Many people I talk to have never hired a custom software company before. And walking into that first call without knowing what to expect can make the whole thing feel more intimidating than it needs to be.
So I figured I'd just tell you what actually happens.
These are the questions I hear most, the answers I give, and a few things I wish more teams knew before we ever got on the phone.
We design and build custom software. Websites, web apps, mobile apps, internal tools, integrations between systems that were never meant to talk to each other. If your organization has a process that software could make significantly better, that's our sweet spot.
But here's the thing I always want to get to quickly on a first call: the category of what we're building matters a lot less than why you're building it. So I usually ask pretty early on, what's the pain you're trying to get rid of, or the outcome you're actually after?
That one question tells me more than a detailed requirements doc ever has. Sometimes the answer points to a brand new build. Sometimes it points to fixing what already exists. Occasionally it points to the fact that you don't need custom software at all yet, and I'll tell you that too.
A lot of our clients are in healthcare, manufacturing, higher education, associations, and professional services. But honestly, the industry is rarely what makes someone a good fit for us.
What I look for is simpler than that. There's usually a process somewhere in the organization being held together with spreadsheets and prayer. Someone finally has the authority and the budget to fix the problem. And they want a partner who will tell them the truth, not just tell them yes.
I love when someone asks this, and I wish more people did.
You’ll work with our local team. Nothing is offshored. This usually includes a dedicated project manager who owns the relationship and keeps things moving, a lead developer or small development team depending on the scope, a designer involved early, a QA specialist who helps test the work before it goes live, and an account manager who stays close to the bigger picture.
For most projects, you’re working with the same core team from the first planning session through launch. That might sound like a small thing, but if you’ve ever been handed off three times mid-project, you know it isn’t.
Depends, and I know that's not the answer anyone wants. But here's a more useful way to think about it.
Smaller, well-scoped projects can wrap up in a few months. Larger platforms usually roll out in phases over six to twelve months. Almost everything starts with a discovery phase where we nail down scope, surface the decisions that need to get made, and build a timeline.
What helps me give you a real answer on a first call is knowing your timeline, why that date matters if there is one, what's already in place, and who on your side needs to be part of decisions. Bring those things, and we can have a much more productive conversation.
There’s no price list for custom software. Every project is scoped around what you need to build, what needs to connect, how complex the work is, and what kind of support you need after launch.
Most projects begin in the mid-five figures and go up from there.
What I won’t do is give you a number before I understand the work. What I will do is give you a straight answer about the likely range, what we’d prioritize, and whether APAX is the right fit before either of us spends more time than we should.
You request a consultation and we get on a call.
I'll ask about your goals, what you're currently working with, your timeline, and what success looks like for your team. Then I’ll tell you what we actually think, whether APAX makes sense for your project, what we’d recommend as a first step, and what we’d need to put a real plan together.
Sometimes that's a discovery engagement. Sometimes it's a phased approach. And sometimes I tell you to wait, because the timing or the scope isn't quite there yet.
The goal of that first call isn't to sell you anything. It's to make sure you leave with more understanding than you came in with.
What's the problem, in one sentence. Who feels it and what it's costing them. And what success would look like six months after launch.
That's enough to have a genuinely good conversation.
You do not need to have everything figured out before the first call. In fact, most teams don’t. You just need to know what feels harder than it should, where the current process is breaking down, and what you need to be true when the work is done.
Start with a consultation. We’ll talk through what’s happening, what you need, and whether it makes sense for us to help.
