How to Build Custom Operational Software without Risking It All

With Jeff Francis | Founder of ENO8

In this episode of ENO8 Answers, we are addressing a slightly different market than usual. We’re still talking to CIOs and CTOs (and even CEOs) — but not those who are running software companies. Because the 2025 reality is that non-software companies need custom software too.

Whether they’re building custom operational software or an app or platform to service their customers, companies in countless “traditional industries” now face the reality of needing semi-custom or custom software.

If the failure risk is high for software companies building software (and it is), how can non-software companies build effective products that will meet their need and function well for the long-run? And how do they reduce that risk while building the operational software their teams or clients need?

Custom Software Isn’t Just for the Big Players

Nowadays, how organizations like hospitals and universities are run internally and how they interact with their customers requires massive software lifts. But it’s not just large businesses. Even midsize companies are finding that they can’t always rely on simply skinning an out-of-the-box software solution.

Relying Blindly on an Outside Software Developer isn’t the Answer

At ENO8, we firmly believe that the best software is built through collaboration with the company it’s being built for. That’s why we have an open door policy to our weekly standups (clients are always welcome) and why our proprietary software design workshop, the Innovation Lab, is a collaborative process between our experts and any/all stakeholders in our client’s organization.

No question, a non-software company needs to participate in the design process. After all, they are closest to the end users.

But it’s about more than that. They need to be equipped to know who to involve from their own organization and how, to be able to ascertain an appropriate budget, to recognize if the project is heading off track, and more. That’s exactly what we address in this ENO8 Answers.

Episode Topics

This ENO8 Answers episode is for you if you head up a non-software company. Here’s what we cover:

• The one decision at the very start that can doom your project months later (and how to get it right)
• Why non-software companies often underestimate the real impact of a failed software launch (and how the fallout is different from a startup miss)
• The all-too-common hidden risk in mid-market projects (and why you usually don’t catch it until you’re 80–90% done)
• How stakeholder misalignment quietly sabotages projects and the exact process ENO8 uses to get everyone on the same page early
• The “build vs. buy” trap that’s burned companies for millions (and how to avoid wasting budget on a dead-end approach)
• Why thinking like a startup (even if you’re an established leader) is the fastest way to remove risk and get to market successfully
• How ENO8’s Innovation Lab helps teams get to a confident “up or out” decision in weeks instead of months (and why a quick “no” can be just as valuable as a “yes”)

Send This to Anyone Running a Non-Software Company

Even if a custom software build isn’t eminent, the tactics and approaches shared in this episode are relevant. These are still things leaders need to consider when choosing and onboarding an out-of-the-box software product or when planning for a custom software build way down the road. Check it out!

Watch or Read

As always, if you don’t feel like watching the live version, check out the blog recap here.