Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Where are you located?

We're based in Orlando, Florida—specifically in the Bolton Bend area near Lake Nona (zip code 32817). Most of our clients are in Central Florida, though we've worked with businesses in Tampa, Jacksonville, and elsewhere. We do most of our work remotely but are available for in-person meetings by appointment.

How long have you been in business?

PentaCodes was founded in 2018. We've been building software for Orlando and Central Florida businesses for over six years.

Do you work with businesses outside of Florida?

Yes. While most of our clients are local, we've worked with companies in other states. Time zones matter—we're Eastern. If you're on the West Coast, we can usually find overlapping hours. International projects are rare for us; we prefer to keep things in the US for communication and legal simplicity.

Getting Started

What's the first step?

Fill out our contact form or give us a call. We'll schedule a 30–60 minute call to discuss your project. No charge, no obligation. We'll ask about your workflow, what you're trying to solve, and what you've tried so far. From there, we'll give you an honest assessment—whether we're a good fit, what we'd recommend, and a ballpark estimate.

Do you offer free consultations?

Yes. Initial discovery calls are free. For larger projects (typically $30K+), we sometimes do a paid discovery phase—usually 1–2 weeks—to document requirements in detail before giving a firm estimate. That fee is credited toward the project if you move forward.

How quickly can you start?

It depends on our current workload. Sometimes we can start within a week or two. During busy periods, it might be 3–4 weeks. We'll give you a realistic timeline when we talk.

Pricing and Estimates

How do you charge?

We typically work in one of three ways: (1) Fixed price for well-defined projects—you get a set price for a set scope. (2) Time and materials with a cap—you pay for hours worked, but we agree on a maximum so you're not exposed to runaway costs. (3) Retainer for ongoing work—a set number of hours per month for maintenance, updates, or ongoing development.

What's your hourly rate?

Rates vary by project type and complexity. We don't publish a single rate because it's not that simple—a simple WordPress site is different from a custom enterprise application. We'll give you a project estimate or hourly range when we discuss your specific needs.

Why do estimates sometimes change?

Requirements change. We discover edge cases we didn't know about. Third-party APIs behave differently than documented. We do our best to estimate accurately and flag risks early. For fixed-price projects, we define scope clearly and use change orders for anything outside that scope. For time-and-materials, we check in regularly so you're never surprised by the bill.

Project Process

What does a typical project look like?

Kickoff call to align on scope and timeline. We set up a project tracker (Trello or Asana) so you can see progress. We work in 1–2 week sprints, shipping incremental progress. Weekly check-in calls to review what's done and what's next. You get a staging environment to test before we go live. Launch, then a handoff period where we document everything and answer questions.

How involved do I need to be?

You need to be available for decisions and feedback. We can't build in a vacuum. Expect to spend a few hours per week on calls and reviewing work—more at the start, less as things stabilize. If you're too busy to respond for weeks at a time, the project will stall. We'll tell you upfront what we need from you.

What if I need to change the scope mid-project?

It happens. We'll assess the impact on timeline and cost, then either add it to the current scope (with a change order for fixed-price projects) or schedule it for a later phase. We don't nickel-and-dime small tweaks, but significant new features need to be scoped and estimated.

Technical Questions

What technologies do you use?

We pick the right tool for the project. Web: React, Vue, WordPress, static generators. Mobile: React Native for cross-platform, native when performance is critical. Backend: Node.js, PHP (Laravel), Python depending on the use case. Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB. We're not wedded to one stack—we use what fits.

Do you work with my existing systems?

Yes. We integrate with QuickBooks, Salesforce, HubSpot, payment processors, shipping providers, and more. We've also taken over maintenance of systems built by other developers. If you have legacy code, we can work with it—though we'll be honest if it's in rough shape and might need a rewrite.

Who owns the code when the project is done?

You do. We transfer full ownership of the custom code we write. You get the source code, documentation, and everything needed to maintain or hand off to another developer. We don't hold your code hostage.

Do you provide ongoing support?

Yes. We offer retainer arrangements for maintenance, bug fixes, and feature additions. Many clients start with a project, then move to a monthly retainer for ongoing support. We also do one-off fixes for past clients when we have capacity.

Industry and Fit

What industries do you work with?

We've built software for healthcare (dental, medical practices), retail, wholesale distribution, food service, real estate, field service (plumbing, HVAC), and startups. We don't specialize in one vertical—we specialize in custom software. If your business has a workflow that needs software built around it, we can probably help.

What if my project is too small?

We'll tell you. If you need a basic 5-page website, we'll point you to WordPress or Squarespace. We're not the right fit for every project. We'd rather be honest than take on work that doesn't make sense for either of us.

What if my project is too big?

We've done projects in the $100K–$150K range. Beyond that, we might recommend bringing in additional resources or splitting into phases. We're a small team—we don't pretend to scale to enterprise-level projects. We'll be upfront about what we can handle.

Contact and Response

How do I get in touch?

Email [email protected] or call (321) 429-9903. We aim to respond within 24 hours on business days. If you don't hear back, check your spam folder—our replies sometimes end up there.

Can I meet in person?

Yes. We're happy to meet local clients at our office or a coffee shop. Most of our work is done remotely, but face-to-face can help for kickoffs or when things get complex. Just ask when we schedule the first call.