About
I'm Corby. I fix the back-office systems trade businesses promise themselves they'll fix every January.
Why I Started This
I spent years watching good trade businesses run themselves into the ground over the same three things: missed calls, no follow-up, no reviews. Not because the owners were bad at their work — most of them were the best in town at the actual trade. But the back-office side was held together with sticky notes, voicemail, and a personal Gmail address.
Software vendors kept selling them tools and disappearing. Marketing agencies kept selling them ads they didn't need. Nobody was just doing the unsexy operational work that would actually move the needle.
So I started TX Trade Shop to do exactly that.
What I Believe
Three things shape every engagement:
Trade owners aren't the problem. The systems are.
The chaos a small trade business runs in isn't a character flaw or a sign the owner is "behind on technology." Software has been built for venture-backed SaaS buyers, not for someone running a 4-person crew out of a Ford F-250. The fix is system design, not personal effort.
Implementation is the work. Tools are the supplies.
Every other AI consultant I've met is fundamentally a software reseller with consulting bolted on. I'm the inverse. The work is the configuration, the integration, the documentation, the training. The tools are interchangeable. Anyone selling you AI is selling you the wrong thing.
Honesty over enthusiasm. Always.
The market is drowning in AI hype. I'd rather tell you a $30 fix beats a $3,000 system than make a sale that doesn't fit. About 15% of the audit calls I do end with me telling someone they don't need me yet. That number is part of the offer, not a bug in it.
Why Trades Specifically
Two reasons. First, the operational gaps in trade businesses are the biggest in any small-business category — and the easiest to close with the right systems. Trade owners feel the pain of missed calls and no-follow-up more acutely than any other small-business owner because the jobs are bigger and the leads are fewer.
Second, trades is where I'm from. I understand what a service truck looks like at 6 AM. I'm not learning the industry on your dime.
Why Austin
Local hands-on relationships are where I do my best work. I'm based in Austin, most of my clients are in Central Texas — Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Buda, Kyle, Georgetown, Lakeway, Dripping Springs.
I'll work with trade businesses anywhere in Texas remotely, but the Austin-specific relationships compound in ways the remote ones don't.
What Happens Next
If you're a trade owner in Texas and your operations feel like duct tape, the audit call is free and 20 minutes long. We'll find the three biggest leaks. I'll tell you straight whether the engagement makes sense.
Book the Free Audit