About

I help business owners turn manual, disconnected work into reliable software and automation, saving time and money so they can focus on running their business.

Custom-building with Legos #

As a kid I remember being interested in airplanes, Transformers, and Airwolf, a helicopter from a syndicated TV show. When I was in the third or fourth grade, I built a Lego version of the Airwolf helicopter — no instructions, no set, just a pile of random parts and enough stubbornness to keep assembling until I was satisfied. That’s more or less still how I approach problem-solving today: figure out what the thing needs to do, then put the pieces together myself.

My Lego Airwolf helicopter — My third-grade version — no instructions, just a pile of parts, with side-mounted guns deployed.

The real Airwolf, a full-size replica — The full-size replica I was actually going for, with its side-mounted guns retracted. Photo by HrAtsuo

I thought about being an aerospace engineer. But by the time I was choosing a major, I was increasingly drawn to the systems behind the machines and to software’s ability to turn ideas into something people could use. My mom pushed education hard, my dad was an engineer, and between the two of them, math and science felt like the family language. So I ended up majoring in computer science and mathematics at the University of Michigan.

From the lab to the web #

After graduating, I ended up working at a research and development center in the Midwest as a software and project engineer in the automotive space. In my spare time, away from the job, I started building websites. First plain HTML, then I got into open-source content-management systems like Drupal and WordPress.

After 5+ years at the lab, I took a calculated risk and left the Midwest for California, driving cross-country for a couple of weeks. Once I settled in, I worked on high-traffic e-commerce websites and spent the next decade building software for organizations ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies. That experience eventually led me to start CloudSharkLabs.

Why projects fail (and why they don’t) #

My time as a software and project engineer taught me something that’s stuck with me ever since: most projects succeed or fail based on communication, not cleverness. If the service provider is reliable, disciplined, and honest about trade-offs, and the client is clear about what they actually need, the project goes smoothly. Almost every failure I’ve seen traces back to one of those breaking down.

That’s the philosophy CloudSharkLabs runs on: plain-English plans before code gets written, and steady, visible progress along the way.

Solving problems for a living #

These days I work as a technology consultant helping teams use AI and automation to solve their core business problems. I work remotely, mostly with clients who care more about reliable systems than shiny demos.

It’s the same instinct as that Lego Airwolf: most off-the-shelf tools almost fit, and “almost” is where the workarounds and busywork creep in. I’d rather understand what your business actually needs and build the thing that fits — piece by piece, no shrink-wrapped kit required.

Off the clock #

Outside client work, martial arts takes up a lot of my time and energy. It keeps me grounded in the same things I value professionally: patience, steady practice, and staying composed when something is difficult. I also enjoy running and have completed a few half-marathons and one full marathon. I don’t get much time to build with Legos these days. Marketing a business has a way of filling the gaps, but I still appreciate what those building blocks taught me: start with the pieces you have and keep working until the thing does what it needs to do.

Thanks,

Bruce, Founder & Chief Cloudsharker

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