From Small Apartment to Global Clients
Before starting what would become SoftDoes, I accumulated roughly seven years of hands on web and backend engineering experience. My technical expertise spanned .NET, Python, JavaScript, relational databases, and I had a growing interest in machine learning and computer vision.
The challenge I faced was simple but significant: how do you reach ambitious clients from an emerging market? I validated demand by focusing on quality over volume. I found that U.S. founders and technical leaders were actively looking for high quality custom software development and app development from engineers who could think like partners, not just execute tickets.
I focused obsessively on reliability and maintainability rather than quick hacks. Key challenges in software development include managing evolving requirements, fixing bugs, ensuring cross platform compatibility, and maintaining clear team communication. I learned early that addressing these head on builds trust.
My mindset from day one was to treat every client like a long term partner. I documented everything, shipped production ready software, and always translated technical work into business impact and actionable insights. One great engagement led to another. Word of mouth referrals started building momentum.
Turning Solo Work into a Real Software Engineering Partner
By 2020, I hit a constraint that changed everything: I couldn’t deliver everything alone without hurting quality or timelines. Repeat clients were asking for more. Longer engagements demanded more capacity.
I started building the first version of the SoftDoes team by hiring two software engineers I already trusted from previous jobs. As workload grew, I added QA and part time DevOps support. The decision to brand everything under “SoftDoes” was deliberate, I wanted clients to work with a proper custom software development company instead of a single freelancer.
Developers generally follow a structured Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) in software product development, and we formalized ours early. The phases of the Software Development Life Cycle typically include Planning & Requirements Gathering, Design & Prototyping, Implementation (Coding), Testing & QA, and Deployment & Maintenance. Having this structure gave clients confidence and gave us consistency.
These clients became particularly important, they had real pain points, real budgets, and real opportunities for process automation that would define our future direction.
Why We Went All In on AI and Data
By early 2021, we were doing classic web and mobile applications work. But I kept seeing the same pattern across clients: they wanted better predictions, smarter automation, and more data driven business decisions. AI and machine learning components moved from “nice to have” to core requirements.
These projects delivered measurable ROI: reduced manual work hours, more accurate forecasts, and higher conversion rates. For every $1 invested in AI, companies are realizing a $3.50 return, highlighting the financial benefits of AI integration in business processes. We saw this firsthand with our clients.
Companies with high AI adoption see a 30% reduction in operational costs. We positioned ourselves to help clients capture these efficiency gains. AI and machine learning technologies enhance automation by bringing predictive and adaptive capabilities to workflows, allowing businesses to optimize processes in real time.
We also began exploring what we now call agentic AI: moving from standalone ML models that output predictions to systems where autonomous AI agents observe data, make decisions, and trigger workflows across CRM, ERP, and internal tools. Automation platforms that integrate AI can streamline decision making processes, enabling organizations to automate repetitive, logic based decisions efficiently.
Building Through Crisis and Relocating to the United States
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. I was traveling for business. I made the difficult decision not to return and instead relocate to the United States.
The chaos of that moment was real: engineers scattered across different regions, uncertainty about safety and infrastructure, and the urgent need to keep client projects running with zero downtime. Deployment and maintenance in software development involve releasing the product and managing ongoing updates, security, and performance, but now we had to do this while our team was literally relocating.
My practical impact of moving to the U.S. was significant: ability to meet clients in person, negotiate more complex contracts, better understand American business culture, and be perceived as a serious long term software engineering partner rather than just a remote vendor.
Scaling SoftDoes to a 70 Person AI Focused Agency
By early 2023, SoftDoes had grown from a handful of engineers to around 35 people. By 2025, we reached approximately 70 specialists covering software engineering, AI/ML, data science, data engineering, UX/UI design, and delivery management.
By 2024, almost 80% of our active projects had significant AI components:
- Recommendation engines
- Forecasting models and predictive analytics
- Natural language processing
- Computer vision applications
- Agentic AI agents embedded into business functions like support, finance, and operations
We leaned into specific industries where reliability, regulatory compliance, and data security are critical:
- Finance. Risk scoring, transaction monitoring, explainable outputs for auditors
- Healthcare. HIPAA aware data platforms, secure patient portals
- Education. Scalable learning platforms and analytics
- E-commerce. Personalization and demand forecasting
- Energy. Predictive maintenance and compliance reporting
The adoption of cloud services can lead to a reduction in operational costs, as companies can pay for only the resources they use, rather than maintaining expensive on premises hardware. This became a key value proposition for our clients across various industries.
How We Design Solutions Around Business Functions and Outcomes
We don’t sell “AI for AI’s sake” or just write code. We start with business functions and measurable outcomes, then design the technology stack around that.
Our typical discovery process for a new client involves:
- Stakeholder interviews to understand strategic goals
- Mapping current workflows and internal workflows
- Understanding data sources and integration points
- Identifying friction points and operational challenges
- Defining where automation, AI agents, or new applications can have the highest business impact
We translate discovery into a systems blueprint covering:
- Architecture and data flows
- Integration points with existing tools (CRM, ERP, support platforms)
- Clear KPIs: reduced manual hours, faster cycle times, improved forecast accuracy
Enterprise automation is becoming essential for organizations to manage operational complexity and maintain control while pursuing growth. We frequently use artificial intelligence and agentic AI to augment specific business functions:
- Autonomous agents triaging support tickets
- Bots assisting analysts with financial models
- AI driven quality checks using computer vision
Also, effective UI/UX design can significantly enhance user satisfaction and engagement, leading to increased customer loyalty and retention rates. A well designed user interface can reduce the time users spend on tasks by up to 50%, improving overall efficiency and productivity. We prioritize user centered design principles that emphasize understanding user needs and behaviors, which leads to more intuitive and accessible digital products.
Every build includes room for continuous improvement: we log key metrics, monitor models, and schedule iterations so systems learn from real world usage and keep improving business decisions over time.
Real Projects That Shaped SoftDoes
Concrete real world case studies were critical for building trust and defining what SoftDoes stands for, especially with enterprise and scale up clients.
Let’s Turn Your Idea into Scalable Software
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The Building Buyer
The Building Buyer is a real estate investment firm based in Florida, co-founded by Dylan Troiano and Charles Hanlin. They needed a faster, more dependable way to identify and follow up with motivated sellers in Florida's competitive market. Manual data collection was taking up valuable hours that Dylan couldn’t afford to lose. SoftDoes developed a custom lead generation and data extraction platform that runs automatically each day, surfaces new opportunities, and manages initial outreach to sellers. The result is a proprietary system fully owned by The Building Buyer, eliminating reliance on third party vendors or virtual assistants.
Sparkle The Cleaning Service
Sparkle The Cleaning Service is a reputable residential cleaning company serving the Detroit area with over a decade of experience. Recognizing flaws in the traditional cleaning industry, where cleaners endured physically demanding work for a small fraction of what customers paid, and customers struggled to find trustworthy cleaners, Zavieus Hogan approached SoftDoes with a vision. He wanted to create a platform that eliminates the middleman, enabling cleaners to retain most of their earnings while offering customers a subscription-based marketplace featuring verified and insured professionals. The outcome is a dual sided booking platform designed to build lasting loyalty and satisfaction for both cleaners and clients.
Prior Authorization AI
Prior Authorization AI is a healthcare automation startup focused on creating AI powered tools to simplify the prior authorization process for Medicare and Medicaid medical transportation providers in New Jersey. Prior authorization is one of healthcare's most persistent administrative burdens: repetitive, deadline driven, and easy to overlook. For Joseph Oluwo, founder of Prior Authorization AI and operator of a Medicare/Medicaid medical transportation company in New Jersey, this process consumed days of phone calls and manual data entry every week. SoftDoes developed a custom AI platform that processes patient documentation, fills out authorization forms, flags issues before submission, and automatically tracks renewal deadlines. What was once a sprawling manual process has been transformed into a streamlined review workflow, and Joseph plans to bring this product to providers nationwide.
DineMate
DineMate is a Maryland-based dating and connecting platform focused on bringing authenticity back to how people meet. Eric Snead approached SoftDoes with a clear vision and a challenge. His original app, developed by an offshore team that misrepresented their location, faced recurring security issues, failed to pass the iOS App Store review, and ultimately resulted in a product that couldn’t support growth. After losing significant investment, Eric reconsidered his approach and chose SoftDoes for our transparent phased pricing, impressive design portfolio, and a trustworthy U.S.-based team.
Our goal was to create a web app that felt warm and human, reflecting the care central to the DineMate concept. SoftDoes delivered a fully functional platform hosted on AWS, featuring verified profiles, restaurant integrated functionalities, and a strong brand presence ready for expansion.
Building the Culture Inside SoftDoes
From day one, I wanted a specific culture: serious engineering, low ego, high ownership, and an obsession with learning.
We protect focus and quality through realistic planning, saying “no” when scope or timelines risk quality, and building long term relationships with clients instead of chasing every new project. Scope creep, time estimation, integration chaos, security threats, and scaling are common challenges in software development, we address them through discipline and experience.
Lessons Learned About Growing a Software Development Company
Between 2019 and 2026, I went from an individual contributor to leading a 70 person AI focused custom software development company. The hardest parts were not purely technical.
Here are specific lessons I’ve learned:
- Choose your clients carefully
- Document everything early
- Hire slowly but decisively
- Align services with business outcomes
Moving into AI and agentic AI early created advantage, but only because we paired it with strong software engineering fundamentals, governance, and responsible, auditable AI.
Implementing enterprise automation as part of legacy software modernization allows organizations to streamline operations, improve decision making, and enhance overall efficiency, enabling them to focus on delivering value to customers.
To other engineers and founders in emerging markets: you don’t need massive funding to start, but you do need discipline, long term thinking, and a willingness to build trust project by project.
Where SoftDoes Is Headed Next
As of 2026, SoftDoes continues to grow as an AI focused engineering partner. Our roadmap centers on deeper integration of agentic AI into enterprise operations and workflows.
Our plans include:
- Expanding AI agents capabilities. Building reusable agent frameworks that orchestrate complex multi step workflows across finance, operations, customer service, and compliance
- Strengthening data engineering. More work on real time data pipelines, event driven architectures, and self service analytics for business leaders who need meaningful insights to increase productivity
- Geographic expansion. Maintaining strong presence in Ukraine and Eastern Europe while expanding physically in the United States
We work with non profit organizations, supply chain companies, and enterprises across sectors, any organization that needs tailored solutions for their specific challenges.
Our core promise stays constant: reliable, secure, and scalable software that turns data and AI into real business impact, not just demos. We address complex challenges with deep learning, exception handling expertise, and mobile applications capabilities when user needs require them.
Whether you’re building internal systems, customer facing products, or AI enabled automation, we approach every engagement as a partnership. If you’re looking for a software engineering partner who treats your success as their own, I’d welcome a conversation about how we might work together.
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