SmallCo.

12/11/2025

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 “𝗳𝗶𝘅” 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽?
At SmallCo, we love you—but we need to talk. 😄

In our newest video, Founder & Lead Designer Albert Harum-Alvarez teams up with Senior Developer Tomas Martinez to challenge one of the biggest myths in custom development:

👉 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 ≠ 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲.
Sometimes the smartest move is deleting things.
And yes… your app can get stronger by getting smaller.

This video dives into the mindset we use every day at SmallCo:
• Stop defending territory — start leveraging position.
• Integrate instead of reinventing the wheel.
• Profit from strategic retreats (yes, really).
• Build alliances with great tools instead of coding everything yourself.
• Shift from “coder” to consultant and deliver REAL impact.

It’s bold. It’s honest. It might make some devs uncomfortable.
But that’s exactly why you should watch it. 😉

🎥 Full video here:

*The Pirate Way of Development: Why Great FileMaker Apps Grow by Getting Smaller**Chapters:*00:00 Introduction and Greetings00:40 The Importance of Reworking...

11/05/2025

Next week, Albert Harum-Alvarez is flying to Belgium to remind leaders everywhere of a very important truth:

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨.

(Seriously. Put the cape down. It’s wrinkled.)

We’re talking about 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐁𝐢𝐚𝐬 — that urge to do something just to feel in control. Code more. Fix more. Jump in. Save the day.

But guess what? Sometimes the bold, strategic move… is to 𝐧𝐨𝐭 jump in.

To pause.
To let the team cook. 👩‍🍳🔥

Because real leaders don’t play solo.
They riff. They trade off.

They make space for other people to shine — and that is where the magic happens.

So shout-out to EngageU for inviting us into the conversation, and to our brilliant bandmates who helped shape this talk: Rosalyn Mártir, Anja Stojanovic, Jakov Milovanovic & Tomas Martinez.

09/04/2025

We have some Good News & some Bad News. Claris FileMaker is still great at the kind of custom toolcraft that made the platform legendary & truly cutting-edge. But… if you’re still spending most of your Dev efforts at “that end of the platform,” you’re missing out. You’re literally looking at you work backwards.

That’s okay, because there’s more Good News. The Claris Platform has “another end of the platform,” one that is leading edge in every way, and which will deliver to your patrons & clients today benefits that dwarf what we used to be able to offer.

You truly may have no idea what buried treasure your current Claris Platform tools have. So, be a Pirate. Watch Albert's session. Give us a call at SmallCo. Let’s go treasure hunting! 🏴‍☠️

It's time to rethink your approach to iterative development. 🧠♻️

Check out our latest Community Live recording, where you'll learn strategies for managing scope and setting your solutions up for growth.

🔗 https://content.claris.com/fb-q4fy25-20250821-communitylive31-rec

08/28/2025

🎤 Our Lead Designer recently took the stage at the latest Claris Community Live event: “Iterate Faster with Claris FileMaker.”

He shared practical strategies for building flexible, scalable apps—and showed how starting small can spark momentum, unlock new ideas, and set solutions up for long-term success.

Watch the recording!
🔗 https://youtu.be/lxWDZfn_I1I?si=9tHqH3My5IaF_MEN

Join the conversation about this episode: https://community.claris.com/en/s/question/0D5Vy00001FoCWuKAN/august-21-2025-community-live-iterate-faster-with-cla...

08/20/2025

🔵 Remember to register for tomorrow's Community Live session with Albert Harum-Alvarez

Many successful Claris FileMaker developers start by solving one high-impact problem. Then that first win builds trust... and momentum. 🚀

Join our Community Live on August 21 and explore how to use iterative development to scale smarter. We'll walk through real examples of adding calendars, Slack, and Twilio to existing apps, and strategies for managing scope and setting your solutions up for growth.

🔗 You can now register to the Community Live. https://content.claris.com/fb-q4fy25-20250821-communitylive31

08/14/2025

“Iterative Dev” sounds impressive—but it covers a lot of ground, and not all of it is worth defending.

Our founder will share practical, real-world tips on when and how to integrate it strategically. Even better, he’ll reveal why making a Claris Platform app smaller can actually make it stronger—and challenge you to leverage position, not just defend territory.

Join Rosemary & Albert for an interactive, no-fluff conversation. Bring your Iterative Dev challenges, questions, or war stories—let’s solve them together.

📅 Don’t miss this—your next big improvement might be about making things smaller.

Many successful Claris FileMaker developers start by solving one high-impact problem. Then that first win builds trust... and momentum. 🚀

Join our Community Live on August 21 and explore how to use iterative development to scale smarter. We'll walk through real examples of adding calendars, Slack, and Twilio to existing apps, and strategies for managing scope and setting your solutions up for growth.

🔗 You can now register to the Community Live. https://content.claris.com/fb-q4fy25-20250821-communitylive31

08/12/2025

Us pirates, we find treasure at the edges of the known world. Be Bold with us in Naples! Set sail for the vast swathes of uncharted territory that the Claris Platform puts within your reach… That is, if you are bold!

🎙️ Meet the Expert: Albert Harum-Alvarez from Smallco!



Some ports are safe. This one? Definitely not. 🏴‍☠️

Albert Harum-Alvarez is back at Naples FileMaker Week and he’s taking us to the edge of the map. The place where data gets wild, where integrations get weird, and where being a pirate is not a metaphor, but a method.

💡 His Port: Data at the Edge – Being a Pirate Developer

This isn’t about schemas. It’s about the courage to build where others stop.

Albert will show you what happens when you break the frame, listen to the un-Apped, and integrate where no one asked you to.

🧭 It's time to explore the frontier.

Curiosity leads. Fear follows. Choose who you sail with. 🗺️



08/12/2025

The Ports are ready!

⚓️ The tide has shifted.
The map is about to be revealed.
And the ship is already moving.

Out in the open sea: FileMaker 2025 is live!
New Captain's blog is out NOW.

Are you ready for that?

https://www.filemakerweek.com/blog/out-in-the-open-sea-filemaker-2025-is-live/

03/27/2024

Cheers to all the wonderful women in the Miami tech scene! What a pleasure to meet you all. 🫶

03/07/2024

The look on our faces says it all! Got a good dose of new ideas and motivation at The Business Show US. Ready to take on the future. 😎