Custom apps for small businesses & founders

It's your idea.
Let's make it real.

Senior software engineer helping small businesses get their apps across the finish line.

Book a free callSee services & pricing
Start with what you have. Finish with:
  • Web apps
  • Client portals
  • Online payments
  • Dashboards
  • Automations
  • AI features
  • + more
Common roadblocks

Where things go wrong

Most issues come down to the same missing piece: someone who has built and shipped real apps. That's what I've spent my career doing.

  • You're fighting with a chatbot

    You've asked the AI to fix it ten different ways. Each try breaks something else, and you're no closer than you were yesterday.

  • “It works… now what?”

    Your AI-built app runs. Getting it live and ready for paying customers, with hosting, accounts, and payments, is a different job.

  • Is this actually secure?

    Exposed passwords and keys, wide-open databases, and weak logins are the most common issues I find.

  • You need expertise you don't have

    Payments, security, scaling, a system that can't go down… some problems need someone who's solved them before, not more guesswork.

  • You know there's a faster way

    Copying data, sending reminders, rebuilding the same reports… a computer should be doing this. You just don't know how to make it happen.

  • Your team has no time for testing

    Every sprint goes to new features, so test coverage keeps slipping, and customers find the bugs before your team does.

Sound familiar? Here's what I can do about it
What I deliver

Apps that complete your vision

Whether you're starting from an idea or an app that's almost done, I'll handle the engineering so you can focus on your business.

Starting something new

  • Launch your AI-built app

    You've built something with Cursor, Lovable, Bolt, or ChatGPT. I'll make it secure, reliable, and ready for paying customers.

  • Build a new product

    Have an idea for an app? I'll plan it with you, build it, and get it launched.

  • Plan before you build

    Not ready to build yet? Get expert help choosing the right approach and avoiding costly mistakes.

Growing an existing business

  • Internal tools & automation

    Software built around how your team works: automated workflows, connected systems, and AI where it actually saves time.

  • Testing & reliability

    Add automated tests to the software you already have, so updates stop breaking things for your customers.

  • Pick up where others left off

    Developer disappeared, or vendor work isn't holding up? I'll figure out what you have and get it back on track.

About

Hi, I'm Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis

I'm a senior software engineer in Tyler, Texas. For a decade I've built software that real businesses depend on, from payment systems to live tracking for emergency responders.

I started KSlugs Software Solutions to give small businesses and founders the kind of engineering big companies get, without the agency price tag. Sometimes that's finishing an app someone started with AI. Sometimes it's a tool that saves a team hours every week.

You work directly with me: one experienced engineer who answers your emails, explains things clearly, and treats your project like it matters. Honestly, I just love this work: building things, solving tricky problems, and collaborating with the people I'm building for.

  • B.S. Computer Science, Texas A&M University
  • NASA Presentation Award, Texas Space Grant Consortium
10 years
building software people rely on every day
9 industries
including healthcare, public safety, payments, and oil & gas
1 engineer
start to finish: no hand-offs, no junior devs, no account managers

What I bring to your project

  • Taking payments

    I've built payment systems that handle real customer transactions every day, without dropping them.

  • Keeping data secure

    I've built secure sign-in from scratch, including two-factor login, and I know where apps leak data.

  • Systems that can't go down

    I've built live tracking for police, fire, and EMS vehicles, where downtime isn't an option, and sped up slow apps without breaking anything for users.

  • Software that talks to hardware

    Kiosks, receipt printers, radios, and mobile devices. I've connected software to the physical equipment businesses actually use.

  • Fixes that stay fixed

    Every project gets automated tests, so new changes don't quietly break what already works.

  • Leading and reviewing

    I've set the standards for engineering teams and reviewed outsourced code, so I can tell good work from bad.

Client work

From prototype to real product

A recent project, start to finish.

A startup for creative professionals

Estimating and proposal tools for creative businesses

Where they started

The founder had built a working set of tools for writing estimates and client proposals: impressive, but every page saved its data in a single web browser. No accounts, no syncing between devices, and no way to charge for it.

What I did

  • Rebuilt it as a real web app with secure accounts and sign-in
  • Moved all saved work to the cloud, so it's available on any device
  • Added image uploads, cost limits, and protection from spam and abuse
  • Set up automated testing and automatic deployments
  • Laid the groundwork for paid subscriptions

Result: Rebuilt in about a month and now getting ready for its public launch.

Services & pricing

Clear prices. No surprise bills.

Start with a free call. For an existing app, an App Audit comes next, so we both know exactly what it'll take before any bigger commitment.

Start here

Discovery Call

Free30–60 min

Tell me what you need or where you're stuck. We'll see if I'm the right fit.

  • Walk through your idea, app, or process
  • Honest take on what's needed
  • Clear next step, no obligation
Start here

App Audit

From $500priced by app size

A senior engineer's audit of your app or system, AI-built or not, plus a written plan for what to do next.

  • Security review (exposed keys, logins, data access)
  • Reliability & architecture assessment
  • Written report with a prioritized roadmap
  • Time & cost estimates for each step
  • 45-minute walkthrough call

Small apps (a handful of screens, one database) are $500. Larger apps are quoted on the free call. The full fee is credited toward any project booked within 30 days.

Hourly Consulting

$100per hour

Flexible help for when you just need an expert for a few hours. Book as little as one.

  • Live working & debugging sessions
  • Code reviews of your team's (or your AI's) changes
  • Planning, tech stack & architecture decisions
  • Billed in 30-minute increments

Prices marked “From” are starting points. After a free call, you get a written scope and a fixed quote before any work begins. Once we agree on a price, it doesn't change.

Projects · Starting something new

Launch Essentials

$1,500flat price

Get the app you started with AI tools online the right way.

  • Production hosting, domain & SSL
  • User accounts & secure sign-in
  • Database setup & security rules
  • Automatic, safe deployments
  • Basic error monitoring

Flat price for typical apps. If your App Audit shows yours needs more, you'll know before you commit.

Most complete

Production Launch

$4,000flat price

Everything you need to start taking real customers and payments.

  • Everything in Launch Essentials
  • Payments & subscriptions (e.g. Stripe)
  • Automated backups
  • Automated tests for sign-in, payments & key features
  • Full error & uptime monitoring
  • Handoff documentation

Flat price for typical apps. If your App Audit shows yours needs more, you'll know before you commit.

New Product Build

From $7,500starting price

A new app or product built from the ground up, designed to grow with your business.

  • Planning & design of the first version
  • Mobile-friendly web app with accounts & payments
  • Automated tests & deployments from day one
  • Hosting, monitoring & launch support
  • Full ownership of the code

Projects · Growing an existing business

Custom Internal Tools

From $3,000starting price

Software built around how your team actually works. Automate the workflows that slow you down, connect the systems you already use, and cut out the manual steps.

  • Workflow automation, approvals & back-office apps
  • Integrations with your existing systems & APIs
  • Admin dashboards & reporting
  • Team logins & permissions
  • Deployment, documentation & handoff

Something else?

Custom quote

If it involves software, there's a good chance I can help. Tell me what you need.

  • Workflow automations & integrations
  • Practical AI features
  • Automated testing & safer deployments
  • Speed & reliability improvements
  • Taking over development of an existing app
  • Moving data or systems to a new platform
Let's talk

Monthly plans

Care Plan

$199/ month

For apps hosted on accounts you own. You keep the keys, and I keep it healthy.

  • I watch for downtime & errors, and I'm alerted before you are
  • Monthly security & software updates
  • Up to 2 hours of fixes or small changes
  • Email support, reply within 2 business days
Hands-off

Managed Plan

$499/ month

I host and run everything for you. Hand it off and get back to running your business.

  • Hosting & core services included (up to $50/mo in usage)
  • Everything in Care, with up to 3 hours of changes
  • Priority reply within 1 business day
  • Short monthly report: what changed, what's coming

Your domain, payment account, code, and data always stay in your name. If you cancel, everything transfers to you. Apps I didn't build start with an App Audit. Plans are month-to-month, and unused hours don't roll over. Work beyond plan hours is billed at the hourly rate, and hosting usage above $50/mo is billed at cost.

How I work

What you can count on

  • Fixed price, agreed up front

    Every project gets a written scope and fixed quote before any work starts.

  • Always in the loop

    You'll always know what's happening and why, with no pressure and no surprises.

  • Code built to last

    Clean, readable code any developer can pick up and maintain, so you're never stuck depending on me.

  • You own it all, no lock-in

    Code, accounts, and docs are yours once the project is paid in full, and monthly plans are month-to-month.

FAQ

Common questions

What kinds of businesses do you work with?

Founders building a product, and small businesses that need custom apps, automation, or help with an app they already have. If your project doesn't fit neatly into a box, that's fine. I'm flexible and happy to help anyone who needs a hand with tech.

I'm not technical. Can you still help me?

Absolutely. I'll explain things clearly, and you'll always know what's being done and why.

We already have a developer or team. Can you still help?

Yes. I can add automated tests, review code, untangle a problem area, or take on a project your team doesn't have time for.

I only have an idea. Can you build it from scratch?

Yes. New products, custom tools, and automations all start the same way: a free call, then a written plan and fixed quote so you know the cost up front. If you'd rather build it yourself, hourly consulting can help you plan it and avoid expensive mistakes.

Can you work with code from Cursor, Lovable, Bolt, v0, Replit, or ChatGPT?

Yes. I'll tell you honestly what's worth keeping and what needs to be rebuilt.

How long does a project take?

It depends on the scope, but as a rough guide: Launch Essentials and smaller automations take 1–2 weeks, Production Launch and internal tools 3–6 weeks, and new products 6–12 weeks. You'll get a timeline along with your fixed quote.

How does payment work?

Projects are 50% up front and 50% at delivery. Hourly work is invoiced every two weeks. Monthly plans are billed at the start of each month and can be canceled anytime.

Who owns the code?

You do. Full ownership of the code and all accounts transfers to you once the project is paid in full.

Will you sign an NDA?

Yes, happily. Your idea stays yours.

Where are you located?

Tyler, Texas. I work remotely with clients anywhere in the U.S., and I'm happy to meet in person around East Texas.

Let's talk

Ready to get your app across the finish line?

Book a free 30–60 minute call. Tell me what you're working on or what's slowing you down, and I'll give you an honest take on the best way forward.

Book a free call(903) 287-0249