Austin Abelkis · From Gothenburg, Sweden to Portland, Oregon
I produce
things that
have to work.
I help small businesses and nonprofits with the things they can’t quite hire a whole agency for — websites, custom software, events, design. One person, quick turnarounds, no account managers.
What I do
Mostly for small businesses and nonprofits
Produce
Live events and sponsorships — still half of what I do. Decks, deals, contracts, guestlists, brand activations, and the show itself on the day.
Design
Brand and print. Sponsorship decks, one-sheets, identity, and the way a thing looks when it lands on a desk.
Build
Websites, and software built for how you actually work. Booking, enrollment, invoices — whatever the spreadsheet is currently pretending to do.
Selected work
Boulder Waldorf
Site + softwareA whole school online: the site families see, plus the admissions and paperwork system the office runs itself. Parents apply and sign online, and the reminders send themselves.
WagsWorks OS
Custom softwareA sponsorship agency’s whole back office in one app — deals, paperwork that chases itself, invoices, guestlists. Built because nothing off the shelf fit the job.
Sommeliers Academy
Site + strategyWebsite and growth strategy for the school training Sweden’s next sommeliers. Bilingual, and built by someone who has sat the exams.
WagsWorks
Brand + rebuildSwapping a tired template for something with a point of view — for the sponsorship agency I also produce for. Decks, partners, festivals, the lot.
What they say
Austin built us software that actually fits how we sell sponsorship. We'd been running the business out of spreadsheets and inboxes — now it's one system, and the paperwork chases itself. He knew what to build because he does the job.
We needed a new website and ended up with the whole admissions system too. Families apply and sign online, reminders send themselves, and our office can edit the site without calling anyone. Austin built it around how our school actually works.
What do you need?
Pick whichever sounds most like you.
A site that loads fast, reads properly on a phone, and that you can change yourself afterwards without calling anyone or paying a monthly fee.
Usually $1,500–$5,000+ · 3–6 weeks · fixed price, agreed before I start
Talk to me about this →If it helps: this one’s a Chablis — no oak, no makeup, nowhere to hide — all structure.
Software built around the way you already work: the jobs, the paperwork, the invoices, the reminders. One place instead of six, and it nags itself instead of nagging you.
Usually $2,500–$5,000+ · 6–12 weeks · fixed price, agreed before I start
Talk to me about this →If it helps: this one’s a Barolo — difficult early, worth it once someone gives it the time.
The look of the thing — logo, colors, decks, one-sheets, menus — and the words that go with it. Everything that has to survive being forwarded to somebody’s boss.
From $1,500 · 2–5 weeks · priced per piece
Talk to me about this →If it helps: this one’s a Orange wine — walks into a room and gets asked about.
Running the event: the schedule, the vendors, the sponsors, the budget, and somebody calm holding it together on the day.
Priced per event · sponsorship work can be on commission
Talk to me about this →If it helps: this one’s a Grower Champagne — same occasion as the big houses, made by whoever farmed it.
A conversation, free, where I tell you honestly what I think you need — including when that’s nothing, or somebody other than me.
30 minutes · no sales pitch, no deck
Talk to me about this →If it helps: this one’s a Whatever’s open — most good projects start as a vague feeling that something isn’t working.
Have something that needs making?
austin@abelkis.comTell me what’s not working. I’ll tell you what I’d do and what it costs.