Questions people ask first
If yours is not here, ask me directly. I answer everything myself, usually the same day, including the ones where the honest answer is that you should buy something instead.
I read every one and reply within the day. When an off-the-shelf product covers it, I tell you which one and stop there.
Straight answers
- What does a custom tool cost?
- A custom tool is scoped in writing and priced by the scope, not the hours. Because AI writes most of the code and I review every line, a build that used to take months takes weeks, and the price follows. You see the number before you commit. Support afterwards is by the hour.
- How long does it take?
- A first tool takes three to four weeks from signed scope to your team using it, with a working version in front of you by the end of week two. Week one is spent deciding whether to build at all.
- Should I build or buy?
- Buying wins for most businesses. The first week reads what is on the market against the process you actually run. When an existing tool fits, I set it up and say so. Custom code is for the one process nothing fits, and most businesses have one, not five.
- Who owns the code?
- The code belongs to you from the first commit: a repository under your name, deployed on infrastructure you control, documented so any developer can take it on. Nothing runs through me.
- What language and hosting do you use?
- TypeScript or Python, deployed on Vercel, a VPS, or your own cloud account, chosen per project for what the work needs and what your team can support. Nothing exotic, nothing that only I can maintain.
- What happens when it breaks?
- A tool built here ships with tests for the parts that matter, error logging that alerts a named person, and a runbook. Most fixes take minutes. The design assumes I might not be the one fixing it.
- Can it connect to what we already use?
- Connecting to your CRM, accounting, inventory, point of sale or e-commerce platform is usually most of the point. The first week reads what each system will share, by API or by export, and the specification is written from that.
- Do you build customer-facing apps?
- Customer portals, storefronts and landing pages, yes, when they sit on top of a business process. A consumer app for the public is a different kind of project and I will say so on the first call.
- Do you come to the office?
- In week one, usually yes. I am in Fort Myers, and Naples, Cape Coral, Estero and Bonita are short drives. Punta Gorda is scheduled in day blocks. The build is remote by design.
- What if I need more than software?
- Then the tool is one piece. The wider practice covers operations, automation and demand. Same person. Say so on the form and it gets scoped that way.
Tell me what is in the way.
A short form and a same-day reply from the person who would write the code. When buying covers it, the reply says what to buy.