About Lightning Developments
Most developers have never run a business. I've run several.
I'm Rupert — founder of Lightning Developments, based in Tauranga, New Zealand. I've been self-employed for most of my life across digital printing, financial services, and now technology. The common thread? The businesses that run efficiently are the ones that survive.
Why Lightning Developments exists
After selling my last business, I saw something that most people in tech miss: the world of small business is being transformed by technology, and the people who stand to benefit the most are the ones least equipped to navigate it.
Enterprise companies have always had access to custom software, automation, and data-driven decision making. But for small and medium businesses? Until recently, those tools were out of reach — too expensive, too complex, too far removed from how real business owners think.
That's changed. With modern tools and AI to accelerate development, the systems that used to cost six figures can now be built for a fraction of the price. What took months now takes weeks.
Bridging two worlds
Most developers have never run a business. They build what they're told to build, but they don't understand why a business owner needs it — or what the real problem is behind the request.
And most business owners don't have the technical understanding to know what's possible. They know something could be better, but they don't know where to start.
I join the two worlds. I show business owners what's possible — and then I get it done for them.
80 hrs
How long a process used to take annually
4 hrs
How long it takes now
5 hrs
How long it took me to build
One client had an annual process that consumed 80 hours of work. I built a system in 5 hours that reduced it to 4. That's the kind of result that used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars — now it costs a fraction of that.
What working with me looks like
I start by understanding your business — not your tech stack. What takes too long? Where do things fall through the cracks? What questions can't you answer without digging through spreadsheets?
Then I build the systems to fix it. Sometimes that's connecting the tools you already use. Sometimes it's replacing a mess of spreadsheets with a proper dashboard. Sometimes it's automating the busywork that eats your team's time.
Every hour is tracked to the second. You only pay for the work that gets done. No retainers you don't use, no mystery invoices.
Beyond the code
Based in Tauranga with my daughter Sophie. When I'm not building systems, you'll find me out on the water — paddleboarding, wing foiling, or chasing snow on the ski fields in winter. Also a dedicated Formula 1 fan and Lewis Hamilton supporter.
What fires me up? The moment a business owner sees the genuine benefit. When they realise that systems previously out of reach — things that would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a couple of years ago — will now cost them a couple of thousand. You can see their minds start buzzing with possibilities.
I love watching a business owner go from overwhelmed by admin to addicted to efficiency.