A dry dock at night, a ship assembled from glowing plates
Custom software · Brisbane SMB

Custom software you actually own when it's done

Most Brisbane SMBs I meet don't need custom software. They need a well-chosen SaaS and someone to set it up properly. I'll say that on the Leak Check if it's the honest answer.

When custom is actually the right call

But when the shape of the business genuinely doesn't fit any product on the shelf — that's when custom stops being a luxury and starts being cheaper than the alternatives.

  • You've tried three SaaS products for the same job and none of them fit.
  • Your workflow is your competitive edge and you don't want to conform to a vendor's opinion of it.
  • Per-seat pricing means the tool would cost more than a full-time hire once you scale.
  • You need something two vendors' products almost do — but only their combination — and integrating them is fragile.

How I build custom for SMBs specifically

Different rules than enterprise custom-dev — smaller scopes, tighter turnarounds, radical honesty on cost.

  • Fixed scope, fixed price, agreed before I start. Not hourly. Not "T&M." No scope creep on my side.
  • Working prototype within 2 weeks for most builds. You review in your language, not mine.
  • 2–6 weeks to live. Not a six-month "digital transformation."
  • You own the code. On day one it's on your Github, or your S3 bucket, or wherever you want it. I don't hold data hostage.
  • Any competent developer can pick it up if I get hit by a bus. Boring, modern stack — no exotic frameworks nobody's heard of.
Brisbane River at night with a neon-lit container ship moving upriver

What I actually build with

React front-ends, FastAPI or Node back-ends, PostgreSQL / MongoDB, standard cloud (AWS / Hetzner / your existing environment). Anthropic / OpenAI / Gemini for the AI layer. If you're already on Azure or GCP, I meet you there — no religious wars on infrastructure.

A trade workshop at night, roller door half open, ute backed in

How the Leak Check works

Twenty minutes. If custom's not the right call I'll tell you. Straight read either way.

A container's journey: gate, crane, ship, along one lane
Straight answers

Before you ask.

Isn't custom software really expensive?
For enterprises with 12-person committees, yes. For a well-scoped single-role app for a SMB, $6k–$25k is the range. Cheaper than 18 months of a per-seat SaaS for most 5–20-person teams.
What if you get hit by a bus?
You have the code and the docs from day one. Any competent developer can pick it up.
Do you use AI to write the code?
Yes — I use modern AI tooling in my own workflow (that's part of how the pricing works). I review, test, and stand behind everything shipped.
Can you take over an existing custom build?
Depends on the state. Happy to review it in the Leak Check and be honest about whether it's worth continuing or rebuilding.
Free 20-minute meeting

Stop bending.
Start shipping.

Tell us what's going wrong. Michael calls you back — usually the same day — twenty minutes, no pitch, no charge.

Book a free meeting How we charge
Call0403 475 099 Emailhello@kindraai.dev

20 minutes. We find where the money's going. No pitch.