Building Software, Raising a Family, and Living Abroad

My name is Stan Busk. I am a software developer, independent maker, husband, and father. I was born in France, lived for many years in Spain, and today I live with my family in Belize, near the Mexican border. That mix of places, languages, and cultures has shaped a lot of who I am and how I work.

I have spent most of my professional life building software. Not managing teams of developers, not raising money, not chasing trends, but actually creating tools, improving them, supporting customers, fixing bugs, writing documentation, and trying to make useful things that last.

For many years, my main work has been Maxprog, the small software company I founded. Through Maxprog, I have developed desktop applications for macOS and Windows, including MaxBulk Mailer, iCash, eMail Verifier, eMail Extractor, eMail Bounce Handler, FTP Disk, Web Dumper, and other practical utilities. Some of these applications have been around for a very long time, and I am proud of that. Software usually disappears quickly. Keeping products alive, up to date, and useful for decades is not easy.

One of my best-known products is MaxBulk Mailer, an email marketing application for people who want to manage and send their own campaigns without depending entirely on large online platforms. Another important product for me is iCash, a personal finance application that dates back many years and reflects my long-standing interest in simple, practical money management.

I like software that solves real problems. I am not very interested in building things only because they sound fashionable. I prefer tools that help people do something concrete: send newsletters, manage personal finances, organize customer support, understand their spending, or make learning more fun for children.

In recent years, I have also been exploring web applications and AI-assisted development. That led me to projects like SoftDesk and FamilyCash.

SoftDesk is my attempt to rethink customer support for small businesses. I know very well what it means to answer customers, write support replies, deal with repeated questions, and try to be helpful without losing the whole day. SoftDesk comes from that experience. It is not just an abstract product idea; it comes from my own needs as a small software developer.

FamilyCash comes from another part of my life: family, budgeting, and the need to understand where money goes. Managing household finances is not always about complex reports or accounting theory. Sometimes it is simply about seeing things clearly, sharing information, and avoiding stress. FamilyCash is built around that idea.

I am also a father, and that has changed the way I see time, work, and priorities. My daughters are still young, and I want to be present for them. That means I often think carefully about what projects are worth pursuing and which ones may consume too much energy for too little real value. Independence is important to me, but so is having a life outside work.

Living in Belize has also influenced me. It is a beautiful place, but not always easy. Life here can be expensive, practical problems can take time, and things that are simple elsewhere may become complicated. At the same time, it gives my family a different kind of life, close to nature, with space, warmth, and a slower rhythm than many big cities.

I speak French, Spanish, and English, and I often move between those languages in my work and personal life. That has helped me understand how people communicate, ask for help, and explain problems differently. It has also influenced the way I write software and support users around the world.

I do not see myself as a startup founder in the fashionable sense. I am more of a builder. I like making things, testing ideas, improving details, and learning from what does not work. Some projects succeed, some do not, and most take much longer than expected. That is the real life of an independent developer.

This Medium page is where I want to write more openly about that journey: software, small business, AI tools, customer support, email marketing, personal finance, living abroad, family life, and the practical reality of building useful products without a large team or budget.

I have been doing this for a long time, but I still feel that I am learning. Technology keeps changing, the market keeps changing, and personal priorities change too. What remains the same is the desire to build something useful, honest, and sustainable.

That is probably the best summary of me: a French-Spanish software developer living in Belize, building practical tools, learning from experience, and trying to keep work, family, and real life in balance.

Stan Busk