Dan’s Consulting

What Dan’s Consulting does

Dan's Consulting is a privately held, founder-owned database solutions consultancy founded in 1999 by Dan Bur and headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota. The firm designs, develops, and implements custom Microsoft Access database applications for small and mid-sized businesses, delivering the full stack of Access artifacts — tables, queries, forms, reports, and custom dashboard interfaces — alongside a documented plural-noun naming convention methodology designed to keep large Access databases maintainable. Its core product is custom database development, supplemented by reporting and dashboard modules and a public library of Microsoft Access training videos hosted on YouTube. The entire technology footprint is concentrated on the Microsoft Access platform, which the firm leverages as both its technical foundation and its market differentiator, claiming more than 20 years of niche expertise.

The business model is project-based professional services: each engagement is scoped to a client's specific data management, reporting, and process requirements, and pricing is set per project rather than under recurring contracts. The go-to-market is direct and owner-led — Dan Bur personally delivers a free hour-long consultation as the lead-conversion mechanism, supported by the company website, YouTube content marketing, community sponsorship (Feed My Starving Children), and word-of-mouth in the Minnesota SMB market. Customer targeting is explicitly horizontal ("businesses of all types and sizes"), with named engagements spanning technology/office solutions, trading, and general SMB use cases where clients are replacing out-of-date or under-functional off-the-shelf software.

Dan's Consulting has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no partnerships of record. The firm operates as a single-jurisdiction U.S. business (Minnesota), is privately held, and is run end-to-end by the founder-CEO. The combination of deep single-platform specialization and a sole-founder operating model constitutes both the company's primary moat (decades of niche Access expertise) and its principal concentration risks (key-person dependency, platform-obsolescence exposure, and project-based revenue volatility).

Name

Dan’s Consulting

Legal name

Dan's Consulting

Website

https://dansconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dan's Consulting is a Minnesota-based, founder-owned consultancy that designs and builds custom Microsoft Access databases, reports, and dashboards for small and mid-sized businesses, primarily in the Upper Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Database Consulting Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Database Tools & Ecosystem (Replication, Backup/Recovery, HA/DR, Monitoring) (HDAEAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Exploration & Ad-Hoc Query Tools (HDAEAMAL), Data Platforms & Modern Data Stack Services (Lakehouse, DW, MDM) (BPAEAHAC)

Keywords

• Custom database development
• Microsoft Access solutions
• Database consulting services
• Business data management
• Database reporting dashboards

Headquarters

HQ city

Eagan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Custom Database Development: One-time project-based custom database development services. The company builds fully customized Microsoft Access databases tailored to each client's unique business needs, data management requirements, and reporting needs. Pricing is based on scope and complexity of the project.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dan's Consulting designs, develops, and implements custom Microsoft Access database solutions tailored to each client's unique business needs. Deliverables include custom database architecture (tables, queries, forms, reports) with intuitive interfaces, data visualization dashboards, and ongoing training and support for SMB clients.

Product overview

Dan's Consulting is a consulting firm offering custom Microsoft Access database solutions as its core product. The company provides custom database design, development, and implementation services tailored to individual client needs. Their portfolio includes Custom Microsoft Access Database Solutions (the primary offering), Reports and Dashboards (for data visualization and business intelligence), and Microsoft Access Training Videos (educational content). All solutions are built exclusively on Microsoft Access and are designed to be affordable, customizable, and easy-to-use for businesses of any size.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Microsoft Access Database Solutions Fully customized Microsoft Access database applications designed, developed, and implemented to meet the specific data management and reporting needs of businesses of all sizes. Includes database design, custom interface development, and ongoing support.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• PowerObjects (HCL Technologies): PowerObjects, now part of HCLTech, is one of the largest pure-play Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 consultancies. It competes for the same Microsoft-platform modernization and custom-application engagements that Dan's Consulting serves.
• Avanade: Avanade is a large Microsoft-focused joint venture delivering enterprise consulting and managed services across the Microsoft stack, including Power Platform and Dynamics. It represents the scaled incumbent Dan's Consulting could be acquired by or compete against as Access work migrates to the Power Platform.
• Slalom: Slalom is a large management and technology consulting firm with deep Microsoft partnerships and Power Platform delivery practices. It competes for the same Microsoft-platform modernization wallet as Dan's Consulting, albeit at enterprise scale.
• Centric Consulting: Centric Consulting is a US business and technology consultancy with Microsoft practice areas covering Power Platform and data services. It overlaps with Dan's Consulting in serving mid-market clients seeking custom data and application solutions.

Direct peers

• Surety Systems: Surety Systems is a Microsoft-platform consulting firm delivering custom application development, data, and reporting solutions, frequently to mid-market clients using Access and related Microsoft tooling — a comparable niche-services competitor.
• FMS Inc. FMS Inc. is a long-standing Microsoft Access developer-tools vendor and consulting firm, offering Total Access components and custom Access development services — directly comparable as a niche Access specialist serving SMB and enterprise clients.

Emerging players

• Konvergent: Konvergent is a Microsoft Power Platform consultancy helping clients modernize legacy Access and Excel applications into cloud-based solutions. It is directly comparable as the natural 'successor' service offering to Dan's Consulting for SMBs needing to leave the Access platform.

Regional players

• WSI: WSI is a large digital marketing consultancy with strong presence across North America including Minnesota, serving SMBs with website, marketing, and digital services. Comparable only at the geographic and customer-segment level — same Minnesota SMB customers but a different service line.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCq_pPp4Lk0FGJHuSsYtvrRw
• Facebookfacebook.com/DansConsultingInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dans-consulting-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Dan’s Consulting