Plutio has cut my invoicing workload in half - and with automation, I think I can reduce it by another 50%.

“Plutio makes me feel blue chip, even though I’m often a one-man band.”
- Simon Longson - .NET Developer & Entrepreneur

Meet Simon - The Builder Behind the Build

Before Plutio, Simon Longson had already spent two decades deep in the trenches of bespoke web development. Coding since the Dragon 32 (look it up, Gen Z), Simon’s first real taste of design freedom came from - of all things - MySpace.

“I loved how you could tweak everything - the colors, the layout, the feel. It was personal. That stuck with me.”

He left university early after landing a placement at a local company, which turned into a full-time role and, eventually, co-ownership. 

Today, Simon runs a UK-based .NET development agency, building custom platforms for plant nurseries, logistics firms, au pair agencies and more. He specialises in helping “small” businesses take that scary step into the world of “medium.”

“I love that transition - when a business hits its first million and things start to get real. That’s where I can make the biggest impact.”

The Pain of Piecing It All Together

Before Plutio, Simon’s workday was a masterclass in tool chaos.

There was Jira for project tracking.

Confluence for wikis.

ClickUp for tasks.

Spreadsheets for CRM.

QuickBooks for invoicing.

Word docs for who-knows-what.

Oh and everything was stored locally. No cloud. Just risk.

“If the server went down, we could’ve lost everything - all our client data, gone.”

This setup might’ve worked in theory. But in practice? It was messy, brittle and slow. Every project meant context-switching between tabs, platforms and file systems - killing productivity and destroying any sense of flow.

“The speed at which we could do things was constantly interrupted. Logging in here, switching there... It just chips away at your day.”

The Moment Everything Clicked

Simon first stumbled across Plutio on AppSumo - during a time when new project tools were popping up like weeds.

But Plutio wasn’t like the rest.

“It felt like a blank canvas. The others had their own way of doing things. Plutio let me build my way.”

That openness - the freedom to customize without restriction - reminded him of why he got into tech in the first place.

The interface felt sleek. Intuitive. Familiar. Within minutes, he felt at home.

“I pretty much fell in love with it. And that’s saying something, because I was already deep in ClickUp and Jira.”

From Spaghetti Stack to Seamless Flow

What really hooked Simon wasn’t just the interface. It was the invoicing.

“I could make my invoices feel high-end - branded, professional, unique. Suddenly, I looked like a blue chip company, not a solo dev.”

From there, it snowballed. With just one login, Simon now manages everything:

• Invoices & tax tracking
• Recurring subscriptions
• CRM & client records
• Scheduling
• Branded forms
• White-labeled portals
• Internal chats
• Automation (with more coming)

“Everything’s in one place. I don’t break flow anymore. I stay in the zone and things just get done.”

And the impact?

“Invoicing used to take hours. Now it takes half the time - and once I get my automations set up properly, I think I’ll cut that in half again.”

Blue Chip Branding for a One-Man Band

Simon doesn’t just use Plutio - he bends it to his will.

Take his invoicing setup: gradient-coloured invoices that convert to clean black-and-white when printed - all thanks to custom CSS.

“Most systems can’t handle that. But with Plutio, I made it look great online and efficient on paper. Saved on ink too.”

His white-labeled client portal? So polished, clients often assume it was custom-built just for them.

“It feels like something we made - and that gives clients instant confidence.”

He even built a custom field called “Filed” so he can flag invoices that have been sent to his accountant - saving time and avoiding mistakes.

It's little touches like these that make his entire system feel tailored, not templated.

Real Hacks from a Real Power User

Simon’s not just a user - he’s a builder. Here are a few tricks he’s picked up:

• Use forms as emergency data capture. When a bug wiped some customer info from his ice rink ticketing system, Simon spun up a Plutio form in minutes to recover it. Crisis averted.
• Automate status changes. He’s working on a flow where when an invoice is marked “paid,” it’ll auto-email his accountant and update its status - no clicks required.
• Use scheduling for subscriptions. Hosting renewals, domain names, monthly services - they’re now locked and loaded on repeat. No more missed payments.

“I automate as much as I can. And with Plutio, I can automate even more.”

The Backbone of the Business

When asked what he’d say to someone on the fence about Plutio, Simon didn’t hesitate:

“It’s brilliant. I don’t need to look anywhere else. If I want to do something, I know I can probably do it in Plutio.”

And this isn’t lip service. 

Plutio isn’t just part of his stack - it is the stack.

“Plutio is the backbone of my business. If it disappeared… honestly, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Even during the brief moment of uncertainty about Plutio’s future, Simon admitted it shook his confidence.

“I was worried. I pulled back a bit. But I came back - because nothing else gives me what Plutio does.”

What’s Next for Simon?

After a difficult season personally, Simon’s now regaining focus and rebuilding momentum. His plan?

• Expand his client base
• Take on new, high-value projects
• Scale his systems using Plutio at the core

“Now that things are stable again, I’m getting back to outreach and growth. And Plutio’s going to power that next chapter.”

Beyond the Code: Simon’s Story

When he’s not deep in the weeds automating workflows or helping clients scale with rock-solid backend systems…

Simon Longson isn’t afraid to step outside his comfort zone - and sometimes, way outside.

Case in point?

He once packed up the whole team and flew to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands (almost 2000 miles away) for a team-building adventure that included kiteboarding and exploring volcanic beaches.

“We went from code to kiteboards. I came back with the smoothest feet of my life — volcanic sand does wonders,” he laughs.

That same spirit - practical, playful and willing to dive in the deep end - is what fuels his client work today.

Want Simon to help you build a robust backend system to scale your business?

Check out his work here: [link placeholder]

Thinking of Switching?

If you’re a freelancer or small business owner still duct-taping tools together, here’s Simon’s advice:

“You don’t have to feel limited. Plutio’s a blank canvas. If you know what you want - you can build it.”