Sean Collins

Are you an entrepreneur or business leader looking to partner with an independent consultant who can help you:

• Launch an MVP?
• Ship a new internal tool?
• Add features to an existing app?
• Clean up a large, messy codebase?
• Begin integrating AI into your product?
• Turn your prototype into a production app?

You've come to the right place!

Read more below to see if we'd be a good match to work together.

I help entrepreneurs and teams deliver the solutions they need, not just what they think they need. I take a holistic approach to my work. I keep my eye on the big picture by continually asking myself these questions:

1. What value does your company provide to its customers?
   And how does this project increase value for them?
2. How does this work move the needle for your company?
   And what are the key metrics we can use to measure progress?

Technology is about building tools to help users solve their problems.

It's my responsibility to ensure clients get a strong ROI when working with me. That means I push back when I think we're wasting time. Rather than getting mired in technical details, we'll focus on solving the problem at hand.

I'm a good fit if you're looking for someone to partner with, not just a programmer you can assign tasks to.

Approach

I follow an agile software development approach: iterating quickly, shipping early, shipping often, and getting the product in users’ hands ASAP. We continually seek feedback from the users and adapt our work based on that feedback.

Often ‘agile’ can be an excuse for a lack of structure, a way to jump right into coding without understanding the underlying business needs. In contrast, I spend time up-front having discussions to scope the project and understand what we're trying to accomplish. From there, I'll write up a project brief, scoping the first chunk of work. This ensures all stakeholders are on the same page, and helps avoid miscommunication.

Once product work begins, I provide regular updates and ship often so my work never goes long without feedback. This helps me ensure we deliver value continually.

I don't dogmatically follow any one specific process or framework when building software. Each project is unique, and I adopt concepts & frameworks as appropriate. That said, two guiding frameworks I often pull from to help keep projects on track are Jobs-to-be-Done and Domain-driven Design. The former helps ensure we're focusing on the user's needs first and foremost, and the latter ensures we're all speaking the same language. These aren't heavy or strict processes, and you don't need to learn about them; I integrate them into how I approach each project.

Technologies

As far as programming languages go, the majority of my experience has been using Ruby on the back-end, with JavaScript and Elm on the front-end.

I'm very comfortable using CSS, in particular Tailwind CSS. I specialize in building simple & intuitive UIs that look good. I leverage the Tailwind Plus component library to do so. I use modern CSS techniques like Flexbox and Grid.

Beyond that, I have experience with many different programming languages, and I enjoy the process of diving in and getting up-to-speed with new languages and frameworks.

In terms of deployment, I prefer using managed platforms that handle infrastructure and scaling, such as Heroku, Netlify, and Vercel. This helps focus on building great products without wasting time managing infrastructure. When those platforms aren't a good fit (due to cost, customization, etc.), I'm comfortable deploying to cloud service providers like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.

Experience

I've been working on a contract-basis for startups and small businesses for over a decade (with a stint as an employee for an early-stage startup). All those projects have taught me how to deliver value quickly and efficiently, and communicate effectively to ensure we're all on the same page.

I've worked on projects across various industries: construction, healthcare, arts, sports nutrition, marketing, travel, and more. I've worked solo and on teams in various structures. I practice clear, professional, and friendly communication.

I attended UConn, where I got a BS in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. I did undergraduate research in Computer Security, and worked as a system administrator to set up a High Performance Computing Cluster.

I have a resume I'm happy to share on request.

Opportunities

I'm looking for mid-to-long-term contracts (3+ months).

I'm very productive working by myself, but I also love working with others. I enjoy mentoring and helping level-up less experienced programmers.

I'm open to full-time employment, but I'd prefer to work on a contract-basis first to ensure it's a perfect fit for everyone.

Availability

I have availability starting in June 2025. I prefer full-time contracts so I can focus all my energy on one client at a time. That said, I'm flexible and I can work with fluctuating budgets.

I work from my home in Denver, Colorado. I'm very happy to have in-person meetings for local or distant clients, especially for project kick-offs.

Thanks for reading,
Sean