Custom softwarethat replaces the patchwork.
I build custom software for small businesses in Michigan: internal tools, client and applicant portals, intake pipelines and integrations that replace the spreadsheets, Zapier chains and underused subscriptions a team works around every day. The work happens in short phases with working software in staging from week two, and you own the code at the end.
Based in Metro Detroit. Working with businesses in Ferndale, Royal Oak, Detroit, Birmingham, Berkley and across Michigan.
Who this is for
“Seven logins, none of them talk, and someone copy-pastes between them all day.”
“The whole operation runs on one spreadsheet, and one person understands it.”
“We pay for software with a hundred features and use four of them.”
“We have an idea for a product and nobody to build it.”
What is included
Internal tools
Dashboards, trackers and admin screens built around how your team actually works, not how a software vendor thinks it should.
Integrations
Connect the systems you keep, like your POS, CRM, accounting, Google Sheets and email, so data moves on its own instead of by copy and paste.
Intake and client portals
Forms, file uploads and sign-in for customers or applicants, with the data stored somewhere you own.
MVPs for new products
From idea to something real people can use: architecture, interface, infrastructure and deploys, in 8 to 14 weeks.
Phased, with exits
Every phase ends at a decision point. Stop after any phase and you keep what was built.
Full source and docs
No lock-in. Your team, or the next developer, can run it without me.
Sites I have built like this
Every one is live for a real business. Read how each was built, then click through and judge it yourself.
How working with me goes
No twelve-week discovery that produces a slide deck. You see working software early, you talk to me every week, and you can stop after any phase.
- 01 · 30 min, free
A call
You tell me what is breaking. I tell you whether I am the right person for it — sometimes the honest answer is no, and you will get that answer on the call.
- 02 · 1–2 weeks
Scope and plan
I map your tools and how the work really gets done, then we agree on a scope and a budget that fits the business. You get a phased plan and a clear decision point before anything gets built.
- 03 · 8–14 weeks
Build and ship
Working software in staging from week two. A call with me every week. You see it as it comes together, not at the end.
- 04 · Ongoing if you want
Handover
Full source, full docs, full ownership. If you stop working with me tomorrow, your team can still run it. A retainer is optional, never assumed.
Questions people ask about custom software
How do I know when my business has outgrown spreadsheets?
Common signs: more than one person edits the same sheet and the versions drift, someone spends hours a week copying data between tools, customers catch mistakes before you do, or one person’s memory is the only documentation. Any one of those is worth a conversation.
Should I build custom software or buy SaaS?
Buy when a product fits your process and you would use most of it. Build when you are bending your process around a tool, paying for several tools to do one job, or when the workflow itself is what makes your business different. If an off-the-shelf tool would do, I will tell you on the call.
Who owns the custom software you build?
You do, completely: source code, documentation and the accounts it runs on. Walk away tomorrow and your team can still run it.
How long does a custom build take?
Scoping takes one to two weeks. A build usually runs 8 to 14 weeks in phases, with working software in staging from week two and a call with me every week.
Can you work with the tools we already have?
Usually, yes. Most projects connect to existing systems rather than replacing all of them. I map what you use in the scoping step and keep what works.
What if the project is bigger than one person?
I will tell you. Some work needs a team. If yours does, I bring in someone I trust or help you hire, because I would rather lose the job than overpromise it.
Also from Summit
- Small business websitesA fast, custom site that answers your customers’ questions, shows up in search, and is yours to keep.
- Restaurant websitesMenus synced from your POS, hours Google gets right, and pages built for a phone on a weak signal.
- Website maintenanceHosting, updates, backups, monitoring and small changes, month to month, from the developer who wrote the code.
Thirty minutes, and an honest answer.
Tell me what your business does and what is getting in the way. I will tell you what I would build, roughly what it takes, and whether I am the right person for it.
Book a free 30-minute callOr text or call (248) 882-9055
Rather write it down?
A few lines is plenty. I reply personally.