Over the past several months, I’ve been working behind the scenes on a new project called GlideUp.
GlideUp is a business management platform being built for freelancers, web designers, agencies, hosting companies and other digital service businesses. The aim is to bring the tools needed to run a business into one clear and easy-to-use platform.
Instead of switching between separate systems for clients, projects, invoices, quotes, support and hosting, GlideUp will bring everything together in one place.
What is GlideUp?
GlideUp is being designed to help digital businesses manage their day-to-day work without relying on a complicated collection of disconnected tools.
The platform is planned to include:
- Client and company management
- Projects, tasks and milestones
- Quotes and invoices
- Recurring billing and subscriptions
- Contracts and digital signatures
- Expenses and payment records
- Support tickets
- Client portals
- Hosting and domain management
- Business reports and insights
- Automations to reduce repetitive admin
Not every feature is complete yet, but the main platform is actively being developed and improved.
Why I started building it
Running McKeon Digital has helped me understand how quickly business admin can become spread across different systems.
A client’s contact details might be stored in one place, their project tasks somewhere else, invoices in another platform and support requests mixed into emails or messages.
Each tool might work well individually, but managing several of them together can become expensive, confusing and time-consuming.
I wanted to build something that felt more connected and was designed specifically around how freelancers and small digital businesses actually work.
That idea became GlideUp.
Built for digital service businesses
GlideUp isn’t being built as a general-purpose system for every type of company.
The main focus is on businesses that provide ongoing digital services, including:
- Web designers and developers
- Creative and marketing agencies
- Freelancers
- IT support providers
- Hosting companies
- Designers and content creators
- Small digital teams
These businesses often manage a mixture of one-off projects, ongoing services, monthly subscriptions, client requests and technical work. GlideUp is being built to handle those different parts of the business without making things unnecessarily complicated.
A better experience for clients
GlideUp won’t only be for the business using it. Clients will also have access to their own portal.
Through the portal, clients will be able to view information connected to their account, including projects, invoices, quotes, contracts, support requests and services.
The aim is to give clients one clear place to find what they need, rather than searching through old emails or asking for documents to be sent again.
Making everyday work easier with AI
Artificial intelligence will also be introduced across parts of GlideUp to make common tasks quicker.
Rather than replacing the person running the business, the AI features will be designed to help with repetitive admin. This could include helping users create projects, prepare invoice descriptions, draft quotes, summarise information and provide useful business insights.
The focus will be on practical features that save time rather than adding AI simply for the sake of it.
Where the project is now
GlideUp is currently in active development.
A large amount of the core platform has already been built, but there is still work to do before it is ready for a full public launch. This includes testing the billing systems, improving onboarding, completing unfinished features and making sure the platform is secure and reliable.
I’m also working on the public website, pricing, demonstrations and documentation so businesses can properly understand how the platform works before signing up.
What’s next?
Over the coming months, I’ll be sharing more updates as GlideUp gets closer to launch.
These updates will include feature previews, screenshots, development progress and more information about how the platform will help different types of digital businesses.
There will also be opportunities for early users to test the platform and provide feedback before the wider release.
A personal project with big plans
GlideUp is the biggest project I’ve worked on so far.
It combines many of the areas I enjoy most, including web development, business systems, automation, design and solving real problems.
Building it alongside McKeon Digital also means I can use my own experience of managing clients and projects to shape how the platform works.
There is still plenty to build and improve, but I’m excited to finally start sharing the project publicly.
Follow the GlideUp journey
More information about GlideUp will be released as development continues.
Whether you’re a freelancer, web designer, agency or hosting business, GlideUp is being built to help you spend less time managing disconnected systems and more time focusing on your clients and your work.
