The problem
Many companies grow on spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups and programs that do not talk to each other. With a single location, you get by. When a second branch, a new brand or a larger team shows up, the problems start.
Data gets copied by hand from one place to another, with mistakes. Everyone sees everything, even what they should not. Nobody is sure which version of a price or an order is the right one. And when something goes wrong, there is no way to know who changed it or when.
Off-the-shelf software helps, but it often forces the company to work the way the software wants, not the way the operation needs.
What it does
A custom system is software built around how your company works: your rules, your users and the tools you already have. It runs in the browser, on a computer or a phone.
What I usually build in these projects:
- Users and permissions. Each person signs in and sees only what they should: the administrator sees everything, a branch manager sees their branch, an agent sees their cases.
- Separate data. Several branches, brands or companies can share one system without seeing each other’s information. The separation is enforced in the database, not just by hiding buttons on screen.
- Rules in the system, not in people’s heads. Important calculations, such as a total or a price, are done by the system, not by whoever types them in.
- An action log. Important actions are recorded: who did what and when.
- Connections to what you use. The system connects to your company’s existing tools instead of asking you to drop them.
Three examples of real work:
- The multi-company assistant platform I built at AI Solutions CR, where I work as a systems integration engineer: one platform is built to serve several companies, and each one’s data is kept separate from the others.
- Plica, also built at AI Solutions CR: it gathers ten years of Costa Rican government purchasing from SICOP data and matches it with what each company sells.
- Ya Sale, a product where I am a 50% partner and handle all of the development: each table’s order is stored on the server from the first dish, the total is calculated by the system and one venue never sees another’s data.
I work with widely used technologies such as TypeScript, Next.js and PostgreSQL (a popular open-source database), so your system does not depend on an obscure tool.
How it works
- Diagnosis. I learn how your company runs today: who does what, where data is copied by hand, what goes wrong and which tools you already use.
- Proposal. I show you what is worth building first, what it solves and how we will know it works. If existing software fits, I tell you. You decide before we start.
- Build in stages. I build the part that hurts operations most first and test it with real cases from your business before it goes live.
- Launch. We roll it out with your team, with users and permissions already set.
- Support. I watch how it is used, adjust it and we move on to the next stage.
I work remotely with companies across Costa Rica. See more on the projects page or, if what you mostly need is for certain tasks to run on their own, look at process automation.
Who it is for
It suits companies that have outgrown spreadsheets and need order:
- Companies with several branches that need one view without mixing data.
- Groups with several brands or companies that want to share one system.
- Restaurants and shops where orders, kitchen and checkout must stay in sync.
- Companies that sell to the government and follow public purchasing.
- Teams that use several tools that do not talk to each other and copy data by hand.
It is not a good fit if existing software already does what you need, if your process still changes every week and nobody has defined it, or if you need something to use only once. In those cases a custom system would cost more than it gives back.