I've run the operations. Now I build the systems.
Operators and developers tend to speak different languages. That's why most custom software misses the mark. It solves technical problems, not business ones.
I've worked in both worlds. That's why the systems I build match how the business actually runs, not how someone imagines it should.
The Short Version
I'm Zac Ruiz, a Marine Corps veteran and JPMorgan alum who served as CTODirector of Technology & Strategic Growth of an EOS-run homebuilder doing ~130 homes per year. Today I design and ship custom software for founders and operators, using modern tooling to deliver faster and more cost-effectively than traditional dev cycles.
My focus: replacing the mess with real software. Whether that mess is spreadsheets and duct tape or a stack of SaaS tools that were never designed to work together, the problem is the same: your systems don’t match how your business runs. I deliver dashboards, workflows, mobile apps, data pipelines, and automation around your real constraints: people, process, and cash.
What Makes This Different
I don't just advise. I build. Most fractional CTOs hand you a strategy deck. I hand you working software. Modern tooling has collapsed the cost of building custom platforms, but only if the person directing it understands both the technology and the business. I understand both.
I've operated at your scale. I’ve lived EOS growing pains: weekly L10s, Rocks, Scorecards, and Accountability Charts. I've run the meetings and felt the friction when systems don’t talk to each other. When I build your platform, I’m solving problems I’ve lived, not problems I’ve read about.
The stack is a tool. The architecture is the product. What matters is clean boundaries, disciplined data modeling, and systems that scale without becoming fragile. If you don't want to babysit your infrastructure, I'd argue that boring tools are a feature, not a compromise.
What I Build
- Custom Operations Platforms. Dashboards, workflows, reporting, and automation designed around how your team actually works, so adoption is natural and the data stays trustworthy.
- Data & Automation. Data pipelines and process automation that eliminate manual work and turn raw data into decisions. Clean inputs, reliable outputs.
- Operating Cadence + Software. The right metrics, the right reviews, and the right handoffs, built into the platform so your operating rhythm is reinforced by the tools, not separate from them.
- Mobile Apps. React Native apps that connect field teams, clients, and the back office. One codebase for iOS and Android.
I'm building a few of these right now. Take a look.
Industries I Know
Real estate, construction, and the trades. I've been in the room. I know the workflows, the pain points, and the data that matters. If you're a builder, agent, investor, property manager, lender, or operator in this space, I won't be learning your business on your dime.
How I Work
- Start with a tight spec. One call, one doc: goals, constraints, data sources, and success metrics.
- Ship in weeks, not quarters. Small releases, fast feedback, production-first.
- Own the outcome. I don't disappear after advice. I deliver working software.
The right software doesn't need a manual. It fits how your team already works. If that's not what you have,
