products/ui-ux-design): Helmsman designs digital products: user research, flows, interface design in Figma, design systems and prototypes for apps, web platforms and dashboards. Design comes before development, so screens are built around the people who will use them every day, and the same team can carry the design into a working product.
- [Website Design & Development](https://www.helmsman.in/services/digital-products/website-design-development): Helmsman designs and builds company websites for businesses in India and overseas. Each site is designed in Figma around what your visitors need to understand and then developed, often on Webflow, so the finished site matches the agreed design and reads well on desktop and mobile alike.
- [SaaS Platform Development](https://www.helmsman.in/services/digital-products/saas-platform-development): Helmsman designs and develops SaaS platforms: multi-tenant web and mobile products sold on subscription, with the roles, billing and admin needed to run them as a business. It builds the whole platform end to end, from the product your users see to the admin panel your team runs it from.
- [E-commerce Development](https://www.helmsman.in/services/digital-products/ecommerce-development): Helmsman designs and builds e-commerce stores, and can connect them to your real stock and pricing so what is sold online is what is on the shelf. A store website sits in the $1,000 to $5,000 website range; linking it to your stock, billing or accounts is priced as software, from $3,000. Its portfolio includes stores for fine jewellery, fashion, gifting, wellness and food brands, designed in Figma and several of them built on Webflow.
- [Dedicated Development Team](https://www.helmsman.in/services/digital-products/dedicated-development-team): Helmsman gives you dedicated developers who work only on your product, in your working hours. Hire by role or by technology, pay by the hour, the day or the month, and grow from one developer to a complete team or a full offshore setup in Ahmedabad, India.

## How Helmsman works
Before a line of code is written, Helmsman answers nine questions with the client's teams: how your teams actually work; how information moves between them; how decisions get made; how approvals happen; how departments interact; where work gets delayed; where data gets duplicated; where people fall back on spreadsheets; where management lacks visibility. Then seven stages:
01. Understand: Sit with your teams. Learn the business, the roles and the day-to-day reality. Output: Process map.
02. Analyse: Map current processes, find the gaps, and agree what the system has to fix. Output: Requirement document.
03. Architect: Decide the structure, the data model, the integrations and how it will scale. Output: Solution structure.
04. Design: Design screens and flows around the people who will use them every day. Output: Screens and flows.
05. Develop: Build in stages, with working software you can review as it comes together. Output: Working software.
06. Implement: Migrate data, train users, and roll out department by department. Output: Live system.
07. Evolve: Support, extend and adapt the system as the business keeps changing. Output: Ongoing support.
Details: https://www.helmsman.in/approach

## Case studies
- [One ERP, from the greenhouse to the ledger](https://www.helmsman.in/work/flower-farm-erp): A flower farm in East Africa: production, grading, inventory, sales, accounts and HRMS in a single system. Industry: Floriculture & export. Impact: Harvest, rejects and grading become stock, availability and revenue without re-entry, and management sees the farm and the accounts as one picture.
- [Retail billing, and the numbers behind it](https://www.helmsman.in/work/multi-store-retail-pos): A multi-store electronics retailer in the UAE, with a point of sale built to run the counter and answer head office. Industry: Multi-store retail. Impact: Head office sees how each store and product line is performing without waiting for a consolidation.
- [One platform, three products](https://www.helmsman.in/work/therapist-matching-platform): A therapist matching platform in India: client app, therapist panel and the admin system that runs the business. Industry: Mental health. Impact: Clients arrive at a therapist chosen on their own criteria, and the team runs both sides of the marketplace from one admin platform.
- [Every repair, from counter to collection](https://www.helmsman.in/work/repair-centre-erp): A mobile-repair chain in Southern Africa: job cards, technicians, parts, branches and accounts in one ERP. Industry: Device repair & retail. Impact: Each branch sees its own jobs, stock and profit, head office sees the whole chain, and the books close from the same entries the counter made.
- [From quotation to dispatch, on one record](https://www.helmsman.in/work/manufacturing-erp): An industrial filter manufacturer in India: sales, production routes, stores, dispatch and accounts in one ERP, replacing an older system. Industry: Industrial manufacturing. Impact: Management sees what is pending, in production, packed and dispatched on the same day, and everyone sees the part of the business they are responsible for.
- [Attendance in, payslips out](https://www.helmsman.in/work/hrms-payroll-system): An HRMS for a multi-company group in India: biometric attendance, leave, payroll, loans and roles in one system. Industry: Multi-company group. Impact: Payroll is worked out from the attendance behind it instead of being rebuilt each month, and each company's data stays its own.
- [One till system, country by country](https://www.helmsman.in/work/multi-country-retail-pos): A retail point of sale for shops in Southern Africa: tills that keep selling offline, a head office that sees every shop, and fiscal tax compliance. Industry: Electronics & mobile retail. Impact: Sales made while the line is down are sent to head office when it is back, and opening in a new country is a set-up step rather than a rebuild.

## Apps and websites (portfolio)
- [Shadow Map](https://www.helmsman.in/work/security-brigade-shadow-map) for Security Brigade: A redesign of Security Brigade's digital-risk-protection dashboard and internal web app. (Cyber security; Web app, Product design, UX research, UI design).
- [Kypson](https://www.helmsman.in/work/kypson-packaging-app) for Kypson: A mobile app that turns ordering custom packaging into a few guided steps. (Packaging; Mobile app, Product design, UX research, UI design, Development).
- [DocLink](https://www.helmsman.in/work/telemedical-app) for DocLink: A mobile and web app redesign so patients can find a doctor, book and get reminders without friction. (Healthcare; Mobile app, Web app, Product design, UX research, UI design, Development).
- [Panmedical](https://www.helmsman.in/work/doctor-appointment-app) for Panmedical: A healthcare app with two sides: patients book and consult, doctors manage their practice. (Healthcare; Mobile app, Product design, UX research, UI design, Development).
- [Humann](https://www.helmsman.in/work/therapist-booking-app) for Humann: A mental-health app that matches people with the right therapist and makes booking easy. (Mental health; Mobile app, Product design, UX research, UI design, Development).
- [AI Talent Acquisition Platform](https://www.helmsman.in/work): A web platform that automates job postings, candidate screening and interview evaluation. (HR & recruitment; Web platform, Product design, Development).
- [Aadee](https://www.helmsman.in/work/aadee-pregnancy-parenting-app) for Aadee: A pregnancy and parenting app, redesigned to be warmer and easier to follow. (Health & parenting; Mobile app, App audit, Product design, UX research, UI design).
- [I Do Planner](https://www.helmsman.in/work/i-do-planner-wedding-app) for I Do Planner: One app to plan a wedding: budget, vendors, guests and ideas in one place. (Weddings & events; Mobile app, Product design, UX research, UI design).
- [ArchiLink](https://www.helmsman.in/work/archilink-app) for ArchiLink: File and project management for architects, across every project phase. (Architecture; Mobile app, Tablet app, Product design, UX research, UI design).
- [Tuine](https://www.helmsman.in/work/dating-networking-app) for Tuine: A dating and networking app built on smart matching instead of endless swiping. (Social & dating; Mobile app, Product design, UX research, UI design).
- [Parkease](https://www.helmsman.in/work/parking-app) for Parkease: City-wide parking at your fingertips: find, reserve and pay before you arrive. (Mobility; Mobile app, Product design, UX research, UI design).
- [Citizen Help Desk](https://www.helmsman.in/work/citizen-help-desk-app): A city and township help-desk app, redesigned so residents can reach civic services quickly. (Civic services; Mobile app, Product design, UX research, UI design).
- [Mobile banking app](https://www.helmsman.in/work/mobile-banking-app): A banking app rethought around clear navigation, budgeting and nudges to save. (Banking & finance; Mobile app, App audit, Product design, UX research, UI design).
- [Raniwala](https://www.helmsman.in/work/raniwala-jewellery-website) for Raniwala: A website for a heritage bridal jewellery house, as rich on a phone as on a desktop. (Bridal jewellery; Website design, Development).
- [Zeff](https://www.helmsman.in/work/zeff-jewellery-ecommerce) for Zeff: An e-commerce store for fine jewellery that lets the pieces take centre stage. (Fine jewellery; E-commerce, Website design, Development).
- [Little by Little](https://www.behance.net/gallery/230310515/Little-by-Little-E-Commerce-Website-for-Jewlery) for Little by Little: An e-commerce store for jewellery, accessories, apparel and gifting. (Accessories & gifting; E-commerce, Website design, Development).
- [The Chic Indian](https://www.helmsman.in/work/the-chic-indian-ecommerce) for The Chic Indian: A fashion e-commerce site with an editorial, monochrome look. (Fashion; E-commerce, Website design, Development).
- [Blissful Being](https://www.helmsman.in/work/blissful-being-ecommerce) for Blissful Being: An online store for wellness products and essential oils. (Wellness; E-commerce, Website design, Development).
- [Navdhan](https://www.behance.net/gallery/231042611/Navdhan-Grain-Flour) for Navdhan: An online store for a sprouted-grain flour brand. (Food & grocery; E-commerce, Website design, Development).
- [Copper Crush](https://www.helmsman.in/work/copper-crush-website) for Copper Crush: A business and e-commerce site for an art and interior design atelier. (Art & interiors; E-commerce, Website design, Development).
- [Shepherd's Knight](https://www.helmsman.in/work/law-firm-website) for Shepherd's Knight: A corporate website for a legal and strategic consultancy. (Legal; Corporate website, Website design, Development).
- [Birch Swing Group](https://www.helmsman.in/work/birch-swing-group-website) for Birch Swing Group: A website for an investment group that scales established businesses. (Investment; Corporate website, Website design, Development).
- [Bridgewater AG](https://www.helmsman.in/work/bridgewater-ag-website) for Bridgewater AG: A website for an investment firm that puts investors first. (Investment; Corporate website, Website design, Development).
- [MAAT](https://www.behance.net/gallery/231394779/MAAT-Investment) for MAAT: A website for an investment business, designed in Figma and built on Webflow. (Investment; Corporate website, Website design, Development).
- [Bankai Labs](https://www.behance.net/gallery/230312269/Bankai-Labs-R-D-AI-Tools-for-Banking) for Bankai Labs: A website for a deep-tech lab building AI tools for banking. (AI & banking R&D; Corporate website, Website design, Development).
- [Bankai Compositech](https://www.behance.net/gallery/230311259/Bankai-Compositech-Manufacturing-Engineering-Website) for Bankai Compositech: An industrial website for a composites manufacturing and engineering company. (Manufacturing; Industrial website, Website design, Development).
- [Aneeta Packaging](https://www.helmsman.in/work/aneeta-packaging-website) for Aneeta Packaging: A website for a packaging exporter that wants to be its buyers' first call. (Packaging export; Corporate website, Website design, Development).
- [QAPITOL QA](https://www.behance.net/gallery/231041655/QAPITOL-QA-Quality-and-Software-Testing-Consultancy) for QAPITOL QA: A website for a quality engineering and software testing consultancy. (Software testing; Corporate website, Website design, Development).
- [Humann India](https://www.behance.net/gallery/230312601/Humann-India-Health-Wellness-Industry) for Humann India: A website for a mental-health and wellness brand. (Wellness; Website, Website design, Development).
- [ImagiNxt](https://www.behance.net/gallery/231043065/IMAGINXT-Experiential-Events-Media) for ImagiNxt: A website for an experiential events and media company. (Events & media; Corporate website, Website design, Development).
- [Shree Shakti Cargo](https://www.behance.net/gallery/231319163/Shree-Shakti-Cargo-Shipment-Delivery) for Shree Shakti Cargo: A website for a cargo and shipment delivery company. (Logistics; Corporate website, Website design, Development).
- [Baesic Fit](https://www.behance.net/gallery/231392799/Beasic-Fit) for Baesic Fit: A website for a modern nutrition and wellness brand. (Nutrition & wellness; Website, Website design, Development).
- [Ideas In Pixel](https://www.behance.net/gallery/231394175/Ideas-In-Pixel) for Ideas In Pixel: A website for a SaaS company. (SaaS; SaaS website, Website design, Development).
- [Venture & Prosper](https://www.behance.net/gallery/231396883/Venture-Prosper) for Venture & Prosper: A website for a SaaS company helping founders build what matters. (SaaS; SaaS website, Website design, Development).
- More on Behance: https://www.behance.net/Helmsman-Consultancy

## Industries (one page each, with a live system behind it)
- [Manufacturing](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/manufacturing): A manufacturing ERP puts quotations, work orders, production stages, stores and dispatch on one record, so the office and the shop floor see the same picture. Helmsman builds it around your own production routes, and Tally can stay for the accounts. Proof: An industrial filter manufacturer in India replaced an older system with an ERP of more than 110 screens. Quotation, work order, production route, stores, packing and dispatch now sit on one record. Each salesperson works only with their own customers, and invoices go across to the accounting package.
- [Packaging](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/packaging): Packaging is made to order: every job has its own size, board, print and quantity. Helmsman designs ordering apps that let buyers configure and track custom packaging, builds websites for packaging exporters, and develops make-to-order ERPs that carry each job from quotation to dispatch. Proof: An ordering app for Kypson, so a business can configure, order and track custom packaging in a few guided steps. A website for Aneeta Packaging, a packaging exporter, made to put it first on a buyer's list. A make-to-order manufacturing ERP in India: quotation, work order, production route, stores and dispatch on one record.
- [Repair centres](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/repair-centres): Repair centre software tracks every device from the counter to the technician, the parts used, the deposit taken and the day it is collected, with branches, stock and accounts in the same system. Helmsman builds it around how your repair chain works. Proof: A mobile-repair chain in Africa went live in September 2026, with several branches and a central warehouse. Its tills take two currencies, and 12 exception checks run on the data. The audit after the first week of trading balanced.
- [Retail & POS](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/retail): A multi-branch retail POS bills at the counter, keeps selling when the connection drops, and sends every sale to one head office that runs prices, stock and reports for all your shops. Helmsman builds it as one software for every shop, with tax and currency rules added country by country. Proof: One till software runs four retail companies, each with its own shops. Tills keep selling offline and check that head office has everything they sent. Drawers take more than one currency, and a multi-store retailer in the UAE runs on the same approach.
- [Flower farms & agri-export](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/agriculture-export): A farm ERP records production where it happens, in the greenhouse, the bed and the harvest, and carries it into grading, stock, sales, payroll and the books, so the farm and the accounts are one picture. Helmsman built one for a flower farm in East Africa. Proof: A flower farm in East Africa runs production, grading, stock, sales, payroll and accounts in one system. Sales in foreign currency and local costs are kept in the same books, with exchange differences worked out. Its books were moved off NetSuite, and the opening trial balance matched to the cent.
- [HR & recruitment](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/hr-recruitment): Helmsman builds the systems HR teams and recruiters run on: an AI platform that posts roles, screens applicants and evaluates interviews, and an HRMS that pulls biometric attendance into leave and payroll for several companies at once. Proof: An HRMS for a multi-company group in India with about 350 active staff, syncing biometric attendance twice a day. An AI talent acquisition platform that automates job postings, screening and interview evaluation.
- [Healthcare & wellness](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/healthcare): Helmsman designs and builds healthcare products: telemedicine and doctor-booking apps, therapist matching, patient records and the admin systems behind them. Our work includes apps for DocLink, Panmedical and Aadee, and Humann's therapist matching platform, built end to end. Proof: A therapist matching platform for Humann in India & Europe, built end to end: client app, therapist web panel and the admin system that runs the business, with Humann India's website alongside. Telemedicine and doctor-booking apps for DocLink and Panmedical, each with a patient side and a doctor side. A pregnancy and parenting app for Aadee, made around how people feel when they use it.
- [Jewellery](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/jewellery): Helmsman designs and builds jewellery websites and online stores that let the pieces sell themselves, with collections, appointments and checkout that work on a phone. Behind the counter, we build the stock and billing system around weight, purity and making charges. Proof: A website for Raniwala, a heritage bridal jewellery house, with collections, celebrity brides, press and appointments one tap away. An online store for Zeff fine jewellery, where the photography does the selling. An online store for Little by Little: jewellery, accessories, apparel and gifting.
- [D2C & lifestyle brands](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/d2c-brands): Helmsman designs and builds online stores and websites for direct-to-consumer brands in fashion, wellness, food and interiors: product pages that sell, a checkout with nothing in the way, and launches that open to a waiting list. Proof: Online stores for The Chic Indian (fashion), Little by Little (accessories and gifting), Blissful Being (wellness) and Navdhan (food). A members' pre-access page with privilege pricing for The Chic Indian's launch. Brand websites for Copper Crush (art and interiors) and Baesic Fit (nutrition).
- [Investment & finance](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/investment-finance): Helmsman designs and builds websites for investment groups and fintech labs: clear on thesis, portfolio and team, institutional in feel, and easy for investors to use on a phone. Behind them, we build investor portals and the approvals and reporting they need. Proof: Websites for three investment firms: Birch Swing Group (buyout and growth investment), Bridgewater AG and MAAT. A website for Bankai Labs, a deep-tech lab building AI tools for banking. A mobile banking app concept: an audit and redesign of navigation, budgeting and saving nudges.
- [Professional services](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/professional-services): Helmsman designs and builds for law firms, architects and consultancies: websites that make expertise clear at first glance, and project tools that keep files, drawings, tasks and clients in one place. Proof: A corporate website for Shepherd's Knight, a legal and strategic consultancy. ArchiLink, a file and project management app for architects, on phone and tablet. A website for QAPITOL QA, a quality engineering and software testing consultancy.
- [Technology & SaaS](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/technology-saas): Helmsman designs dashboards and web apps around how people actually use them, builds websites that explain a product in one screen, and develops SaaS platforms end to end. We redesigned Security Brigade's security operations platform and built websites for SaaS companies. Proof: A redesign of Shadow Map, Security Brigade's digital-risk-protection platform: the dashboard and internal web app screens, designed around how analysts work. Websites for two SaaS companies, Ideas In Pixel and Venture & Prosper. A therapist matching platform built end to end: client app, therapist panel and admin platform.
- [Events & weddings](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/events-weddings): Helmsman designs planning apps that keep a wedding's budget, vendors, guests and tasks in one place, and builds websites for event companies that show the experience before anyone picks up the phone. Proof: I Do Planner, a wedding planning app that keeps budget, vendors, guest lists, tasks and inspiration in one place. A website for ImagiNxt, an experiential events and media company.
- [Logistics & mobility](https://www.helmsman.in/industries/logistics): Helmsman builds websites for cargo companies, designs mobility apps such as city-wide parking, and builds the dispatch and warehouse side of ERPs: the transporter and consignment note on every order, and stock moved between warehouse and branches by transfer. Proof: A website for Shree Shakti Cargo, a cargo and shipment delivery company. Parkease, a city-wide parking app with real-time availability, reservations and cashless payment. Dispatch with transporter and consignment note in a manufacturing ERP, and warehouse-to-branch transfers in a repair-chain ERP.

## [Pricing](https://www.helmsman.in/pricing)
A custom ERP, business software or mobile app from Helmsman starts at $3,000 for a single module and typically costs $3,000 to $80,000. Larger systems are priced after a study and built in parts. A website costs $1,000 to $5,000. Every price is fixed in writing before work starts, and the code is yours once paid.
- ERP, custom software or mobile app, a single module: $3,000 to $10,000. Stock control, job cards for a repair centre, or a booking app.
- ERP, custom software or mobile app, connected modules: $10,000 to $40,000. Sales, purchase, stock and accounts for one company, or an app with its own admin portal.
- ERP, custom software or mobile app, a full erp: $40,000 to $80,000. Several companies, branches and currencies, with payroll, approvals and dashboards.
- ERP, custom software or mobile app, large and multi-country systems: $80,000 and above. Several plants or countries and many integrations. Priced after a study and built in parts.
- Websites: $1,000 to $5,000. A company website, landing pages, or an online store with its catalogue.
- Fixed in writing: The price is agreed in writing before work starts.
- Paid in parts: Bigger systems are built and paid one working part at a time.
- The code is yours: Source code, database and documents, once paid.
- No fee per user: Adding users is free, today and later.
- Support if you want it: 15 to 20% of the build a year, fixed. Optional.
- No licence to renew: Nothing switches off if you stop paying a subscription.

## [Your ERP, your code](https://www.helmsman.in/your-erp-your-code)
When we build your ERP, it is yours: once the build is paid in full, the source code passes to you, with the database and the documents that explain it. You pay for the build, never per user, and the system stays yours whether or not you keep working with us.
- The source code: Yours once the build is paid in full. Kept in a code repository you control, or in ours with access for you; either way works.
- The database: Microsoft SQL Server, which you can open, back up and report from with tools your team may already use.
- The documents: How the screens, data and rules fit together, and how to install and update it, so another team can follow it.
- Hosting: Run it on your own server or cloud account, or let us host it and look after it. You choose, and you can change your mind later.
- No licence to renew: Add people, branches and companies without a bill that grows with them.
- A single module: From $3,000
- Bigger systems: Built and paid one working part at a time
- Adding users: Free
- Support after go-live, if you want it: 15 to 20% of the build a year

## Comparisons (custom ERP vs ready-made products)
Facts about other products come from the vendors' own websites, each with the date it was checked. Index: https://www.helmsman.in/compare
- [Custom ERP vs Tally](https://www.helmsman.in/compare/custom-erp-vs-tally): Tally is excellent, low-cost accounting software for one office. A custom ERP is worth it when you run several branches, need approvals or production planning, or want software built around how you work and owned by you. Tally fits if you run one office, your work is mostly accounts, GST and stock, and you want to start today on a small budget. A custom ERP fits if you run several branches, need approvals or production planning, and want a small team to study your business and build a system you own.
- [Custom ERP vs Zoho](https://www.helmsman.in/compare/custom-erp-vs-zoho): Zoho is cheap and quick to start for one company with standard accounts and stock. You rent it per organisation and per user, within plan limits on users, invoices, orders and API calls. A custom ERP fits when you run several companies, manufacture to your own routes or have outgrown those limits, and want software built around you that you own. Zoho fits if you are one company with standard accounts and stock, a small team, and you want to start this week on a small budget. A custom ERP fits if you run several companies or branches, manufacture to your own routes, or keep hitting plan limits, and want a system built around you that you own.
- [Custom ERP vs Odoo](https://www.helmsman.in/compare/custom-erp-vs-odoo): Odoo is a strong product if your processes are standard. You rent it per user per month, and making it fit your own way of working means a higher plan, partner hours and a fee to maintain custom code. A custom ERP is built around how you work, and it is yours to keep. Odoo fits if your processes are standard, the budget is tight, and you want to start this month. A custom ERP fits if your way of working is your edge, and you want a small team that studies it first and builds a system you own.
- [Custom ERP vs SAP Business One](https://www.helmsman.in/compare/custom-erp-vs-sap-business-one): SAP Business One is SAP's ERP for small and midsize businesses, with over 85,000 customers. SAP publishes no price: a partner sells, implements and supports it, with a licence for every named user and for every country. A custom ERP is built around how you work, has no user fees, and is yours once paid. SAP Business One fits if your processes fit a proven product, you want the SAP name, and you are ready to work with an SAP partner on licences, the implementation and yearly support. A custom ERP fits if your way of working is your edge, you want one small team instead of a product and a partner, and you want to own your system rather than license it per user.
- [Custom ERP vs NetSuite](https://www.helmsman.in/compare/custom-erp-vs-netsuite): NetSuite is Oracle's complete cloud ERP, strong for groups with many companies and standard processes. You pay a licence every year for the platform, your modules and every user, plus a one-time implementation fee, and Oracle publishes no price list. A custom ERP is built around how you work, has no user fees, and is yours once paid. NetSuite fits if you run several companies across countries, your processes are close to standard, and you have the budget for a yearly licence and an implementation partner. A custom ERP fits if your way of working is your edge, you want to stop paying per user, and you want a small team that studies your business first and builds a system you own.
- [Custom ERP vs QuickBooks](https://www.helmsman.in/compare/custom-erp-vs-quickbooks): QuickBooks Online is good, low-cost accounting software for a small team. It is charged per company every month, each plan caps its users, and inventory, approvals and manufacturing sit in higher plans or in Intuit's US-only ERP. It has not been available in India since July 2023. A custom ERP runs the whole business, has no user fees, and is yours once paid. QuickBooks fits if you need accounts, invoicing and VAT for one company with a few users, and want to start today for a small monthly fee. A custom ERP fits if you run several companies or branches, hold stock or make things, need approvals, or work in India, and want a system built around you that you own.

## Insights (plain-language guides)
- [When should a business stop running on Excel?](https://www.helmsman.in/insights/when-to-stop-running-your-business-on-excel): When the same figure is typed into more than one sheet, when month-end takes days of reconciling, or when only one person understands the file, the spreadsheet has become the business's bottleneck. Move the one process that hurts most into a proper system first, rather than everything at once.
- [Custom ERP or ready-made software: how to decide](https://www.helmsman.in/insights/custom-erp-vs-ready-made-software): Choose ready-made software when your process is standard and you are happy to work the way the product works. Choose a custom system when the way you work is part of your edge, when you run several entities or unusual flows, or when your team already lives on workarounds to make a product fit.
- [How a custom software project runs, stage by stage](https://www.helmsman.in/insights/how-a-custom-software-project-runs): A custom software project runs in seven stages: understand, analyse, architect, design, develop, implement and evolve. The first two (mapping how your business really works and writing down what the system must do) decide whether the other five are worth anything.
- [What does it mean to connect your software?](https://www.helmsman.in/insights/what-system-integration-means): Connecting your software means making your tools pass information to each other automatically, so something entered once (an order, a payment, an attendance punch) updates every other system that needs it. It removes re-typing, the errors that come with it, and the wait for reports.
- [Five questions to ask before buying any business software](https://www.helmsman.in/insights/questions-to-ask-before-buying-business-software): Before buying business software, ask whether it does exactly what you need, whether growth is a setting or a project, whether the vendor is reachable, whether reports still need building by hand, and whether the data stays yours. One "no" is usually where the hours go; two or more mean the software will cost more time than it saves.
- [Moving from Tally to a custom ERP: a step-by-step guide](https://www.helmsman.in/insights/moving-from-tally-to-a-custom-erp): Most businesses do not need to throw Tally away. The usual move is to keep Tally for accounts and GST, and run sales, stock, production and approvals in a custom ERP that sends every invoice to Tally on its own. Masters and opening balances are taken from Tally and checked line by line, the first part goes live in 6 to 10 weeks, and the switch happens at the start of a month, never in the middle.

## Frequently asked questions
### What does Helmsman do?
Helmsman Consultancy builds software for businesses: the systems that run your operations (ERP, CRM, HRMS), automation that connects your tools, and the apps, websites and SaaS products your customers use. It is based in Ahmedabad, India.
### Custom software or a ready-made product?
Usually custom. Helmsman builds around the way you already work, so you do not have to change your business to fit the software. Where a ready-made product fits, we say so.
### How does a project start?
With your business, not with code. We sit with your teams, map how work actually moves, and agree a requirement document before anything is built.
### What are the stages of a project?
Seven: Understand, Analyse, Architect, Design, Develop, Implement and Evolve. The first two decide whether the other five are worth anything.
### Can you connect the software we already use?
Usually yes, if the other system has a way in, such as an API or a data export. We make your existing tools talk to each other, so an order typed once updates billing, stock and reports on its own.
### Which industries do you work with?
Manufacturing, trading, retail, services, healthcare, education, jewellery, finance and consumer brands, in India and overseas.
### Where is Helmsman based?
In Ahmedabad, India, at A-603 Shapath Hexa. We work with clients in India and overseas. Call +91 94086 64922 or email contact@helmsman.in.
### Is our information kept confidential?
Yes. We sign an NDA on every project, which is why most of our case studies don't name the client.
### What happens after the system goes live?
We stay on: supporting, extending and adapting the system as your business changes.
### How can we work with you?
As a full custom build, a modernisation of old software, a product we design and build, a dedicated team, or consulting. Every engagement starts with response times and check-ins agreed in writing.

## Optional
- [Full details: every service, case study, industry and answer](https://www.helmsman.in/llms-full.txt)