Checklist
How to Hire a Developer for Your Small Business Software
Hiring someone to build the software your business runs on is a bigger decision than hiring for a logo or a flyer. The right developer should be able to show you live products, explain how the system fits your daily work, and tell you who owns it when the job is done.
The short version
- Ask to see live products and apps, not just mockups or screenshots.
- Check that one developer covers the website, point of sale, and any mobile apps you need.
- Confirm who owns the code, hosting accounts, and domain before work starts.
- Describe your daily workflow first so the build matches how your staff actually works.
Start with the workflow, not the feature list
Write down what happens during a normal shift or route: who takes an order, who sees it, what gets printed, and what gets reported. A developer who asks these questions is planning the software around your operation.
Ask to see live work
Look for products people use every day, such as working websites, apps in use, and point of sale systems. Open them on a phone and try the main actions yourself.
Check for the full stack, not one piece
Confirm whether one person can handle the front page, the back-end data, the mobile apps, and deployment. Splitting these across several vendors is where handoffs break, so ask who answers when something stops working.
Confirm ownership in writing
Before work starts, agree on who holds the source code, hosting accounts, domain, and app store listings. You should be able to take your business's data and access with you.
Agree on a launch and support plan
Ask how the software gets deployed, how changes are requested, and how bugs are reported after launch. A clear plan for the first weeks of real use matters more than the demo.
Test with a small pilot
Run one location, one route, or one menu for a short period before rolling out everywhere. Note what staff find confusing and fix it before the full launch.
Why a checklist beats a sales pitch
A sales pitch tells you what a developer hopes to build. A checklist tells you what they have already built and whether it holds up in use. Small businesses often hire on trust, then find out months later that the menu site, the point of sale, and the phone app were built by three people who never talked to each other. A single developer responsible for the whole system reduces that risk, but only if you verify it. Use the steps below in order. Each one asks for evidence you can check yourself, so you are not relying on confidence or a polished proposal. The goal is not to find the cheapest option or the most impressive pitch. It is to find someone whose past work matches the software your business needs to run on every day.
What to look for in a portfolio
A useful portfolio names the business, describes what the software does, and links to something you can open. For a restaurant, that means a menu site with ordering, plus a point of sale that handles orders, discounts, and tickets to the printer. For a service business, look for scheduling, time tracking, and reporting that field staff use on their phones. Pay attention to whether the developer was the owner, designer, or developer on each project, because that tells you who made the decisions. Be cautious of portfolios full of screenshots with no live address. Ask what the developer built personally versus what was a team effort, and ask what they would change now. A good answer names a limitation or a lesson, not just a success.
Questions to ask before signing
Before you agree to anything, ask who will maintain the software after launch and how you will request changes. Ask what happens if a store rejects an app update, if a printer stops receiving tickets, or if a route planner loses its connection. Ask where the code lives and who holds the accounts for hosting, domains, and app store listings. Ask whether you will be able to see reports and data without calling someone. Finally, ask for a written scope that lists what is included at launch and what counts as a later change. Vague scope is the most common reason small software projects run late or over expectations. A clear list protects both sides and gives you something to measure progress against. Ask for the answers in writing.
Common questions
Do I need a developer who can build both the website and the mobile apps?
Not always, but it helps. If your website, point of sale, and phone apps are built separately, you may end up with versions of your menu or inventory that never match. One developer responsible for the full system makes it easier to keep them in sync.
What if I already have a website I want to keep?
Ask whether the developer can rebuild, rebrand, or extend what you have. Apice360 was rebuilt and rebranded from MyTrainingPros, so rebuilding existing work is part of the record shown on the website.
How do I know a developer's work is live and in use?
Ask for the web address and try it yourself. The site lists live examples such as plainjanespizza.com and serverouter.com, so a developer should be able to point you to working products rather than only describe them.