George Clinkscales Jr.

My Story

My Tech Journey

• 🏕️
  Jul 2026: Small Business Suite — second real client

  Crystal Lake Resort — Michigan lakefront resort launching on the Inn Co. direct booking platform.

  Client: Crystal Lake Resort ↗
  Location: Frankfort, MI
  Platform: Inn Co. — direct booking, Stripe payments, room management, and owner admin dashboard
  Significance: Second real client on the platform, proving the Inn Co. architecture is production-ready for live hospitality businesses.
  ›
• 🌐
  Jul 2026: First freelance web client

  Sort-Tek Inspection Systems — hired directly to build their first website from scratch.

  Client: Sort-Tek — Case Study →
  Location: Troy, Michigan
  Stack: Plain HTML, CSS, JavaScript — no framework, no template
  Significance: First time hired as a freelance web developer. Came through a referral. Delivered in under a week with 100/100 Lighthouse scores on mobile and desktop.
  ›
• ⏱️
  Jul 2026: Published Tally to the App Store

  Fourth app live — a cross-platform time tracker for iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac.

  Links: App Store ↗ · Case Study →
  Platform: iOS · Apple Watch · Mac via Catalyst · React web dashboard
  Role: Sole developer — SwiftUI, Catalyst, StoreKit, React/Vite dashboard, Supabase backend.
  Key features:

  • StoreKit and Stripe both write to the same is_pro flag — buy on any platform, unlock everywhere
  • Business tier with multi-user team workspaces and row-level security
  • All backend logic runs in Deno Edge Functions — no Node server to maintain
  ›
• 🤝
  Jul 2026: Small Business Suite — first real client

  White Bear Harmonics — a Michigan wellness studio live on my platform with booking, Stripe, and an owner dashboard.

  Client: White Bear Harmonics — Case Study →
  Location: Upper Peninsula, Michigan
  Platform: Small Business Suite — custom booking, Stripe payments, and owner admin dashboard
  Significance: First paying client on the platform — went from zero online presence to a fully live booking business.
  ›
• 🎓
  May 2026: Completed Year 1 — Apple Developer Academy

  Finished the first year and was selected for the advanced Year 2 cohort — 25 students chosen from a first-year class of 240.

  Program: Apple Developer Academy, Year 1
  Completed: May 2026
  Focus: Swift, SwiftUI, UIKit, Xcode, App Store distribution, and Apple design principles.
  Year 2 selection: 25 accepted from ~240 first-year students across two cohorts of 120. Year 2 runs Sept 2026 – May 2027.
  Certificates: All 5 program certificates completed.
  ›
• 🏖️
  May 2026: Published CoastCast to the App Store

  Third app live — a beach intelligence app for the Great Lakes.

  Links: App Store ↗ · Case Study →
  Platform: iOS (SwiftUI · CoreML · WeatherKit · WidgetKit)
  Role: Co-developer — SwiftUI, CoreML crowd prediction, Live Activities, WidgetKit, and App Intents.
  Key features:

  • On-device XGBoost CoreML model trained on 40 years of attendance data
  • Live beach conditions — E. coli alerts, water temp, UV, and hourly forecast
  • Dynamic Island, home screen widget, and Siri integration
  ›
• ✈️
  Apr 2026: Turned pro

  First paid software contract — Cross-Platform Engineer at Tripsetta.

  Company: Tripsetta
  Role: Cross-Platform Engineer
  Location: Detroit, MI · Part-time contract
  About: Contracted to maintain and deliver feature updates across iOS, Android, and web, working directly with the founder across the full product surface.
  Significance: First paid software contract — first time being trusted to keep a real company's live products running for real users.
  ›
• 🏢
  Apr 2026: Co-founded CH Studios Detroit

  Software Studio · Est. 2026

  Studio: CH Studios Detroit
  Type: LLC · Software Studio
  Location: Detroit, Michigan
  About: A Detroit-based software studio crafting mobile apps and full stack products.
  Role: Co-founder
  ›
• 🐦
  Apr 2026: Published TakeFlight to the App Store

  Second app live — a SpriteKit survival game for iPad and macOS.

  Links: App Store ↗
  Platform: iPadOS & macOS (SpriteKit)
  Role: Co-developer — game systems, mini-game design, and release.
  Key features:

  • Five connected mini-games in a cohesive survival narrative
  • Full keyboard support for iPad and macOS
  • SpriteKit physics and game loop architecture
  ›
• 📜
  Mar 2026: Earned Apple Ads Certification

  Completed the Apple Ads Certification exam.

  Certificate: Apple Ads Certification
  Focus: App Store marketing, campaign setup, optimization, and analytics.
  Outcome: Gained expertise in driving app growth and visibility through Apple Ads.

  
  ›
• 📱
  Mar 2026: Published first app to App Store

  Launched Stamped! A City Passport for real users.

  Links: App Store ↗
  Platform: iOS (SwiftUI)
  Role: Solo product designer and iOS developer.
  Key features:

  • Global city explorer with hierarchical grouping and mixed search
  • Passport gallery with mastery tiers and stamp animations
  • AI-curated itinerary cards with Apple Intelligence integration
  • Accessibility-focused: high contrast, reduced motion, dark mode
  ›
• 💼
  Feb 2026: Contributed to CommonSight iOS app

  First professional iOS contribution; program discontinued due to funding.

  Role: iOS Contributor
  Organization: We Change Community Consulting
  Duration: Feb 2026 – Apr 2026 · Program discontinued due to funding loss
  Key contribution: Helped build an app demo for a business owner to show investors.
  ›
• 🍏
  Sep 2025: Started at Apple Developer Academy

  Began formal tech education in Detroit.

  Program: 9-month, in-person in downtown Detroit
  Focus: Coding, design, and business fundamentals using Apple tools
  Schedule: 20 hours/week, hands-on projects and teamwork
  Apple Developer Academy Detroit
  Certificates: Completed all 5 program certificates

  Introduction to Game Development

  Introduction to iOS App Development

  UI Design & Swift Fundamentals

  User Centered Development

  App Store Development
  ›

How I Work

I start by figuring out what "done" actually means before writing any code. Most problems that show up at launch were visible at kickoff — a missed edge case, an unclear requirement, a feature nobody asked for. I'd rather surface those in a conversation than debug them in production.

On client work I over-communicate. A short update before a client thinks to ask is always better than a long explanation after something breaks. Most "technical" problems are alignment problems in disguise.

I build with the user in front of me, not as an abstraction. Accessibility isn't a checklist — it's in the first prototype. Design should reduce friction, not add it. And the best implementation is the one the next developer doesn't have to untangle.