Custom software for trades businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets.
I work with small construction and trades companies to eliminate the manual work between your field crews, your office, and your customers. Estimates, job costing, scheduling, compliance — scoped, fixed-price, and delivered in weeks. Own your software — no subscriptions, no lock-in.
You know the problem.
You just don't have time to fix it.
- Estimates live in one person's head and a spreadsheet nobody else can read.
- Job costs show up two weeks after the job is done, if at all.
- Your crews text photos to the office and someone retypes everything into QuickBooks.
- You've tried two or three off-the-shelf tools. They solved 60% of the problem and created new ones.
- Every tool charges per seat — adding a new crew member means updating five subscriptions.
- You know exactly what you'd want the software to do. You just can't find anyone who'll build it without a six-figure quote and a twelve-month timeline.
What I bring
Custom Build
A scoped, fixed-price build of a specific tool — job costing dashboard, estimate generator, field-to-office data pipeline, compliance automation — scoped during our initial conversation.
- Working software, deployed
- You own the code and infrastructure
- Documentation & training included
- Timeline in weeks,
Ongoing Partnership
Monthly retainer for companies who want a technical partner on call — iterating on what we built, solving new problems, keeping tooling aligned with how your business operates.
- Defined monthly hours
- Shared backlog
Own your software.
When the project is done, the software is yours. The code, the deployment, the documentation, the keys to every service it runs on. No per-seat fees. No vendor lock-in. No monthly subscription that quietly raises its price every January. If you want to hire someone else to maintain or extend it in two years, you can. If you want to sell your business, the software transfers with it.
This is the part that surprises people most. Off-the-shelf software rents you access to someone else's product. Custom software, done right, is an asset on your balance sheet.
How it works
- 1
We talk.
30 minutes, no cost. You describe what's not working. I ask questions. If it's not a fit, I'll tell you.
- 2
We scope it.
We have an initial conversation to understand the problem, then I put together a scoped build proposal with a fixed price and timeline.
- 3
I build it.
You get weekly demos. You see progress and catch problems early.
- 4
It lives in your business.
I deploy it, train your team, and hand over documentation. If you want ongoing support, we talk about a retainer. If not, it's yours.
Is this a fit?
This is for you if:
- ✓ You run a small to medium sized trades or construction business.
- ✓ You've already tried off-the-shelf software and it hasn't solved your real problem.
- ✓ You know your operation well enough to describe what you want — or you want help figuring that out.
- ✓ You're ready to move forward, not just explore options.
This isn't for you if:
- ✗ You need enterprise-scale software with dozens of users and complex compliance requirements.
- ✗ You're optimizing for the lowest cost.
- ✗ You want a developer to execute a spec you've already written. I work collaboratively on scoped projects.
- ✗ You need it done this week.
About me
I've spent 15 years building software — for companies you've heard of and some you haven't. I started personalsoftware.supply because I kept seeing the same thing: small businesses, especially in construction and trades, sitting on operational problems that an experienced developer could solve in a few weeks — but priced out of every agency they talked to.
AI-assisted development changed the math. Work that used to take a team of four for three months can now be delivered by one experienced developer in a few weeks. The businesses that benefit most are the ones who've never been able to afford custom software until now.
I live and work in Victoria. I work remotely with clients, sometimes on-site when the work benefits from it.
Common questions
+ − How is this different from Buildertrend, Jobber, ServiceTitan, etc.?
Those tools work well for many businesses. I build for the problems they don't cover. Often the answer is both: keep the existing software and add custom tooling that fills the gaps.
+ − I don't really know what I want built. Is that a problem?
No. That's what the initial conversation is for.
+ − What does it actually cost?
Real numbers come after a scoping conversation. Every project is fixed-price — no hourly billing, no surprise invoices.
+ − What if I'm not happy with the result?
Weekly demos mean you see progress before it's too late to change direction. The scope is fixed before we start, so there are no surprise invoices.
+ − Do you sign NDAs?
Yes.
+ − What happens to the software after the project is done?
It's yours. The code, the deployment, the accounts it runs on — all transferred to you. If you want me to keep maintaining it, we talk about a retainer. If you want to take it to another developer in two years, you can. There's no lock-in.
+ − What if I just need advice, not software?
The initial call covers that. Plenty of people just want a second opinion on their setup.
Let's talk
A free 30-minute call. Describe what's not working and I'll tell you if I can help.
Or email me at hello@personalsoftware.supply