Get the software built without managing a software team.
Quality-first software builds at a robotic pace. Easy to start and scale. 100% Confidential.
- 15+ years
- of commercial development
- 40+
- projects delivered
- Top 1%
- freelancer at Upwork
- From $4,499
- per completed project
Average project:1–6 weeks from idea to live. Fastest hosted demo: 2 days.
Career Experience
Career experience includes product and engineering work for
- Tesco
- Rubrik
- ShareVault
- Mealeo
- Biobetter
- TrustSourcing
From large-company systems to specialized digital products - built for real users in production, not for a presentation that stopped at approval.
Outside verdict
The only words on this sheet I didn't write.
- Confirmed client on Upwork
Cross-platform mobile loyalty app for a restaurant network
“Responsible and Reliable. For me, that's the essential factor for a team member. Michael was also able to communicate the challenges clearly and solve the issues together. I enjoy working with him.”
- Confirmed client on Upwork
Food delivery web app
“We've worked with Michael for over a year now and his work is always spot on. He pays close attention to each request, which limits unnecessary back and forth and always delivers within his estimated time frame. We'll definitely continue to work with Michael...”
Job Success
100%
Upwork's arithmetic over closed contracts
Expert-Vetted
Top 1%
Awarded by Upwork's own experts, not scored
Every review here is public on that profile, unedited.
Who is it for?
The owner who can already see the demand and can't spend another quarter on discovery meetings, staffing, and follow-up before anything exists.
The agency, consultant, or studio that needs senior execution behind its own client relationship, under NDA, with the account left alone.
The company running a process ordinary software doesn't fit, held together by spreadsheets, messages, and memory. The process is valuable. The manual work around it is not.
The person with a day job and a side project that only becomes income once it exists, with no realistic way to build it around the work that pays now.
The builder whose vibe-coded prototype stalled. AI produced the pieces fast, and architecture, integrations, edge cases, and deployment are what's left, eating the time the project was supposed to save.
Different starting points. The same bottleneck: the opportunity is real, and turning it into dependable software has become another job.
The most recent build
Showcasing personal project that I've been thinking for quite some time and found the right time to build it. Done with love as all of my projects are.
- 01
iOS + watchOS · My own product
Do It Later
4 weeks
idea to live
A smoking-reduction app for iPhone and Apple Watch. My own product, not client work - I set the scope, and nothing waited on anyone else. Product, interface, engineering, and release, carried end to end by one person, on both platforms.
Delivery record
40+ projects delivered. Fastest hosted demo: 2 days.
Operating Model
The pace comes from removing handoffs, not removing care.
In a conventional build, one business decision can pass through sales, product, design, engineering, quality assurance, and account management before it reaches production.
Those layers can be useful at scale. They also add translation, waiting, and more people for you to coordinate.
Here, the person who hears the business problem is the person who makes the product and technical decisions.
Build the first useful version
The first release is not a compressed version of every future idea.
It's the smallest version that can prove value, serve a real user, create revenue, or remove the operational bottleneck.
Keep decisions close to implementation
No internal brief, handoff, or ticket queue sits between our conversation and the build.
A product decision gets tested while it's still cheap to change.
Review the product, not a report about it
You see working software throughout the build.
Most reviews are short: confirm what works, correct what doesn't, and make the next decision that matters.
Check every change
Automated tests and checks cover code quality, regressions, security risks, and performance problems before changes land.
The final review remains manual. Tools accelerate the work; they do not take responsibility for what ships.
How I work
A clickable demo every two or three days.
- 01
Fifteen minutes, call or chat
You tell me what should exist, who needs it, and what happens today instead. No spec, no deck, no prepared brief.
Want an NDA first? Say so and we sign it before you tell me anything.
- 02
A written plan comes back
I take it away and work out what the first release actually has to do, then send you scope, price, timeline, and what I would cut from version one.
If I don't think it's worth building, the plan says that instead.
- 03
You approve it, and we start
Half up front, and the build begins.
The price is fixed for that scope, and that is the point of quoting it this way: a slow week costs me and not you. It pays me to finish rather than to continue.
- 04
Repeat until it's release-ready
Then a demo every two or three days
You get the thing itself - a link you can click, or a screenshare if that's easier. Not a status report, not a burndown chart.
We talk for as long as the decisions take and no longer, then I go back to work. That turn is the whole build, run again and again until the product is ready to release.
- 05
You take the keys, then pay the rest
The code lands in a repository you own, deployed wherever we agreed it should live.
The other half is due when the project is finished. Not on a date, not at a milestone - when it's done.
A solo build should give you accountability, not dependency.
You can inspect the work, control the infrastructure, and continue with another engineer whenever your needs change.
Open to audit - Any engineer you trust can inspect the repository during the build or after launch.
No notice. No cleanup pass first.
Your code and accounts - The code, data, deployment, and core service accounts stay accessible to you.
The product does not depend on my permission to keep operating.
Built for handoff - The software is written so another competent engineer can pick it up without reconstructing the product from my head.
Consistent conventions, clear structure, and practical documentation matter because every successful product eventually outlives its first engineer.
Confidential by default - An NDA can be signed before sensitive details are shared.
Projects are not named, shown, or reused as marketing examples without permission.
AI harness is shipped along-side with the source code.
Agencies, Consultants, and Studios
Need this built behind your client relationship?
Agencies, consultants, and specialist studios use me when a client needs senior product execution but adding another managed team would create more work than it removes.
I work discreetly under NDA, carry the technical and product decisions, and deliver software that can be handed to your team or directly to the client.
Your commercial relationship stays yours. The engagement never becomes a route to market your client, display their work, or insert myself into the account.
What this can include
- Product and technical scoping
- Interface design and engineering
- Integrations and deployment
- Working demonstrations for your team or client
- Repository and infrastructure handoff
- Optional post-launch stewardship
Let's chat, I can help you hit the deadlines.
Fixed scope. Fixed price.
Initial review
A direct assessment of the opportunity and the most useful next step.
No fee
Product build
The agreed product scope, design, engineering, integrations, deployment, and handoff.
You get the scope, price, and proposed timeline before the build begins.
The price is fixed for the agreed scope. If the product changes, the cost changes only after we agree on the change.
Projects start at $4,499
Ongoing stewardship
Post-launch changes, maintenance, and reliability work for existing clients.
Optional
I keep a small active roster so current work keeps moving. New work is scheduled only when a slot opens.
Questions worth answering before you send anything
Do I need a specification?
No.
Describe the opportunity, who needs it, and what happens today. Turning that into a useful first scope is part of the work.
Can you take over a vibe-coded prototype?
Yes.
I'll assess whether it should be continued, refactored, or replaced. I won't preserve weak architecture just because time was already spent on it.
How much of my time will the build need?
You provide business context, review working software, and make the calls that need you.
You don't manage tickets, coordinate specialists, run stand-ups, or translate between technical roles.
How fast will it be?
The proposed timeline comes with the scope.
Selected past projects reached live use in 1-6 weeks, with a working demo earlier. Scope and external dependencies determine your actual calendar.
Is working with one person risky?
It can be.
The engagement is built to reduce it: you control the accounts, any engineer you trust can audit the code, you see working software throughout, and you can bring in independent help at any point.
The goal is direct accountability without vendor lock-in.
What if the scope changes?
The original quote stays fixed for the original scope.
New work is discussed and priced before it begins. No silent expansion. No surprise invoice.
Can you sign an NDA?
Yes, before you disclose the project.
What if the idea is not worth building?
That is a valid outcome of the first review.
I'll tell you what I think, including when the opportunity is too weak, the timing is wrong, or a simpler solution would do the job better.
Send the rough version.
Tell me three things:
- 01What should exist?
- 02Who needs it?
- 03What happens today instead?
A paragraph or voice note is enough.
What comes back is my actual assessment: whether I think it's worth pursuing, what I would build first, what I would cut, and the most useful next step.
Prefer a conversation first?
Book a 15-minute callRather just message? Happy to chat.
Message me on LinkedInNo account. No newsletter. No automated sales sequence.
Your idea is not shown, named, or reused without written permission.