I build web apps and mobile apps, and I stay with them.
Custom web apps, iPhone and Android apps, and WordPress sites for small businesses. I also work as a fractional CTO when you need someone to make the technical calls.
If something simpler will do, I'll tell you.
Web apps, Native apps, WordPress, and fractional CTO help for a small business
Custom web apps
You have an idea, or the work has outgrown a spreadsheet, and you need software that runs it. I build the data, the accounts, the payments, and the release. I mostly work in Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL.
Good fit if you know what it should do and you need it built.
iPhone and Android apps
I build the phone app and handle the release to the App Store and Google Play. If the business also needs a web app, I build that too.
Good fit if your customers need it on their phone.
Software that's hard to change
A small change breaks something else, or a release makes everyone nervous. I work on the data, add tests, and sort out how a release gets out. A repair might make more sense than a rebuild, and I'll tell you which.
Good fit if you inherited the software, or the person who built it has moved on.
Fractional CTO
You don't need a full-time CTO. You need someone to decide what to build and what to leave alone. I do that part-time, and I stay while it gets built.
Good fit if you're making technical calls you can't judge yet.
WordPress for a small business
I design and build the site, then handle hosting, updates, and page speed. Caching and a CDN are part of that. I've also brought hacked sites back.
Good fit if the site needs to say what you do and stay up.
Working with me
Who I work with
I work with founders and with a small business that needs software or a website.
- You have an idea and nobody technical beside you.
- The software is holding the company up, or the person who built it is gone.
- You need a website that stays up to date and doesn't get hacked.
If a spreadsheet or a tool you can buy will do the job, I'll say so.
Who this isn't for
- You want a team, and you don't plan to meet the person writing the code.
- You need a full-time CTO on staff. I work part-time, on the decisions and on the software.
- You already know an off-the-shelf tool is the right answer. I'll point you to that instead of building something.
- You want someone to agree with the plan and stay quiet when it's a bad idea.
How working with me goes
- Tell me what's going on. A few sentences is enough.
- I reply within 24 hours, usually sooner. If I can't help, I'll say so.
- We talk live. A phone call or a Zoom call.
- I build it and stay with it. Hosting, updates, fixes, and the next round of work.
Fractional CTO work starts the same way. I stay on the decisions, part-time.
Apps and websites I've built
Products I've built, and websites I've worked on since 2007. The custom sites are under CalCreative.
Product. Web platform and mobile app.
Mobile, Data pipeline, AWS
I was the first salaried employee and Lead Developer. This was my work on the product, not the whole company.
Product. Real estate app.
Mobile
Started from a business idea. I designed the Rails app for coordinating real estate services, including payments, how people use it, and mobile delivery.
Website. Landscaping company.
A WordPress site for a landscaping company. It covers design, installation, and maintenance.
Website. Pet boarding and grooming.
A site for pet boarding and grooming. I designed and built the pages for both.
Website. Camp and conference association.
A WordPress site for the Presbyterian Camp and Conference Association. It covers membership, events, and resources.
Website. Strategic growth adviser.
A WordPress site for a strategic growth adviser. I designed and built it.
You work with me, not a team you never meet.
Sure, I can build the site and disappear, the way a lot of vibe-coded work does, with nobody left to call when the first bugs show up. I'd rather walk step in step with you, and still be here when real people start using it.
When you call, tell me the user story, including the clicks that took them there. The thing you noticed is often just the symptom, and hearing the whole story is how I solve it the first time, not the third or fourth. More of how I work, and what I'm like, is on the about page.
Questions people ask before hiring me
Tell me what's going on.
You don't have to have it figured out. I'll reply within 24 hours, usually sooner. Then we talk, on the phone or on Zoom. No pitch.
What happens next
- I read what you sent.
- If I can help, we set up a phone or Zoom call.
- If I can't, I'll say so.