RC Consulting

What RC Consulting does

RC Consulting (legal name Richard Carlton Consulting, Inc.) is a California-based FileMaker platform consultancy founded in 1990 and led by CEO Richard Carlton. The company holds FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum status with the highest Claris platform certifications and operates with approximately 30 staff across U.S. offices in Santa Clara (headquarters), Los Osos, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Fairfield. It serves a vertical mix that includes healthcare providers (Sutter Health, UCSF Medical Center, Genentech, Blue Shield of California), government agencies (Caltrans, San Joaquin OES, CalPERS), educational institutions (Stanford), and enterprises (Apple, Cisco, Bank of America, Chevron-Texaco, Dolby, McDonald's).

The company's product stack combines professional services with content and tooling products. Core services include custom FileMaker database development, iPhone/iPad and PHP/Web integration, hosting on FileMaker Cloud/Server (often on AWS), HIPAA-compliant healthcare solutions, barcoding, and one-on-one coaching via screen share prepaid in 5-hour blocks. Consumer/developer-facing products include the free FM Starting Point CRM (over 700,550 downloads), FM Gallery image management (with Clarifai-powered recognition), and a marketplace of paid add-ons (Calendar Kit, AWS integration, QuickBooks integration, UI Design Samples). The training arm runs three annual subscription tiers at FMTraining.TV (Basic $199, Plus, Complete $399) with over 140 hours of video content and bundles Claris FileMaker Pro 2026 in the top tier.

The business model mixes professional services (time-and-materials and fixed-fee development), recurring subscription revenue from FMTraining, hosting MRR, marketplace one-time license sales, coaching block purchases, and Amazon book royalties. Marketing combines a freemium top-of-funnel via FM Starting Point downloads, content marketing through free weekly training videos at filemakerfree.com, social presence (Twitter @RC_Consulting), and direct enterprise inside/field sales supported by free one-hour Senior Engineer consultations.

Name

RC Consulting

Legal name

Richard Carlton Consulting, Inc.

Website

https://rcconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RC Consulting (Richard Carlton Consulting, Inc.) is a 30-person U.S. FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum consultancy founded in 1990 that builds custom Claris FileMaker databases, mobile and web integrations, and HIPAA-compliant solutions for healthcare, government, and enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Database Development Services: Custom FileMaker database development for businesses, government, and non-profit organizations. Proposals may be fixed cost or based on actual time and materials.
2. Training Video Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions for video training courses including Basic ($199/year), Plus, and Complete ($399/year) tiers with varying levels of content, coaching hours, and bundled products.
3. One-time Video Course Purchases: Individual video training courses available for one-time purchase (e.g., FileMaker Go 13 Training at $29.99).
4. Coaching Services: One-on-one live FileMaker coaching via screen share over the Internet. Prepaid in 5-hour blocks as alternative to traditional development.
5. Published Books: FileMaker Manual for Novices books published on Amazon (available in Paperback or Kindle e-book formats).
6. One Time License: Calendar Add-On Kit, Lean Design training, UI Design samples, and other premium tools available for purchase through marketplace.
7. Free Products (Freemium): FM Starting Point CRM (free), FM Gallery Lite (free), RCC Recruiter (free), FM Donations (free), Launcher Sample, Audit Log Demo, and other free tools that drive adoption.
8. Hosting Services: FileMaker hosting setup services for FileMaker Server or FileMaker Cloud, typically hosted on Amazon servers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Richard Carlton Consulting Inc. (RCC) provides custom Claris FileMaker database development, hosting, iPhone/iPad and PHP/web integration, and one-on-one coaching for businesses, government agencies, healthcare organizations, and non-profits. The company also operates FMTraining.TV, an award-winning online training platform with annual subscription tiers containing 70-140+ hours of video content, and distributes a free starter CRM (FM Starting Point) plus premium add-on modules such as FM Gallery, Calendar Kit, and QuickBooks/AWS integrations.

Product overview

RC Consulting (Richard Carlton Consulting Inc.) offers a comprehensive FileMaker-based product ecosystem centered on the free FM Starting Point CRM as the core platform, supplemented by FM Gallery for photo management. The company provides three training subscription tiers (Basic, Plus, Complete) at FMTraining.TV offering 70-140+ hours of video content, FileMaker manuals for novices, and a marketplace of add-on modules including Calendar, AWS Integration, QuickBooks Integration, and UI Design Samples. Services include custom database development, iPhone/iPad integration, PHP/web development, hosting, UI design review, and one-on-one coaching. Free downloadable resources include Launcher Sample, Audit Log Demo, and Twilio Demo. The company serves businesses, government agencies, and non-profits with FileMaker certifications and 30 staff members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FMTraining.TV: Video training platform offering Claris FileMaker courses with over 140 hours of video content and award-winning training materials.
• FM Starting Point
• FM Gallery

Products and services

• FM Starting Point Free FileMaker CRM starter solution for small businesses, work groups, and non-profit organizations; ready-to-build-upon foundation with over 700,550 downloads.
• FM Gallery Photo management application for the FileMaker platform combining thumbnail image management and multi-selection capabilities mimicking Apple Photo; works with thousands of photos without plug-ins, JavaScript, or internet connection.
• Video Library Publication Kit Software enabling organizations to put video libraries on their websites with easy content management through a FileMaker interface, without requiring a programmer.
• Calendar Add-On Kit Professional calendar UI component for existing FileMaker solutions with step-by-step video instructions; installation takes approximately 2-4 hours for intermediate developers.
• FileMaker Integration with AWS Sample integration files demonstrating FileMaker connectivity with AWS services, including demos for three popular AWS services such as S3 for storage, with overview videos.
• CRM Integration with QuickBooks FM Starting Point customization integrating with QuickBooks Online using FM Book Connector Plugin from Productive Computing for accounting data synchronization.
• Lean Design Training 5-day training course for building efficient FileMaker custom apps that perform well on FileMaker Server or Cloud, focused on visual experience and performance optimization.
• UI Design Samples User interface design samples for FileMaker solutions including Energy and Red Downtown themes, designed by Senior UI Design Engineer Nick Hunter.
• FMTraining Basic Subscription Annual subscription at $199/year with essential Claris FileMaker platform training including 70+ hours of video training covering FileMaker basics, deployment, and mobile features.
• FMTraining Plus Subscription Annual subscription at intermediate/advanced developer tier with 140+ hours of video training including UI Design course, Startup course, and Legacy Video access.
• FMTraining Complete Subscription Full annual package at $399/year including Claris FileMaker Pro 2026, 140+ hours of training, exclusive content, FM Starting Point Enhanced, 1 hour coaching, and PDF of FileMaker Manual; valued over $700.
• Agentic AI for Beginners Training Course Workshop video training course covering FileMaker coding with Agentic AI, targeted at beginners.
• FileMaker Manual for Novices Training books published by RCC and sold on Amazon covering FileMaker development fundamentals, design principles, and best practices; available in paperback and Kindle e-book formats.
• FileMaker Coaching One-on-one live coaching with RCC engineers via screen share over the Internet; alternative to traditional development where engineers work on the customer's database with the client observing. Prepaid in 5-hour blocks.
• Custom FileMaker Database Development Customized database development services for businesses, government, and non-profit organizations on the FileMaker platform. RCC holds FileMaker's highest certifications with 30 staff capable of deploying small and large solutions worldwide.
• FileMaker Hosting Services FileMaker database hosting setup services including FileMaker Server and FileMaker Cloud options, leveraging Amazon servers for improved performance.
• UI Design Review In-depth user-interface review service led by Nick Hunter covering existing FileMaker solutions with written reports including potential new UI designs, wireframe sketches, and design analysis; 5-hour packages starting at $750.
• iPhone/iPad Integration Service Custom solutions for iPhone and iPad mobile devices using FileMaker Go software for remote database access and sharing; RCC was an early tester of FileMaker Go and presented at the 2010 Developer Conference.
• PHP/Web Development Service Web solutions with database connectivity including FileMaker Data API, PHP, XML, Angular, Node.js frameworks for simple to complex multi-site real-time systems and API integrations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 700,550 downloads of FM Starting Point free CRM solution
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability2 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Productive ComputingcoreTechnology or IntegrationRCC utilizes the FM Books Connector Online plugin from Productive Computing for authentication and communication between FileMaker and QuickBooks Online API. This enables FM Starting Point to integrate with QuickBooks for CRM and accounting sync.
• Amazon (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationFileMaker Cloud deployment on Amazon's worldwide servers. Running a FileMaker database on an Amazon server typically doubles performance for users connecting across the internet.
• VTC Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVTC has teamed up with RCC to produce several lines of shrink wrap training videos focusing on the FileMaker platform. RCC produces training videos published by VTC.
• Claris (FileMaker)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRCC is an independent entity not affiliated with Claris but is a Platinum level FileMaker Business Alliance member. RCC creates starter solutions bundled with FileMaker installations and provides training content.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DB Services: DB Services is a FileMaker consulting firm offering custom development, hosting, and FileMaker training, operating as a peer FileMaker consultancy targeting similar SMB, enterprise, and government clients with comparable service offerings.
• Proof+Geiger: Proof+Geiger is a FileMaker Business Alliance partner offering custom FileMaker development and integrations; comparable niche consultancy competing for similar SMB and mid-market custom database engagements.
• Beezwax Datatools: Beezwax is a FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum-level consultancy specializing in custom FileMaker and Claris development, with developer tools and training content — directly comparable in services, platform specialization, and target SMB/enterprise customer base.
• Skeleton Key: Skeleton Key is a long-standing FileMaker development consultancy delivering custom database solutions and Claris platform expertise; competes head-to-head with RCC for FileMaker custom development engagements across similar verticals.
• Crescent Moon Technologies: Crescent Moon Technologies is a FileMaker development consultancy offering custom Claris FileMaker solutions and training content; comparable niche player competing for similar database development and training engagements.
• iBeam Solutions: iBeam Solutions is a FileMaker consulting firm providing custom development, hosting, and FileMaker training; comparable in scope and platform focus to RCC's services business.
• MainSpring: MainSpring is a FileMaker/Claris development and consulting firm providing custom database solutions and hosted services; comparable in size, business model, and FileMaker platform focus.

Broad incumbents

• Claris International: Claris is the platform owner (FileMaker/Claris FileMaker) and oversees the FileMaker Business Alliance partner program of which RCC is a Platinum member; a broad incumbent whose ecosystem strategy shapes demand for RCC's services.

Others

• Productive Computing: Productive Computing builds FileMaker plug-ins (including the FM Books Connector used by RCC's FM Starting Point) and offers integration services; adjacent ecosystem enabler whose plugins RCC depends on and resells.

Regional players

• Mainspring / Wim Jaspers Solutions: Wim Jaspers Solutions is a European FileMaker consultancy delivering custom development and training across the EU; comparable to RCC in platform specialization and service mix but operating primarily in Europe rather than North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RC_Consulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richard-carlton-consulting

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RC Consulting