We Don't Just Tell You What Should Change.
We Help Build It.
Cratus was built for business owners who are tired of managing disconnected people, broken processes, half-used software, and operational problems that keep landing back on their desk.
We combine Strategy • Systems • Technology • Execution under one operational team.
People
Who does the work
Process
How work moves
Technology
Systems that support
Automation
Work without people
WHY CRATUS EXISTS
Growing Businesses Usually Don't Have One Problem.
They have several problems stacked together:
Too much manual work
Inconsistent processes
Underused CRM systems
Poor documentation
Weak automation
Poor delegation
Disconnected software
Too many contractors
Repetitive administrative work
Constant operational interruptions
The traditional answer is to hire another specialist
Then the business owner has to manage all of them.
Cratus was built to solve that problem.
We bring together operational and technical capabilities under one relationship.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Diagnose First. Prescribe Second.
We don't begin by assuming you need one of our services. We begin by understanding the operation.
We look at:
PEOPLE
Who is doing the work?
PROCESS
How is the work moving?
TECHNOLOGY
Are the tools helping or hurting?
AUTOMATION
What should happen without human effort?
Only then do we recommend the solution.
The goal isn't to sell more services.
The goal is to solve the right problem.
WHAT MAKES CRATUS DIFFERENT
We Sit Between Consulting and Execution.
Traditional consultants
Often provide strategy without implementation.
Traditional outsourcing companies
Often provide labor without improving the system around the labor.
Technical specialists
May solve one piece without understanding the broader operation.
Understand
Business problem
Build
Technical solution
Execute
People and implementation
Manage
Ongoing operational ownership
Cratus sits in the middle. We can understand the business problem, build the technical solution, provide the people to execute it, and continue managing it when appropriate.
That combination is the core Cratus advantage.
WE ACTUALLY BUILD
We Are Operators, Not PowerPoint Consultants.
Our work may involve
Designing workflows
Building automation
Managing CRM systems
Writing SOPs
Connecting software
Creating dashboards
Building integrations
Writing code
Managing remote teams
Implementing AI
Coordinating operational work
Fixing broken systems
Cratus sits in the middle. We can understand the business problem, build the technical solution, provide the people to execute it, and continue managing it when appropriate.
We don't stop at "Here's what you should do."
When appropriate, Cratus can help:
Do it.
FOUNDER / LEADERSHIP
Built From the Intersection of Science, Operations, and Systems
Brendan Barth
Founder, Cratus
Brendan's path into operations wasn't the typical "started an agency" story. He holds a degree in Chemistry with a minor in General Engineering, served in the military, and later worked as a General Manager overseeing multiple escape room locations a role that's really about operations: sequencing, logistics, systems that have to work correctly every time, with no room for "close enough."
Since 2019, he's built roughly eight years of entrepreneurial experience across digital marketing, software solutions, and consulting work that led to founding BB Software Solutions (Cratus), where the focus is business systems design, staffing, custom development, and automation.
The consistent thread: finding inefficient systems and making them work.
Cratus grew out of that same instinct. Businesses rarely need another random tool. They need someone who can see how the pieces are supposed to fit together and make them.
FOUNDER STORY
Why Build Cratus?
Cratus was not built to become another VA agency or software consulting company. It evolved from repeatedly seeing the same problem:
Business owners had plenty of tools and plenty of people. But nobody was responsible for making everything work together.
The CRM didn't match the process.
The automation didn't match the team.
The team didn't understand the system.
The owner became the glue holding everything together.
Cratus exists to remove that dependence.
The business should operate because the system works.
Not because the owner remembers everything.
OPERATING PRINCIPLES
How We Think About Operations.
FIX THE PROCESS BEFORE ADDING PEOPLE
Hiring more labor into a broken workflow usually makes the broken workflow more expensive.
AUTOMATE REPETITION, NOT JUDGMENT
Good automation removes unnecessary work. It should not eliminate the human decisions that actually require experience.
TECHNOLOGY SHOULD REDUCE COMPLEXITY
Software is supposed to make the business easier to operate. If it creates more work than it removes, something is wrong.
Documentation Creates Leverage
If a process only works because one person knows how to do it, the business doesn't yet own that process.
Ownership Beats Activity
The objective isn't completing more tasks. It's making someone clearly responsible for the outcome.
Simpler Is Usually Better
We prefer the simplest solution that reliably solves the problem not the most complicated technology stack.
WHY ONE TEAM MATTERS
One Problem Can Require Several Disciplines.
A company says: "Our leads aren't being followed up."
WHAT WE ARE NOT
We Are Not the Right Fit for Everyone.
Cratus is not:
A bargain VA marketplace
A generic software reseller
A one-size-fits-all consultant
A marketing agency
An unlimited task service
A company that recommends technology just because it's trendy
We work best with businesses that value:
Clear processes
Good systems
Accountability
Operational improvement
Technical competence
Long-term leverage
WHO WE WORK BEST WITH
Cratus Is Built for Businesses in the Messy Middle.
Revenue already exists
The team is expanding
Systems were built organically
The owner is still heavily involved
Multiple tools are in used
Processes are inconsistent
Nobody clearly owns certain workflows
Operational complexity is increasing
This is where Cratus creates the most leverage.
OUR APPROACH
Fit First. Diagnose Second. Implement Third.
Fit Check
Start with a 15-minute conversation. We determine whether Cratus is likely to be able to help.
Operations Bottleneck Audit
If appropriate, we conduct a deeper 45-minute operational diagnostic for $250.
Recommendation
We identify the highest-priority issue and recommend the right path — most often a custom build (with the audit fee credited toward it), sometimes moving straight into an ongoing package if your systems are already solid, and occasionally another provider entirely.
Implementation
If Cratus is the right solution, we build it — and manage it going forward once it's live.
WHY THIS MODEL IS BETTER
You Shouldn't Have to Diagnose Your Own Vendor.
Most service companies ask you to choose the solution before they understand the
problem. Cratus does the opposite.
You do not need to know whether you need:
You only need to know:
Something Is Not Working the Way It Should.
We'll help determine what comes next.
TEAM POSITIONING
Your Cratus Team May Include More Than One Skill Set.
Depending on the engagement your operational support may involve
The advantage is not simply access to more people.
It's access to people working from the same operational context.
One team. One problem. One direction.
TRUST / TRANSPARENCY
If We Aren't the Right Solution, We'll Say So.
Sometimes the correct recommendation is:
The fastest way to destroy trust is to force every problem into something you sell.
We'd Rather Identify the Right Answer Than Manufacture a Fit.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Clear Answers on How We Work.
Are you consultants?
Partly. Cratus can provide operational strategy and diagnosis, but our model is designed to go beyond recommendations into implementation and execution.
Are you a VA company?
VA support is one capability. Cratus can provide task execution, but our larger focus is improving and managing business operations.
Are you a software company?
No. We use and build technology when it helps solve operational problems. Technology is a tool, not the product.
Are you a fractional COO service?
Our higher-level engagements can provide many of the functions businesses expect from fractional operations leadership, combined with technical implementation and execution resources.
Do you only work with GoHighLevel?
No. Our team has significant GoHighLevel experience, but Cratus isn't tied to a single platform.
Can you work with my current team?
Yes. Cratus can supplement, coordinate, or support existing employees, contractors, and vendors.
If Your Business Depends on You to Hold Everything Together, That's the Problem.
Cratus helps growing businesses build the people, processes, systems, and automation required to operate with less friction and less founder dependency. Start with a short conversation.
Free • 15 Minutes • No Obligation
Your Outsourced Operations Team
People • Process • Technology • Automation
BB Software Solutions LLC, d/b/a Cratus, provides operational execution, systems, and automation services for growing businesses. Results depend on factors specific to each business including existing systems, team execution, market conditions, and how recommendations are implemented and Cratus does not guarantee specific business outcomes, revenue, growth, or performance results. Case studies and examples referenced on this site reflect individual client experiences and are not a guarantee of similar results for your business. Questions? Email us at [email protected].
©2026.BB Software Solutions LLC. All Rights Reserved.