Every business is a bit of a software business now

Logistics companies, clinics, law firms, manufacturers, agencies. None of them think of themselves as tech companies, but all of them run on software, and most of them have work that software could do for them.

For a long time the answer was to buy more subscriptions and hope they fit together. Custom software was something only big companies or tech startups could afford.

What changed

AI coding tools changed what one experienced developer can build. The internal tool, the automation, the integration between your systems: things that used to need a small team and months of work can now often be built by one person, much faster.

That makes custom software realistic for businesses that would never have hired a dev team.

  • A dashboard that pulls data from all your tools into one place.
  • The weekly report someone builds by hand, generated automatically.
  • Intake forms, reminders, and paperwork that run themselves.
  • Document review with LLMs, with a human signing off.

Build instead of subscribe

Count the software subscriptions your company pays for, then count how many of them you actually use properly. A lot of businesses pay per seat for five tools that each do 20% of what they need.

One custom tool that does exactly what you need, owned by you, with no per-seat pricing, often works out cheaper over time. It's not always the right call. But it's the right call a lot more often than people think.

Savings are the easier win

When people think about AI, they usually think about new revenue. That can happen, but it's uncertain. Cutting costs is usually quicker and more reliable, and every bit of it goes straight to the bottom line.

Making a business leaner isn't glamorous. It's often the best return you'll get.

You don't need a team for this

You don't need to hire a full development team, with the recruiting, onboarding, and management that comes with it. One experienced contractor can often do it for less than the monthly cost of a single average employee.

If that sounds like your company, send me a message. I'm happy to take a look and tell you honestly whether it's worth building.