Independent software developer · Dallas–Fort Worth
Custom software for small businesses
I build affordable websites, internal tools, and automation that help small businesses save time, cut out repetitive work, and run more efficiently.
Free 15-minute consultation. No obligation, no sales pitch.
Stop doing it by hand
If a task happens the same way every week, it’s a candidate for automation.
One person, start to finish
You talk to the developer. Nothing gets lost in translation.
Priced for small business
Fixed quotes agreed up front — no open-ended agency retainers.
Recent client work
Website security & technology consulting · Read the case study
What I do
Four ways I help small businesses
Most projects fall into one of these. If yours doesn't fit neatly, that's fine — describe the problem and I'll tell you what I'd build.
Websites & Web Applications
A professional presence your customers can actually use — not just a brochure.
- Business websites
- Booking & contact systems
- Customer portals
- Online forms & intake
- E-commerce and payment integrations
What's the difference between a website and a web application?
A website is read; a web application is used. A business website tells a customer who you are and how to reach you — they read it, maybe fill in a form, and leave. A web application is something people log into and come back to: a customer portal, an account-based booking system, a dashboard with their own data in it. That needs logins, a database, and logic behind it, which is why the two are priced very differently.
Business Automation
If someone on your team does it the same way every week, it can probably be automated.
- Automating repetitive manual tasks
- Data processing & cleanup
- Scheduled email and report generation
- Connecting systems that don’t talk to each other
How is this different from custom business software?
Automation runs on its own; software is something you open. If the goal is to stop a repetitive task from needing a person — data copied between two systems overnight, a report that emails itself every Monday — that is automation, and it usually has little or no screen to look at. If your team needs a tool they log into and work in every day, that is custom business software.
Custom Business Software
Software shaped around how your business already works, instead of the other way around.
- Internal dashboards & reporting
- Inventory and order management
- Scheduling tools
- CRM-style customer tracking
- Specialized tools built for your workflow
How is this different from business automation?
Software is something your team opens and works in; automation just runs. This is a real application with a screen, user accounts, and a database behind it — inventory, scheduling, a simple customer tracker. It often has automation built into it, but the point is giving your team a tool to use, not removing one manual task.
Technology & Security
Practical, plain-English help with the parts of technology that keep business owners up at night.
- Website security assessments
- Security hardening & remediation
- Cloud and infrastructure consulting
- Ongoing software maintenance
Is this a one-time review or an ongoing arrangement?
Either one. A security assessment is a single fixed-price review of your public site and the systems behind it, ending in a plain-English report of what I found and what to fix first. Ongoing consulting is billed hourly, for when you want someone to check in periodically or advise as the business grows.
Not sure which of these you need? That's a normal place to start — most people describe the problem and we work backwards from there.
Let's talk it throughWhy work with me
A developer, not an agency
Hiring an agency means paying for account managers, project managers, and sales staff before anyone writes a line of code. Here you're paying for the work itself.
Work directly with the developer
No sales team, no outsourcing, no account managers relaying messages. The person you talk to is the person designing and building your software.
Built around your business
Instead of forcing your business into off-the-shelf software, I build around the way you actually work — including the parts that are a little unusual.
Affordable for small businesses
Get custom technology without agency retainers or the cost of keeping a developer on payroll. Scope stays matched to your budget.
Clear, jargon-free communication
You'll always know what's being built, why it matters, and what it costs. If I can't explain it plainly, it isn't a good enough plan yet.
Client work
Website Security & Technology Consulting
A look at how an engagement actually runs — the problem, the work, and what changed afterward.
The problem
Reunion Sports runs the platform players use to create accounts, sign up for leagues, and pay registration fees online. Like a lot of growing platforms, the site had never been independently reviewed for security — there was no way to know whether player accounts, admin functions, or backend credentials were actually protected.
What I did
- Reviewed the platform’s account, authentication, and payment systems for security weaknesses
- Found broken access controls that let a logged-in user view and edit other players’ account information
- Identified a privilege-escalation flaw that granted full administrative access to the site
- Discovered API keys hardcoded in public-facing frontend code and advised immediate rotation into secure, server-side environment variables
The result
Reported each vulnerability directly to their team with clear, prioritized remediation steps — closing off a path to full account takeover, admin compromise, and exposed backend credentials before anyone else could find them.
Technologies involved
- Web Application Security Audit
- Access Control Review
- Secrets Management
How it works
What working together actually looks like
If you've never hired a software developer before, here's the whole process. There's nothing to prepare for step one.
- 01
Tell me about your business
A free 15-minute call to understand how you work today and where things are slow, manual, or breaking. No commitment and nothing to prepare.
- 02
I'll recommend a solution
I'll lay out what I'd build, how it would work day to day, roughly how long it takes, and exactly what it costs — in writing, before any work starts.
- 03
I build it
You get regular updates and working previews throughout development, so there are no surprises at the end and you can course-correct early.
- 04
Launch & support
I deploy it, walk your team through using it, and stay available for maintenance, fixes, and improvements as your business changes.
You're never committed to anything until you've seen a written scope and a fixed price.
Pricing
Roughly what things cost
Enough detail to tell whether I'm in your budget, without pretending every business needs the same thing.
Website Security Assessment
A full review of your public site and the systems behind it, plus a plain-English report of what I found and what to fix first. A low-risk way to start working together.
Business Website
A custom-designed, mobile-friendly site for your business. Final pricing depends on page count and features.
Business Automation
Replace a recurring manual process with something that runs itself. Priced by how many systems are involved.
Custom Web Application
Customer portals, booking systems, dashboards, and other software your customers or staff log into.
Custom Business Software
Purpose-built internal tools — inventory, orders, scheduling, reporting — designed around your workflow.
Security & Technology Consulting
Ongoing security guidance, infrastructure review, and technology advice — billed hourly when the work does not fit a fixed scope.
Need something more specialized?
Every business is different, so these are starting points rather than fixed prices. Most projects are quoted individually after a short conversation about what you actually need — and the quote is fixed before work begins, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
About
Hi, I'm Josh.
I’m a software engineer specializing in web applications, automation, cloud infrastructure, and custom software.
I started Ice Ice Software to help small businesses take advantage of technology without navigating expensive agencies or complicated enterprise software. Most of the businesses I work with don't need a big platform — they need one specific thing to stop being painful.
Whether you need a new website, want to automate a process that's eating your team's time, or have an idea for software that doesn't exist yet, I'm happy to talk it through and tell you honestly whether I'm the right fit.
- Software engineer since 2021 — currently at J.P. Morgan Chase, building cloud infrastructure and CI/CD systems
- B.S. Software Engineering, UT Dallas · pursuing M.S. Computer Science (Machine Learning), Georgia Tech
- AWS Certified Developer & Cloud Practitioner · Java, Python, JavaScript, Terraform, CI/CD
- Based in Dallas–Fort Worth, working with clients anywhere in the U.S.
FAQ
Common questions
If yours isn't here, just ask — I'd rather answer it directly than have you guess.
Ask a questionHow much does custom software cost?
It depends entirely on what you need. Smaller projects like a single automation or a security assessment start around $1,000–$1,200, a business website starts at $1,500, and larger applications are quoted based on requirements. I give you a fixed quote in writing before any work starts, so there are no surprise invoices.
How long does a project take?
A small business website is typically 2–4 weeks. Automation projects are often faster — sometimes a matter of days. Larger custom applications depend on complexity, and I’ll give you a realistic timeline with the quote rather than an optimistic one.
Do you work with businesses outside of DFW?
Yes. I’m based in Dallas–Fort Worth and happy to meet in person locally, but most of this work happens over video calls and email. I work with clients anywhere in the U.S.
Do you provide ongoing maintenance?
Yes. Software needs occasional care — updates, fixes, and small improvements as your business changes. I offer ongoing support, and I'll be upfront about whether you actually need it. Some projects genuinely don't.
Can you work with the software we already use?
Usually, yes. Integrating with your existing tools — accounting software, scheduling systems, spreadsheets, point of sale — is one of the most common things I'm asked to do. If a system can't be integrated, I'll tell you early rather than after you've paid for the attempt.
I don't know exactly what I need. Can you still help?
Absolutely — that's what the free consultation is for. You don't need to arrive with a spec. If you can describe what's frustrating or slow about your current process, that's plenty to start from, and figuring out the right solution is part of my job.
Who owns the software when it’s finished?
You do. You get the code, the accounts, and the ability to hand it to another developer if you ever want to. I don’t hold client work hostage.
Contact
Let's talk about your business
Tell me what's slowing you down and I'll tell you honestly whether software can fix it. Free 15-minute consultation — no obligation and no pressure.
I reply to every message personally, usually within one business day. If software isn't the right answer to your problem, I'll say so.
Tell me about your project
Only your name and email are required. The rest just helps me give you a more useful answer.
Message sent
Thanks for reaching out. I'll get back to you personally, usually within one business day.