DEV Community: jacob foster

Has anyone here worked with a custom software development company before?

jacob foster — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:39:48 +0000

Yes, I’ve looked into custom software development for business projects, and one thing I’ve learned is that choosing the right development partner matters more than just comparing prices.

A good custom software consultant should first understand the business problem, existing workflow, users, and long-term goals. If a company starts talking about features and technologies before understanding these things, I’d consider that a warning sign.

Custom software can make sense when off-the-shelf tools don’t fit your process. For example, a business may need a specific CRM workflow, internal management system, customer portal, automation, or software that connects several existing tools. In those cases, building something around the actual workflow can be much more practical.

I’d also ask a development company a few basic questions before starting:

Have they worked on projects similar to yours?
How do they handle communication and updates?
What does their development process look like?
How do they test the software?
What happens after the initial launch?
Can they scale or modify the software as the business grows?

I recently came across Acelan’s software development services while looking at custom software development options. Their service covers the development side, from building software around specific business requirements to creating solutions that can grow with the business.

Personally, I think the biggest benefit of working with a custom development company is having someone who can understand the problem first and then suggest the right technical approach, rather than simply building whatever features are requested.

So yes, custom soft

AI is making coding faster, but that doesn’t make software engineering less valuable. If anything, it shifts the focus toward the harder parts: understanding the problem, choosing the right architecture, and knowing what should actually be built.

jacob foster — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:46:23 +0000

Real engineering replaces mere coding

Sylwia Laskowska

Sep 10

AI Is Already Better at Coding Than Most Software Developers

#discuss #ai #webdev #programming

247

193

5 min read

Shopify vs Custom E-Commerce Build: When Is Custom Actually Worth It?

jacob foster — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:38:48 +0000

When starting an online store, one of the first decisions is usually whether to use Shopify or build something from scratch. Shopify is attractive because you can get a store running quickly without dealing with a large technical setup. But as the business grows, some companies start asking a different question: are we outgrowing the platform?

This is where eCommerce development services can become relevant. A custom store gives a business more control over how products, customers, orders, payments, and internal systems work together. But that does not automatically make custom development the better choice. For many businesses, Shopify is more than enough.

When Shopify Makes More Sense

Shopify works well when your requirements are fairly straightforward.

For example, if you sell standard products, need a professional storefront, want common payment options, and do not have complicated internal workflows, Shopify can save a lot of time.

You also avoid building basic features from scratch. The ecosystem already includes product management, checkout, inventory, order tracking, and integrations.

This can be especially useful for a new business testing an idea. You can focus more on products, marketing, and customers instead of spending months building technology.

When Custom Development Starts Making Sense

The situation changes when your business model does not fit neatly into standard e-commerce features.

Maybe you have complicated pricing rules based on customer type. Maybe your products need a highly unusual configuration system. Or perhaps your store needs to connect deeply with an ERP, CRM, warehouse system, or internal application.

At that point, constantly finding workarounds can become frustrating.

A custom platform allows the technology to be designed around the actual business process rather than forcing the business process to fit the platform.

Think About the Total Cost, Not Just Development Cost

One common mistake is comparing Shopify's subscription cost directly with the price of custom development.

They are not really the same type of expense.

With Shopify, you may have subscription fees, app costs, transaction-related expenses, premium themes, and additional tools. Over time, those costs can add up.

With a custom build, the initial investment is usually much higher, but you have greater control over the system. You also have to budget for hosting, maintenance, security, updates, and future development.

So the better question is not simply, "Which one is cheaper?"

It is:

Which option makes more financial sense for the way the business is expected to operate over the next few years?

Custom Doesn't Always Mean Better

This is probably the most important point.

A custom e-commerce store can give you flexibility, but flexibility comes with responsibility. You need developers to maintain it, fix issues, improve features, and keep the system secure.

If your business does not actually need that flexibility, custom development may create unnecessary complexity.

On the other hand, if your store depends on unique workflows or needs technology that standard platforms cannot support properly, building custom can become a practical long-term decision.

A Simple Way to Decide

I usually look at four things before making the decision:

1. Business complexity: Are your products, pricing, checkout, or workflows unusual?

2. Integration requirements: Does the store need deep connections with other business systems?

3. Expected growth: Will the current platform still support your operations as the business expands?

4. Competitive advantage: Does your customer experience depend on something that standard platforms cannot easily provide?

If most answers are "no," Shopify may be perfectly suitable.

If several answers are "yes," it is worth seriously evaluating a custom build.

In the end, Shopify and custom e-commerce are not really competing answers for every business. Shopify can be a practical starting point, while custom development can make more sense when technology itself becomes an important part of the business model. The right choice depends on what the store actually needs, not simply on which option sounds more advanced.

Can a Junior Software Developer Build an MVP?

jacob foster — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 20:17:32 +0000

Yes, a junior software developer can build an MVP, especially when the product has a focused scope and the developer understands the core problem the product is trying to solve. However, building an MVP is not simply about writing code. It also involves deciding what features actually matter, choosing the right technology, testing assumptions, and preparing the product for real users.

If you're exploring mvp software development, it helps to understand that an MVP should be the simplest usable version of a product—not a smaller version of the final product. A practical MVP development approach focuses on validating the main idea before investing heavily in advanced features.

What Makes an MVP Suitable for a Junior Developer?

The complexity of the MVP matters more than the developer's job title. A junior developer may be able to build a straightforward SaaS dashboard, booking application, internal business tool, or basic marketplace if the requirements are clearly defined.

For example, an MVP might only need:

User registration and login
A simple dashboard
One core workflow
Basic database functionality
Payment or third-party API integration
Simple admin controls

A product with five well-defined features can be much easier to build than one with twenty loosely defined requirements.

Where Can Junior Developers Struggle?

The biggest challenge is often not coding individual features. It is understanding the bigger picture.

A junior developer may underestimate issues involving database architecture, authentication, security, API integrations, deployment, scalability, error handling, and performance.

For example, creating a login form may be relatively straightforward. Building authentication that safely handles passwords, sessions, permissions, account recovery, and edge cases requires more experience.

This is why having a senior developer, technical lead, or experienced reviewer involved can make a significant difference.

Should a Junior Developer Build the MVP Alone?

It depends on the product.

For a small and technically simple idea, a junior developer may be able to build much of the MVP independently. For a product involving sensitive data, complex integrations, financial transactions, or complicated business logic, working alone can create unnecessary technical risks.

A good approach is to let the junior developer handle implementation while receiving guidance on architecture, security, code reviews, and deployment.

This also creates a useful learning environment without putting the entire project at risk.

Keep the First Version Small

One of the most common mistakes in MVP development is trying to build everything at once.

Instead of asking, "What features should the final product have?" ask, "What is the smallest product that can test our main assumption?"

Suppose you're building a customer-support platform. You may not need AI automation, advanced analytics, multiple integrations, custom reporting, and complex permissions in version one.

A simple system that lets businesses create tickets, respond to customers, and track their status might be enough to validate the concept.

The Bottom Line

A junior software developer can absolutely contribute to—or even build—a working MVP. The key is controlling the scope and getting the right technical guidance when the project becomes more complex.

The goal of an MVP isn't to demonstrate how much code a developer can write. It's to test whether the product solves a real problem with the smallest practical investment.

When the scope is clear, expectations are realistic, and experienced support is available where needed, junior developers can be an important part of successful MVP software development.

What Challenges Have You Faced as “The Sales Guy” at a Software Development Startup?

jacob foster — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:17:06 +0000

Being “The Sales Guy” at a software development startup sounds straightforward from the outside. Find prospects, understand what they need, explain the service, and close the deal. In reality, the role sits right between business expectations, technical limitations, client budgets, and delivery realities. Every conversation can bring a completely different challenge.

One of the biggest challenges is helping potential clients understand what they are actually buying. When discussing startup software development services, clients often know the business problem they want to solve but don't always know what kind of technology is required. Sometimes a prospect asks for a simple application, but after understanding the requirements, it becomes clear that the project involves integrations, authentication, dashboards, APIs, cloud infrastructure, or ongoing maintenance. Explaining that difference without overwhelming the client is a big part of the sales process.

Getting Accurate Requirements

Another challenge is getting clear requirements during the first few conversations.

Clients may start with something like, “We need an app similar to X,” or “We need a platform for our customers.” That isn't necessarily enough information to estimate the project properly.

The sales conversation often has to uncover:

Who will actually use the software?
What problem is it solving?
What features are essential for the first release?
Does it need to integrate with existing systems?
What are the security or compliance requirements?
What is the expected timeline and budget?

The better these questions are answered early, the fewer surprises there are later.

Managing Budget Expectations

Budget is probably one of the most uncomfortable parts of software sales.

A prospect may have a great business idea but expect a relatively small budget. At the same time, development teams need enough time and resources to build something reliable.

I've found that simply saying “this will cost more” isn't particularly helpful. It's better to explain what drives the cost and then explore whether the project can be divided into phases.

For example, instead of trying to build 30 features immediately, an MVP might focus on the five or six features that are genuinely necessary to validate the idea.

Translating Between Clients and Developers

This is another part of the job that doesn't get discussed enough.

Clients usually describe things in terms of business outcomes. Developers think in terms of architecture, functionality, dependencies, APIs, databases, and technical constraints.

The sales person has to translate between those two worlds.

If a client says, “I want the system to be really fast,” that needs to become a conversation about expected users, traffic, infrastructure, database performance, caching, and other technical considerations.

Likewise, technical explanations sometimes need to be converted into language a business owner can actually use to make a decision.

Dealing With Uncertainty

Software projects rarely have every detail figured out at the beginning.

Requirements change. Priorities change. Competitors launch something new. A client's budget changes. Sometimes the original idea simply doesn't make sense after deeper research.

That uncertainty makes sales forecasting difficult.

You can have a promising lead one week and discover the next week that the project has been postponed for six months.

Building Trust Before the Sale

Perhaps the hardest challenge is earning trust.

Clients aren't just choosing developers. They're choosing a team that may have access to sensitive business information, customer data, intellectual property, and important operational systems.

That means the sales process can't be only about features and pricing.

Being transparent about timelines, limitations, technical risks, communication processes, and what the team can realistically deliver can make a much stronger impression than making unrealistic promises.

For anyone working as “The Sales Guy” at a software development startup, I think the biggest lesson is that good sales isn't about convincing someone to buy software.

It's about understanding the problem well enough to determine whether your team can genuinely help solve it—and being honest when the answer is no.

Where AI Automation Actually Saves Money in a Small Business With Examples

jacob foster — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:58:06 +0000

AI automation sounds expensive when you hear about large companies spending millions on advanced systems. But for a small business, the biggest opportunity is often much simpler: automate repetitive work that employees spend hours doing every week.

For example, a small company may have someone spending three hours every day answering similar customer questions, updating spreadsheets, sorting leads, or creating routine reports. That time has a real cost. AI development services can help businesses automate these repetitive processes so employees can spend more time on work that actually generates revenue.

The Real ROI of AI Automation

The easiest way to understand AI automation is to stop thinking about it as a futuristic technology and start looking at it as a cost-saving tool.

Imagine a company has an employee earning $25 per hour who spends 10 hours every week on repetitive administrative work. That's $250 per week, or roughly $13,000 per year, spent on tasks that may not directly grow the business.

If automation can reduce that workload by 60%, the company could potentially free up around $7,800 worth of working time annually.

The actual savings will vary, but the principle is straightforward: less repetitive work = more productive hours = better ROI.

1. Automating Customer Support

Customer support is one of the easiest areas for small businesses to explore.

Many questions are repetitive:

What are your business hours?
How much does this service cost?
Where is my order?
How do I reset my account?
What is your cancellation policy?

An AI-powered support system can handle common questions instantly and escalate complicated issues to a human.

For a business receiving hundreds of basic questions every month, this can reduce the amount of time employees spend answering the same questions repeatedly.

The goal isn't necessarily to replace the support team. It's to let them focus on customers who actually need human attention.

2. Saving Time on Lead Management

Sales teams often lose valuable time managing leads instead of actually talking to prospects.

A small business might receive leads through its website, email, social media, and contact forms. Someone then has to organize those leads, identify which ones are relevant, and follow up.

AI automation can help classify incoming leads based on information such as industry, company size, requirements, or buying intent.

For example, instead of a salesperson manually reviewing 100 inquiries, an automated system could identify the 20 most relevant opportunities first.

Even if it doesn't generate one additional lead, saving several hours of sales administration every week can create measurable business value.

3. Automating Reports and Data Entry

Spreadsheets are useful, but manually maintaining them can become expensive as a company grows.

Consider a business where an employee spends five hours every week collecting information from different systems and preparing a weekly report.

AI automation can help collect, organize, summarize, and present that information automatically.

That means the employee can spend those five hours analyzing the results rather than copying and pasting data.

This is particularly useful for sales reports, inventory updates, financial summaries, customer feedback, and operational dashboards.

4. Faster Content Production

Small businesses often need regular emails, product descriptions, social media posts, FAQs, and other content.

Creating everything manually can take significant time.

AI can help create first drafts, summarize information, organize ideas, and repurpose existing content. A marketing employee can then review and improve the output instead of starting from a blank page.

This doesn't mean publishing everything AI generates without checking it. Human review is still important for accuracy, brand voice, and quality.

5. Reducing Operational Mistakes

Saving money isn't always about reducing employee hours.

Sometimes the bigger saving comes from preventing mistakes.

A manual process can lead to missed follow-ups, incorrect data, duplicate entries, forgotten tasks, or delayed responses.

Automation can create consistent workflows where certain actions happen automatically.

For example, when a customer submits a form, the system could automatically record the information, notify the appropriate employee, create a task, and send an initial confirmation.

That small improvement can prevent several manual steps from being forgotten.

How Should a Small Business Calculate AI ROI?

Before investing in automation, calculate the current cost of the problem.

Start with four questions:

How many hours are spent on the task every month?
What does that employee time cost?
How frequently does the task create mistakes or delays?
What would automation cost to build and maintain?

Then compare the expected savings with the investment.

For example, if a process costs $1,000 per month in employee time and automation can reduce that cost by $600, the potential annual productivity value is $7,200.

That's a much better way to evaluate AI than simply asking whether the technology is impressive.

Start Small and Measure the Results

Small businesses don't need to automate everything at once.

A better approach is to find one repetitive, measurable process and improve it first.

Customer support, lead qualification, reporting, scheduling, data entry, and document processing are often good starting points.

The best ai development services are not necessarily about building the most complicated AI system. They are about identifying a real business problem, designing the right workflow, and measuring whether the solution actually saves time or money.

AI automation becomes valuable when it produces a business result. If it saves employees five hours every week, reduces errors, improves response times, or helps salespeople focus on better opportunities, it has a clear purpose.

For a small business, that's where AI automation can move from an interesting experiment to a genuine financial advantage.

[Boost]

jacob foster — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 18:08:08 +0000

hyuga

Aug 17

That amazing skill you shared only runs on your machine. I built a linter for it — then found I was 85% wrong

#ai #claude #githubactions #devtools

4 min read

Why Are Custom Software Development Projects So Painful?

jacob foster — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 18:04:48 +0000

Honestly, I think most people go into a software project thinking the hard part is writing the code.

It usually isn’t.
The difficult part starts much earlier.

A custom software development project can become painful when the requirements keep changing, communication is unclear, or everyone has a different idea of what the final product should look like.

I’ve seen projects where the original idea sounded simple: “We just need an app that does this.”

Then development starts, and suddenly there are dozens of small requirements, integrations, security concerns, design changes, testing issues, and things nobody thought about in the beginning.

The Biggest Problem Is Usually Communication

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that developers can’t build what hasn’t been clearly explained.

If the business team changes priorities every few weeks, the development team has to keep going back and changing things. That increases both time and cost.

Another problem is trying to build everything at once.

I think starting with the most important features and improving the product step by step is usually a much better approach.

Choosing the Right Development Partner Matters

A while ago, I was discussing software projects with a friend, and Acelan Technologies came up in the conversation. I later looked through their software development services, and one thing I found interesting was their full-cycle approach, from ideation and research through development, testing, launch, and ongoing support.

That kind of process can remove some of the confusion because you’re not dealing with completely separate teams for every stage.

Of course, no development company can make a complicated project completely painless. But having clear communication, realistic requirements, proper planning, and regular testing can make a huge difference.

So, Why Does It Feel So Painful?

Because software is rarely just about software.

It involves people, business goals, budgets, deadlines, changing ideas, and technical limitations all at the same time.

The better these things are managed from the beginning, the smoother the project usually becomes.

For me, the biggest lesson is simple: don’t rush into development before you understand what you’re actually trying to build.

What I Learned From Choosing a Software Development Partner?

jacob foster — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:58:52 +0000

When you have an idea for a software product, the exciting part is usually imagining what it could become.

The less exciting part? Finding the right people to actually build it.

I've been through that process, and one thing became pretty clear to me: choosing a development partner isn't just about finding good developers. You need people who understand what you're trying to achieve.

Don't Just Pick the Cheapest Quote

I'll be honest—price is one of the first things we all look at.

But I've learned that the cheapest option isn't always the one that saves you money.

If requirements aren't understood properly, communication is slow, or the product needs major changes later, that low quote can become expensive pretty quickly.

I'd rather compare the overall value: experience, communication, development process, testing, and support.

Actually Look at Their Work

A nice-looking agency website doesn't tell you everything.

Whenever I'm checking a development company, I like to look at their actual projects.

I ask myself:

Does the product feel easy to use?
Does it work well on mobile?
Does the design make sense for the target users?
Have they built anything similar before?

That last question is particularly important.

A company may have worked on dozens of projects, but experience with something close to your idea can make conversations much easier.

Pay Attention to How They Talk to You

This might sound simple, but I think it's one of the biggest things people overlook.

During development, you're going to have questions. You'll change your mind about some things. New problems will come up.

That's just how software projects work.

What matters is whether the team communicates openly.

I prefer a team that says, "Here's a problem we found, and here's what we think we should do," rather than one that stays quiet until something goes wrong.

You Don't Need to Know All the Technical Stuff

I've also realized that clients shouldn't feel pressured to become developers before starting a project.

You should be able to explain your business problem in simple terms.

A good custom software development company should ask questions and help translate that idea into technical requirements.

For example, instead of immediately discussing frameworks and programming languages, I'd first want to understand:

Who will use the software?

What problem will it solve?

What does the first version actually need to do?

Those answers should come before the technology discussion.

Think About What Happens Later

Something else I always recommend is thinking a little beyond launch day.

Maybe you only need five features today.

That's fine.

But what happens when you have more users? What if you need integrations? What if you want to add a mobile app later?

You don't have to build everything from day one. In fact, I think starting smaller is often smarter.

But the architecture should leave room to grow.

A Resource You Can Check

While researching software development companies, I came across Acelan, and their website is worth checking if you're currently exploring development options.

I'm sharing it as a resource rather than saying it's the only choice:

https://acelan.ai/

I'd still recommend comparing a few companies, looking at their work, talking to their teams, and making your own decision.

That's what I'd do.

What I'd Do Differently Now

If I were starting another software project tomorrow, I wouldn't rush to sign with the first company that gives me a good-looking proposal.

I'd have a few conversations first.

I'd ask questions.

I'd look at previous projects.

And most importantly, I'd pay attention to whether the team actually understands the problem I'm trying to solve.

Because at the end of the day, you're not just hiring someone to write code.

You're trusting them with an idea that matters to you.

For me, that's the most important thing to remember when choosing a custom software development company.

How I’ve Been Using AI To Build Complex Software (And What Actually Worked)

jacob foster — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:43:42 +0000

I didn’t start using AI in software development because I thought it would replace developers. I started using it because, honestly, there were times when I needed help getting through complicated problems faster.

Over time, I realized AI is most useful when I treat it like a development assistant, not someone who builds the entire project for me.

One thing that worked really well was breaking bigger tasks into smaller pieces. Instead of asking AI to build an entire application, I give it one feature, one bug, or one specific problem at a time. The answers are usually much more useful that way.

I also use AI when I’m working with unfamiliar code. It can explain what a function is doing, help me understand an error, or suggest why something might not be working. I still check everything myself, but it gives me a starting point when I'm stuck.

Another thing I’ve learned is that context matters. The more relevant information I provide, the better the response tends to be.

For businesses, this same approach can go beyond coding. AI development services can help create custom AI features, automate repetitive processes, improve workflows, and add intelligent functionality to existing software.

But I don't think AI is a shortcut to good software.

You still need clear requirements, testing, technical judgment, and human review.

For me, the biggest benefit of AI isn't that it does everything.

It's that it helps me get unstuck, explore ideas faster, and spend more time solving the problems that actually matter.

Why I Started Building a CRM for Startups?

jacob foster — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 16:29:22 +0000

I didn’t start building a CRM because I thought startups needed another software tool.

Honestly, there are already plenty of CRMs out there.

The real reason was much simpler: I kept seeing small teams struggle with things that should have been easy.

A startup might have a great product, a few promising leads, and a small sales team. But as conversations increase, things quickly become messy.

One lead is sitting in someone's inbox. Another is mentioned in Slack. A follow-up is written in a spreadsheet. Someone else has the latest customer notes.

And then someone asks:

“What happened with that lead?”

Nobody has a clear answer.

The CRM Problem for Small Teams

Large companies can afford dedicated sales operations teams, complex tools, and people whose job is to keep the CRM updated.

Startups usually can't.

The founder may be handling sales in the morning, product in the afternoon, and customer support at night.

For a small team, spending hours updating records, moving deals between stages, or searching through old conversations doesn't feel productive.

That's where I think many CRM products miss the point.

They offer a lot of features, but the everyday experience can still feel complicated.

I Wanted to Build Something Around How Startups Actually Work

When you're building a startup, you don't always follow a perfect sales process.

A conversation can start with a LinkedIn message, move to email, turn into a quick call, and eventually become a customer.

The system needs to follow that reality instead of forcing the team into a rigid workflow.

So my thinking became:

What if a CRM could help the team stay organized without becoming another task they have to constantly manage?

That question became the starting point for building my own CRM.

The Things I Care About Most

For me, a useful startup CRM should make a few things easier.

Know what needs attention

You should be able to open the system and quickly understand which leads need a follow-up, which deals are moving forward, and which conversations have gone quiet.

Keep customer context in one place

Nobody should have to search through five different tools to understand who a customer is, what they discussed, and what happens next.

Reduce repetitive work

If the same information is being entered manually again and again, there should be a better way.

Stay simple as the team grows

A two-person startup shouldn't need a week of training just to understand the CRM.

The Bigger Lesson

Building this has also changed how I think about startup software.

Good software isn't necessarily the one with the longest feature list.

Sometimes the better product is the one that removes five small frustrations from someone's daily work.

That's the approach I'm taking with this CRM.

I'm not trying to build another giant platform that does everything.

I'm trying to build something that helps startup teams spend less time managing their sales process and more time actually talking to customers.

There is still a lot to build, test, and improve.

But the reason for starting is clear:

Startups don't need more software to manage. They need better software that helps them move faster.

What Do YOU Do as a Software Developer?

jacob foster — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:20:13 +0000

When people hear the term “software developer,” they often imagine someone sitting in front of a computer writing lines of code all day. While coding is an important part of the job, a software developer does much more than that. Developers solve problems, create digital solutions, and help businesses turn ideas into functional software.

A software development company usually works with developers who understand business needs and build applications that make daily operations easier. A developer’s role starts with understanding the project requirements, discussing ideas with teams, and planning the best way to create a reliable solution.

Turning Ideas into Real Software

Software developers design, develop, test, and maintain applications. They write code, fix errors, improve performance, and ensure that the software works smoothly for users. Whether it is a mobile app, website, cloud platform, or enterprise system, developers are responsible for bringing concepts to life.

More Than Just Coding

A good developer also focuses on user experience, security, scalability, and future improvements. They collaborate with designers, project managers, and other developers to create products that solve real-world challenges.

Developers also spend time learning new technologies because the software industry changes quickly. New programming languages, frameworks, and tools appear regularly, making continuous learning an essential part of the profession.

Building Solutions That Make an Impact

A developer’s work can help companies automate tasks, improve customer experiences, and grow their businesses. From simple applications to complex digital platforms, developers play a key role in shaping the technology people use every day.

Choosing the right development partner is important because a skilled software development company can transform an idea into a powerful and scalable digital product.