I believe life is too short to write the wrong software. After 20 years of building things, I've learned that the hardest part is rarely the code. It's knowing what to build and why. I work with a small number of teams on the decisions that are expensive to get wrong.
Most software problems aren't technical. They're clarity problems.
Maybe you're second-guessing a big decision. Maybe you just want someone who has seen it before to think it through with you. Either way, start with a call. It's free and it takes half an hour.
You send me the code and whatever docs exist. We talk twice. You get a written report: what's solid, what worries me, what I'd fix first and in what order. Not a slide deck. Something your team can act on.
For when the hard calls keep coming and there's nobody senior to make them with. We meet regularly and spar on whatever is actually at stake: the architecture decision, the hire, the thing you keep putting off. Every month I write up what we decided and why, so the reasoning is still there a year from now. Month to month. Cancel whenever you like.
Everyone is shipping AI features. Most of them will not survive contact with real users. Send me what you're planning and I'll tell you whether it works, what it costs to run, and where it falls over. Including the security side, which almost nobody has looked at properly yet.
For an engineer, a tech lead, or a founder. You bring something you're stuck on. We work through it together. Start with three and see if you like it.
Sometimes the review turns into the work. Domain models, service boundaries, where the data lives and why. I write the reasoning down so it doesn't leave when I do.
Founding clients: the first three engagements are $3,500 instead of $5,000, in exchange for using your name, your company, and the story of what we did together.
Prices in USD, excluding VAT where it applies.
My calendar opens 12:00pm–5:30pm EDT, Monday to Friday, and weekends too. For some of you that lands mid-afternoon. For others it is after the working day is done and you finally have a clear head. Either way, talking to me does not cost you a meeting slot.
Times shown in your own timezone.
I've watched teams pour years into software nobody ended up wanting. That time doesn't come back. Software either makes someone's day easier or it wears them down, and I've rarely seen much in between.
Writing code is the easy part. The craft is understanding the problem, the people using it, and the business it sits inside. Helping someone make that jump is the most useful thing I do.
I've seen software that people are actually glad to open. Not just software that works. That's what I aim for, and what I'll push you towards.
The most useful thing I can tell you is usually what not to build. But we have to talk first.
30 minutes in your afternoon, no slides. You tell me what's hard, I ask a lot of questions.
One page: what I think the problem is, what I'd do, how long, what it costs.
A fixed-scope architecture review, delivered in writing. If it's useful we keep going. If not, we stop. No hard feelings.
We work async most of the time. You keep the code, the tests and the docs.
In ten years of working together, Wouter became one of the most trusted people on our team. Deep technical knowledge, but always looking beyond the technology. He makes pragmatic, balanced decisions — and when things get hard, he dives in without hesitation. Customers were lucky when Wouter was on their case.
Five years on the same team. If I had to describe Wouter in a few words: solid technical instincts, deeply pragmatic, always willing to help — and genuinely fun to work with.
Wouter is a great architect and colleague. Broad, in-depth knowledge — and he never makes you feel like you're asking a dumb question. Strong work ethic, real team player, always with the customer in mind.
There are only a handful of people I'd call a true brother-in-arms. Wouter is one of them. First to jump in when there's a problem, last to leave. I can't think of a project I wouldn't want him on.
No forms, no sales process. Pick a slot. I'll ask a lot of questions and tell you what I think.