Real stories about helping companies get unstuck
These are actual projects where I came in, figured out what was broken, and helped fix it. I'll tell you what went wrong, what we did, and what happened after.
Real companies that broke free from Legacy Lock-In and transformed their business operations
Legacy E-commerce → Modern SaaS
"Escaped Legacy Lock-In, constant maintenance work replaced with time for growth"
View Full Case Study →Platform Modernization + Team Growth
"€100K+ in projects delivered while doubling team productivity"
View Full Case Study →Multi-Tenant Search Architecture
"Customer integration times cut from 4-6 months to under 2 months"
View Full Case Study →Detailed case studies across platform migrations, team scaling, and technology transformations
Scart Kft.
So I met with Scart's CEO and he was frustrated. Their custom ecommerce site kept breaking, the warehouse guys were copying orders between 3 systems by hand (taking 3 minutes per order!). They were spending more time fixing stuff than selling stuff.
First, I built some serverless functions to connect their SAP system to everything else
Made all their systems talk to each other in real-time (UNAS, Google, their accounting)
Set up automation so orders create invoices and email customers automatically
Got rid of all the paper - everything's digital now, warehouse guys love it
Serverless SAP B1 integration handling thousands of transactions
Multi-service API orchestration (Google, OpenAI, UNAS)
Automated invoice and manual delivery system
Real-time inventory and order synchronization
€3K/month ongoing savings
Eliminated virtually all maintenance overhead
Significantly reduced warehouse workload
Automated critical business operations
Enabled scalable growth on modern platform
Here's the thing - Scart thought their custom platform was special. It wasn't. It was just expensive to maintain. Once we moved to UNAS (a proven platform) and I built the integrations they needed, they could focus on what they're actually good at: knowing their products and taking care of customers.
Intershop Communications AG
Intershop's problem was killing them - they had great software but it took 6 months to get new customers live. I literally sat in a sales call where the prospect said 'we love your product but your competitor can do this in 2 months.' Ouch.
Built a multi-tenant API so one system could handle all customers (80+ channels each)
Made a dashboard in Next.js so customers could manage their own search settings
Had to reverse-engineer some closed parts of their system to make it work (fun challenge)
Set everything up on Kubernetes so it scales automatically and never goes down
Multi-tenant .NET API handling millions of queries per week
Kubernetes infrastructure across two continents
NextJS dashboard managing dozens of customer configurations
Automated deployment pipelines with zero-downtime updates
50% reduction in customer integration timelines
Enabled process automation and cloud-based management
Scalable architecture supporting exponential growth
Improved customer satisfaction through faster onboarding
The real lesson? Stop doing custom work for every customer. We changed their whole approach - instead of 6 months of custom development per client, customers now configure things themselves through a dashboard. Takes days instead of months.
FirstFocus B.V.
FirstFocus was depressing to watch. Really talented developers were wasting their days fixing bugs in .NET Framework code from 2010. One guy told me 'I feel like my career is going backwards.' They were losing good people because the work sucked.
Moved everything from old .NET Framework to .NET Core (huge performance boost)
Set up proper CI/CD so deployments weren't scary anymore
Changed how the team worked - added code reviews, mentoring, actual planning
Brought in an offshore team and actually made it work (that's harder than it sounds)
Complete platform migration with zero business disruption
90% reduction in deployment times through automation
Structured development processes doubling team productivity
Scalable architecture supporting multiple concurrent projects
70% faster project delivery cycles
Successfully delivered €500K+ in client projects
2x increase in team productivity
Established sustainable development practices
This one was about people more than technology. Yes, the .NET Core migration was important, but what really changed things was giving developers tools they didn't hate using. Same team, modern stack, and suddenly everyone's building features instead of fixing bugs. Morale went through the roof.
Quby (Toon by Eneco)
Quby basically threw me their Android app and said 'it's broken, fix it.' No documentation. No one to explain the code. The app was crashing constantly and draining phone batteries, and thousands of people with Toon thermostats were angry.
Reverse-engineered undocumented codebase to understand architecture
Identified and fixed critical performance and stability issues
Optimized battery usage and connectivity with IoT devices
Delivered working solutions without requiring extensive documentation or support
Successfully navigated complex, undocumented Android codebase
Fixed critical app crashes and battery drain issues
Maintained IoT connectivity while improving performance
Delivered results independently without technical guidance
Resolved critical user experience issues that were driving customer complaints
Demonstrated ability to work independently with challenging codebases
Proved I could deliver results without handholding or extensive documentation
Established reputation for tackling difficult technical challenges independently
This taught me that you don't always get perfect handovers and documentation. Sometimes you just have to dig in, read the code like a detective story, and figure it out. Now when clients say 'warning: our code is a mess,' I'm not worried.
MonitorLinq
MonitorLinq was intense. Investors wanted a health monitoring app for elderly people yesterday, and they wanted daily updates. I had to lead an iOS team I'd just met to build something that could literally be life-critical. No pressure, right?
Led iOS development team through complete application architecture
Implemented real-time health monitoring and alert systems
Designed user-friendly interface for elderly users
Established development processes and team coordination
iOS native health monitoring application
Real-time alert system for emergency situations
User-centric design for elderly accessibility
Team leadership and project coordination
Successfully delivered PoC on time despite investor pressure
Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams under high-stakes conditions
Proved I could balance technical execution with team management
Established my capability to deliver results when external pressures are intense
This taught me that when investors are panicking, your job is to be the calm one. Keep the team focused on building, not on the drama. We delivered on time, and more importantly, the team didn't burn out doing it.
Trauma Rehabilitation Clinic
My very first freelance gig, and they wanted AR glasses for brain injury rehab. In 2016, when AR was barely a thing. I'd never used Unity, never done AR, definitely never built medical software. But I needed the work, so I said yes.
Designed AR treatment modules for cognitive rehabilitation
Implemented precise tracking and calibration systems
Collaborated with medical professionals on treatment protocols
Ensured compliance with healthcare software standards
Custom AR tracking for medical precision
Unity-based treatment simulation engine
iOS native integration with AR capabilities
Medical data collection and progress tracking
Successfully delivered working AR solution despite being completely new to the technology
Customer was satisfied and could immediately use the product
Established my reputation as a hands-on problem solver who can learn quickly
Set the stage for my career as an independent consultant who tackles business challenges with technical solutions
This project taught me my most important lesson: you don't need to be an expert in everything before you start. You just need to learn fast and deliver what you promised. That 'figure it out' mentality is basically my whole career.
A proven methodology for technological transformation
Comprehensive technical audit to identify critical issues and growth blockers
Week 1-2
Clear path forward aligning technology decisions with business objectives
Week 2-3
Hands-on technical leadership with team mentorship and process optimization
Ongoing
Continuous improvement and preparation for next growth phase
Ongoing
Every engagement is different, but the outcomes follow a pattern: faster delivery, lower costs, happier teams, and sustainable growth
E-commerce Platform • 4 years 2 months
"Ben managed me during my internship and employment at FirstFocus. He is a gifted software developer with a wide skillset, as well as a quick learner with a good ability to tackle problems."
- Sandro Dekkers, Full-stack Developer at CM.com
E-commerce Solutions • 1 year 9 months
"The technical guidance provided was invaluable for both our engineering teams and C-level stakeholders. The strategic approach to complex technical challenges made a real difference."
- Intershop Engineering Leadership
E-commerce Integration • 7 months
"The transformation exceeded our expectations. What once required constant maintenance now runs automatically, allowing us to focus on growing the business."
- Scart Leadership Team
Strategic technical leadership across the full technology stack
Recognize your challenges in these case studies? I can help you escape Legacy Lock-In too.
Similar problems? Let's talk!