About Wellhouse & Me
I’m Ryan Wells, the founder, president, owner, and lead developer of Wellhouse Software.
Established in 2010, Wellhouse Software is the company I’ve built to help people and organizations, especially small- and family-owned businesses near Northwest Arkansas, meet their needs with custom software.
The vision for Wellhouse isn’t to grow into a large digital agency with dozens of employees and hundreds of clients. The goal is to remain small (possibly only me!) and provide a very high level of service for client-partners, while building a sustainable business around my own apps.
I started programming in the mid-80s by typing programs from magazines into IBM PCs. Since then, I’ve worked as a Windows desktop programmer, as a full-time iOS developer, and as an independent contractor building mobile apps for companies large and small, new and old.
My main area of expertise, and the work I enjoy most, is developing native applications for Apple platforms, such as the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but I’m glad to use whatever technologies best serve my clients and partners.
I live in Northwest Arkansas with my wife (who is an award-winning technology consultant herself!) and our two daughters, whom we currently homeschool. The combination of consulting and homeschooling allows us to focus more energy on our family and have more control over how we integrate family, church, education, and work.
Software Farming
I often think of what I do as being similar to farming.
The work is never really done, it just shifts and changes over time, and things always need care and maintenance.
There are some seasons that are predictable and regular, but there are also some that are unexpected and unusual, in ways both good and bad.
I don’t only wear a lot of hats, I wear all of them! When I encounter something that needs to be done, I have to figure out how to do it myself or find help from someone who can.
And I love that!
It teaches me the value of relying on God and community. It allows me to learn new things all the time. It reminds me that everything has a time and a season, and a big part of my vocation is recognizing and accepting that rather than fighting it.
It means there’s often work to be done that won’t yield a harvest for a long time, but it’s at least as important as work that will produce crops right away.
And it means that instead of struggling with work-life balance for only myself, my family and I can pursue work-family integration together—supporting each other, cooperating, and building together.