Custom software development is building an application from scratch — designed around how your business actually runs, instead of bending your operation to fit a product built for someone else. If you run a business in Chicago and the software you bought almost fits but stops exactly where your operation lives, that gap is what I build.
I'm an engineer based in Chicago, and I've been doing this for twenty years — web apps, internal tools, customer portals, custom databases, the integrations that make a stack of separate products behave like one system. Being local isn't a sales line here: it means we can meet in person, you can walk me through the warehouse or the back office, and there's no timezone between you and a straight answer. One engineer, directly accountable — not an agency org chart, not an offshore handoff.
What can custom software do for your business?
Custom software isn't one thing — it's whatever your operation is missing. Most of what Chicago businesses bring me falls into a handful of shapes:
The internal tool your team does by hand. Order processing, scheduling, reporting — the back-office job that currently lives in three spreadsheets and one person's head. I build the tool that does it properly, so the work stops depending on who remembers the macro.
A customer-facing web app or portal. A place your clients log in to check status, submit requests, see their data — connected to the systems you already run, not a separate island someone has to keep in sync by hand.
A custom database that replaced a breaking one. The spreadsheet that ran the operation for five years is now too big and too fragile, or there's an aging Access database nobody dares touch. I design the database around your real data and how you actually use it.
Integrations between systems that were never meant to talk. Wiring the CRM to the accounting software, the e-commerce store to inventory, the payment processor to everything else — so the tools you already pay for finally work as one system instead of five.
A first version of a new idea. If you're testing something new, the first version is the smallest slice that gets a real user to do the real thing — built fast, so you learn from behaviour instead of opinions before committing real money.
Is custom software development right for you?
A good fit if:
- You run a business in or near Chicago and want an engineer you can actually sit down with
- You have a specific workflow or system in mind that no off-the-shelf product solves cleanly
- You can make the buying decision yourself, or have a short path to the person who can
- You value direct communication with the engineer over an agency account manager
- You want code and documentation you fully own — no vendor lock-in, no black box
- You're comfortable seeing working software in weekly demos rather than waiting on a roadmap
Not a fit if:
- A product on the market already does what you need — then buy the product; custom software that duplicates Shopify or QuickBooks is a waste of your money, and I'll say so on the call
- You need a fifty-person team or 24/7 shift support — that's an agency or a managed service provider, not me
- Your project is 3D games, casino software, adult content, or adversarial scraping
- You're shopping for the cheapest bidder — quality work has a floor, and I'm not below it
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be in Chicago to work with you?
No — but if you are, you get the in-person part for free. I'm based in Chicago, so local clients can have me walk their floor, sit with the team that'll use the software, and meet face to face when it matters. For clients elsewhere I work the same way remotely; I've delivered for clients across North America, Europe, and Asia.
How long does a custom software project take?
It depends on the scope, and I'll give you a real timeline after I understand the work — not before. A tight first version of an idea can be days. A focused internal tool is usually weeks. A larger system gets built in phases, with working software in your hands every week, so you're never waiting months for a single reveal.
What technology do you build with?
Whatever fits the problem — typically TypeScript and Node.js on the backend, a modern frontend framework, and PostgreSQL for the database. The honest point isn't the toolset: it's that everything is written so the next engineer to open the code is a stranger and can still understand it.
Who owns the code?
You do, from day one. Your repository, your servers, your accounts. I write every project assuming you might hand it to your own team or another contractor tomorrow — clean code, real documentation, no proprietary lock-in of any kind.
What happens after launch?
Your choice. I can stay on as a retained engineer for changes, new features, and upgrades — most clients do. Or I hand the whole thing over cleanly: code, deployment runbook, and a walkthrough so your team or a new contractor can take it from there without starting over.
Let's talk
Bring the specific problem — the spreadsheet that's cracking, the workflow no product covers, the systems that won't talk to each other. Tell me how the place actually runs and what you've already tried. A thirty-minute discovery call is free — no deck, no sales, just a real conversation about whether custom software is the right answer for you. If you're in Chicago, we can do it over coffee.