01 /
Websites
New builds & redesigns
- Fast, mobile-first and easy to update
- Contact forms that route leads straight to you
- Built to be found on Google
From the team at Valley Tree Care
Available
on trade
Big ideas.Beautiful websites.Smarter business.
Websites, custom software and automations.
Now booking December 2026. We take on a small number of trade projects each quarter.
Designed around
the way you work.
- New inquiryForm submitted
- Instant replyPersonalized email, sent in seconds
- Follow-up scheduledAdded to your calendar
What we build
Happy tools, happy people.
We build Happy Tools: the websites, software and automations that take the busywork off your team's plate so they can spend their time on customers.
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Custom software
Portals & business tools
- Client portals and dashboards
- Field apps your crews will actually use
- Your data, in one place you own
03 /
Automations
Less busywork. More time.
- Instant replies to new leads
- Reports that show up on their own
- Your tools talking to each other
Built in-house first
We run our own company on these tools.
Happy Labs started inside Valley Tree Care. Every pattern we sell, we built for ourselves first and use every day.
Instant lead routingNew inquiries reach the right person in seconds, with a reply already on its way.
Call insightsCalls become clear summaries and follow-up lists, so nothing slips.
Marketing ROI dashboardsSee which channels bring real customers, not just clicks.
Field crew appsSimple mobile tools for crews in the field, built around how they work.
Portfolio
Don't take our word for it. Try it.
Three live demos you can click through right now. The businesses are made up and so is the data, but the patterns are the real thing.
Instant reply
A new inquiry comes in. Within seconds the customer gets a personal reply, a follow-up lands on your calendar, and the lead is logged so nobody has to copy it anywhere.
- Reply in seconds, while the lead is hot
- Every reply uses what the customer actually wrote
- Your team picks up a warm conversation, not a cold form
This is the same pattern Valley Tree Care runs on its own leads.
Client portal
One place for your clients to see progress, approve milestones, find documents and ask for changes, with every price clear before anything changes.
- Projects and milestones with clear acceptance checklists
- Documents and messages in one thread, not twenty emails
- Change requests priced instantly from your project's menu
Every Happy Labs client gets a portal like this for their own project.
Volunteer scheduler
Built for a 24-day public event
Volunteers pick their own shifts from a personal link, leaders see their teams, and the organizer sees every gap at a glance. When someone cancels, the on-call list gets a text and the first to accept takes the spot.
- No logins: every volunteer gets a personal link
- Coverage in color and words, with the biggest gaps ranked first
- Cancellations backfilled from the on-call list, first to accept wins
Built for a real 24-day event with two shifts a day. It replaced a spreadsheet, group texts and phone tag, so the organizer could spend that time with the volunteers.
Where every project starts
The Strategy Session. Yours to keep.
Before anything is built, we sit down with you and your decision makers for two focused hours, at your office or by video. Then we hand you a Strategy Brief that is yours, whether or not we build together.
Included in every build. Also available on its own.
Your Strategy Brief
- What a win looks likeYour goals, in your words, and how we will measure them.
- Who you serveThe customers who matter most and what makes them call.
- Where you are todayWhat works, what costs you time, what loses you business.
- Three competitors, taken apartWhat they do well, what they miss, and your opening.
- The planSitemap or screens, features, connections and content.
- A phased roadmapWhat to build first, what can wait, and why.
The white-glove part
A real team. Not a ticket queue.
One named project lead
One person owns your project from the Strategy Session to launch and knows it end to end. You never get passed around.
A private line to your team
Your project gets its own private channel with your lead and the builders. Questions go straight to the people doing the work.
A video update every Friday
A short recorded walkthrough of what was built that week, what is next and anything we need from you.
Same-day answers at launch
During launch week, every message is answered the same business day. We go live together.
Promises we put in writing
- 95+Mobile Lighthouse score for speed, accessibility, best practices and SEO, or we do not call it launched.
- 0Automated accessibility violations (WCAG 2.2 AA) on every page, with the report in your portal.
- 100%Yours. Your code, your content, your domain and your data, handed over with a recorded walkthrough.
These are acceptance criteria in your signed scope, not marketing lines. Every one is checked and the evidence is attached in your portal.
How it works on trade
Six steps. No surprises.
- DiscoveryTell us about your business, your goals and what eats your time.
- Your plan on a callWe do our homework, then walk you through the scope and one fixed price in trade dollars.
- Click to approveReview it in your portal and approve with one click.
- Strategy SessionTwo hours with your team, and a Strategy Brief you keep.
- Build with clear milestonesA checklist you sign off on, and a video update every Friday.
- Launch + 30-day supportQuality gates checked, then we go live together and stay close for 30 days.
Pricing
One fixed price. In trade dollars.
Every business is different, so we do not post a price list. We learn about your business first, then walk you through your plan and one fixed price on a short call. No hourly meter, no surprises after you approve.
Now booking December 2026. We take on a small number of trade projects each quarter.
Paid in trade through iTrade. Hosting and third-party subscriptions are billed separately.
A note from Richard
Happy Labs started inside Valley Tree Care. We are a tree care company first, and I watched great people on our team lose hours every week to busywork: retyping leads, chasing callbacks, hunting for the right file.
So we built our own tools. The goal was never fewer people. It was giving our best people their time back for the work only they can do. Our team runs on those tools every day.
Now we build the same kind of tools for other businesses, and we take trade for it, because trade is how good local businesses already take care of each other.
When you work with us, you get my team's full attention, a plan you can hold us to, and work we are proud to put our name on.
Richard Schmidt
Founder & CEO, Valley Tree Care
FAQ
Good questions.
What does "paid in trade" mean?
iTrade is a barter network where member businesses buy and sell with trade dollars instead of cash. Happy Labs takes trade dollars for design and development work, so you can pay for your project with trade you have already earned. Not a member yet? Your iTrade Pay broker can get you set up.
Is anything billed in cash?
Yes, a few things. Hosting and third-party subscriptions (like domain names, email services or software licenses) are billed separately, because those companies charge us in cash. We list them up front in your scope so there are no surprises. Our design and development work is on trade.
Who owns the website or software?
You do. Once the project is paid for, your content, your domain and your data are yours. We can keep hosting and supporting it for you, or hand everything over.
How are changes priced?
Your project comes with a menu of common changes, each with a fixed price, so you see the cost the moment you ask in your portal. Anything not on the menu gets a written quote before we start. You approve every change in your portal.
What is a Strategy Session?
A two-hour working session with you and your decision makers, at your office or by video, followed by a written Strategy Brief: your goals, your customers, a teardown of three competitors, the plan and a phased roadmap. It is the first milestone of every build, and you can also book it on its own. The brief is yours to keep either way.
How long does a project take?
It depends on the size of the job. Your scope lists every milestone with a target date, and you can watch progress in your portal the whole way.
Will this replace my staff?
No. Happy Tools take the repetitive work off your team's plate so they can spend more time with customers. Happy tools, happy people.
Your next project. Paid in trade.
Contact your iTrade Pay broker or call us to get started.
Call us
Projects quoted individually. Development services on trade. Hosting and third-party subscriptions billed separately.