Local, approachable partnership
INDEPENDENT SOFTWARE STUDIO / SYDNEY
Understand the
business.
Then build.
Not every business problem needs a new system. We learn how your business actually works, find the friction worth removing, then build or connect the technology that makes sense.
Hornsby, Sydney · Since 2014 · Custom software, not SaaS packages
Kai Liao FOUNDER
INDEPENDENT DEVELOPER
INDEPENDENT DEVELOPER
ENGINEERING BACKGROUND 20+ years in software
You speak directly
to the builder. DIRECT PARTNERSHIP ↗
to the builder. DIRECT PARTNERSHIP ↗
PORTRAIT / SOURCE: Coco WEBSITE
Independent software studio
Software and product engineering
From brief to ongoing improvement
01 / WHAT WE BELIEVE
The right problem
comes before the code.
A feature list describes what someone asked for. The more useful questions are why customers leave, where staff repeat work, and what is holding the business back.
01 / BUSINESS FIRST
You ask for a new site.
We ask what needs
to change.
Is it about being discovered, helping interested buyers convert, or making repeat purchases easier? Each goal calls for a different design and workflow.
02 / FIT THE OPERATION
Software should fit
the business.
Wholesale sales have negotiated prices. Retail operations have specific ordering and delivery rules. We work with those realities instead of forcing everyone into one template.
03 / BUILD ONLY WHAT HELPS
Keep what works.
Improve what doesn't.
Sometimes one WordPress extension, payment integration or targeted order-flow improvement is enough. We build a larger custom system when the problem genuinely calls for it.
02 / THE PERSON BEHIND COCO
No account-manager
telephone game.
Work directly with the person responsible for the technical decisions and delivery. Fewer handovers, clearer conversations.
Kai Liao.
I'm Kai, founder of Coco. After more than 20 years in software, I keep coming back to one question: how do we make complex technology genuinely useful to the people who rely on it?
My background includes engineering work at Westpac and Xero. That experience shaped how I think about reliability, maintainability and the changes software needs to support as a business evolves.
I started Coco in 2014 to bring that engineering mindset to Australian small businesses. You may not have an in-house product manager or tech team—but you still deserve someone who can understand the problem, make sound choices and take responsibility after launch.
“I want the work to be worth doing for the business—not just a feature delivered to specification.” Coco / FOUNDER'S VIEWPOINT · EDITORIAL SUMMARY
That's why I value longer working relationships. As customers, teams and workflows change, we can improve what exists without rediscovering the whole business each time.
Local & direct Based in Hornsby, Sydney; practical communication throughout.
English & Mandarin For businesses serving local and Chinese-speaking communities.
Engineering depth Built to operate, maintain and evolve—not just launch.
Bespoke, not SaaS No packaged subscription to squeeze your business into.
03 / HOW THAT SHOWS UP IN PRACTICE
Partnership should
make things clearer.
Our difference isn't a longer list of technologies. It's how the work gets done and how that affects the person running the business.
First understand
the bottleneck.
We might start with one order, one enquiry or one employee's workflow. Getting the problem right matters more than listing twenty features.
“
Speak with
the builder.
The business context, design choices and technical implementation stay in one conversation—with fewer layers in between.
↗
The smallest
useful solution.
If an extension or integration solves it, we start there. The scope should match the value—not the other way around.
◎
Stay useful
after launch.
Businesses keep evolving. We agree on support and maintenance arrangements clearly so improvements are possible long after go-live.
↝
04 / REAL WORK, REAL BUSINESS CONTEXT
The work is
the best evidence.
Some projects need a better customer entry point. Others involve teams, trade processes and existing systems. We don't claim that software alone caused a client's growth.
Hansford FOOD WHOLESALE / B2B
Orders negotiated on store visits needed to reach an existing finance workflow accurately. We built around field ordering, stock and batch visibility, then continued improving the system.
8 yr documented engagement
Hansford case JStudio WHOLESALE / WECHAT DISTRIBUTION
Founder-dependent WeChat transactions evolved into structured price lookup, reseller ordering and shared operational information over approximately five years. A historical project.
5 yr historical engagement
JStudio case OmiPay PAYMENT INTEGRATIONS
Payment technology collaboration, e-commerce plugin development and merchant enablement—evidence of engineering and implementation, not only channel referrals.
TECH partner case
OmiPay case Project descriptions are based on public Coco case studies and interview notes. Engagement duration is historical, not a guarantee. Reconfirm current OmiPay partner status before publication. See case studies ↗.
05 / HOW WE WORK TOGETHER
One real problem.
A working solution.
The process can be lighter or more involved depending on the project. These four decisions matter either way. Select a stage to explore.
THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP
COCO / PROJECT THINKING 01 OF 04
Where does the friction live?
From how customers discover you to how staff handle orders and where information is re-entered. Map the current reality before choosing tools.
“Can you walk me through a real order from last week?”
CURRENT STATE / DISCOVERY
Where does the customer start? 01
What requires manual handling? 02
What matters most? 03
What should we build—and leave out?
Evaluate an existing platform, a plugin, an API integration or a bespoke build. Agree on scope, deliverables, costs and what's deliberately out.
“What is the smallest change that makes a difference?”
SOLUTION / DECISIONS
Business priority ✓
Systems to keep ✓
Agreed scope and budget ✓
See it, test it, shape it.
Review progress during delivery, test the critical customer and operational flows, and resolve misunderstandings before they become expensive handovers.
“Would this really work on a busy day?”
BUILD / CHECKPOINTS
Design and trade rules ✓
Critical path testing ✓
Launch readiness ✓
Keep improving what works.
Products, customers and processes change. With agreed maintenance and development arrangements, the software can change too.
“What is now limiting the next stage of growth?”
LIFECYCLE / LONG-TERM VALUE
Maintenance & support ✓
Adapt the workflow ✓
Prioritise new needs ✓
06 / ARE WE A GOOD FIT?
The right fit
works both ways.
Not every problem deserves custom code. We want to find the right level of investment—even when the right advice is to build less.
A GOOD FIT
We may be a good fit if...
You want a partner who can understand the business and deliver the technology reliably.
- You want better acquisition, conversion, retention or operations
- You have a platform that needs a focused extension, payment connection or integration
- Your business process doesn't fit a one-size-fits-all tool
- You value direct communication, maintainability and continuity
AN HONEST START
Sometimes simpler is better.
More custom development isn't automatically better. We can be candid about what doesn't need building.
- If an existing tool works well, there's no need to rebuild it
- If the business goal is unclear, test the direction before writing a specification
- If the issue is focused, start with a targeted improvement
- If we're not the right match, we'll explain why
THE FIRST STEP IS A CONVERSATION
You don't need a brief.
Just tell me what's not working.
A practical conversation about your customers, orders or everyday operations. If there's a good fit, we can work out the next useful step.
Coco / HORNSBY, SYDNEY / INDEPENDENT SINCE 2014