Engagement
The shape ofworking together.
There are three ways to work with us: a project, a retainer, or advisory. You don't need to know which one you need, that's what the first call is for. And you won't find a price list here, because we'd rather look at the work before we put a number on it. The week-to-week rhythm lives on Process.
Three
ways in: a project, a retainer, or advisory. We pick the right one together on the first call.
Scope first
we look at the work before we put a number on it, so the number you get is real.
Yours
the plan we write is yours to keep, and so is everything we build. Nothing's locked to us.
Three ways to work
A project, a retainer, or advisory.
You don't have to pick one before you call. Tell us what you're trying to do, and the right shape usually makes itself obvious. Here's what each one is, and who it's for.
Project
One outcome, start to finish.
A defined piece of work with clear edges and something real at the end. Good when you already know the shape of what you need and want it built, finished, and handed over.
Best for
A build with clear edges: a replatform, a storefront, a retention system.
- The partners who pitch you are the ones who build it.
- Shipped in production, not a prototype.
- You see working software as we go, not a reveal at the end.
- Handed over finished, with everything your team needs to run it.
Retainer & embed
Most commonWe work as part of your team.
Ongoing capacity to grow and build, with a partner inside your team rather than an agency at arm's length. It's the most common way brands work with us.
Best for
Brands who need growth and build capacity for the next few quarters.
- A partner in your standups and your Slack.
- Hands on the keyboard, and in the room for the calls that matter.
- Growth, build, architecture, hiring: whatever moves the number.
- It continues because it's working, not because a contract says it has to.
Advisory
A partner in the room.
Partner-level guidance for the big decisions, without the full-time hire. Sometimes it stays advice, and sometimes it turns into a build once we find what's worth building.
Best for
Founders and teams who want an operator's read on the big decisions.
- A direct line to a partner who's owned the number.
- An honest read on your architecture and your roadmap.
- Where AI actually helps, and what to skip.
- In the room when the decision gets made.
Why there is no price list
There's no price list here, and that's on purpose.
The work is rarely the same shape twice, and a number quoted before anyone has looked at it is a guess. So before we quote you, we scope it. We read your systems, sit with your team, and come back with a plan and a number we can stand behind.
“I spent years on the operator side of this table, and I know what it's like to be handed a number by someone who hasn't really looked at the work. So we look first. The number comes after we understand what we're pricing.”
How we scope
We scope it first, then quote a real number.
Four steps from the first call to the first build, and you keep the plan either way.
It starts with a call
Tell us what you're trying to do and where it hurts. No deck, no pitch. If we're not the right team for it, we'll say so.
We scope it
We read your systems, sit with your team, and get a feel for how the business actually runs. Then we come back with a written plan, a real number, and an honest view of what it'll take.
You decide
The plan is yours to keep, whether you continue with us or not. If the number doesn't work for you, you still leave with the plan. If it does, we start.
We build
We get access, open a shared channel, and start on the work itself, not on ceremony. You see what we're building as we build it.
True in every shape
Whatever shape we pick, three things don't change.
01
Partners do the work.
The people you meet on the first call are the people who build it. No juniors, no handoff.
02
You'll know the number.
We scope before we quote, and if something changes along the way, you hear it from us first. No silent scope creep.
03
The work is measured.
Every engagement starts from a baseline, and the result gets proven against it.
What actually differs
Three shapes, side by side.
Everything else holds no matter which shape you pick: partners do the work, we scope before we quote, and the result is measured against a baseline. The table only shows what actually differs.
| Feature | Project | Retainer & embed | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hands on the keyboard | Included | Included | Not included |
| Shipped in production | Included | Included | Not included |
| Working software you can watch take shape | Included | Included | Not included |
| A defined end and a handoff | Included | Not included | Not included |
| A partner in your standups | Not included | Included | Not included |
| Growth + build capacity, ongoing | Not included | Included | Not included |
| Guidance on the calls that matter | Not included | Included | Included |
Project
- Hands on the keyboard
- Shipped in production
- Working software you can watch take shape
- A defined end and a handoff
- A partner in your standups (not in this shape)
- Growth + build capacity, ongoing (not in this shape)
- Guidance on the calls that matter (not in this shape)
Retainer & embed
- Hands on the keyboard
- Shipped in production
- Working software you can watch take shape
- A defined end and a handoff (not in this shape)
- A partner in your standups
- Growth + build capacity, ongoing
- Guidance on the calls that matter
Advisory
- Hands on the keyboard (not in this shape)
- Shipped in production (not in this shape)
- Working software you can watch take shape (not in this shape)
- A defined end and a handoff (not in this shape)
- A partner in your standups (not in this shape)
- Growth + build capacity, ongoing (not in this shape)
- Guidance on the calls that matter
Before you reach out
The questions we get.
Do we have to pick a shape up front?
No. Tell us what you're trying to do and we'll land on the right one together in the first call. The shapes flow into each other anyway: a project often becomes a retainer, and advisory sometimes turns into a build once we find something worth building.
Why isn't there a price list?
Because the work is rarely the same shape twice, and a price set before we've looked at yours would be a price we made up. We scope first, then come back with a number we can stand behind.
How does scoping work?
We read your systems, sit with your team, and write the plan: what we'd build, what it costs, and what it'll take. The plan is yours to keep, whether or not you continue with us.
Is there a minimum commitment?
The commitment fits the shape, and it's one of the things we settle together in scoping. The stance behind it doesn't change: we'd rather the work continue because it's working than because a contract says it has to.
What if the work grows past the scope?
You hear it from us before it happens, not on an invoice. We write down what changed and what it means, and you decide: expand the scope, or hold the original line.
What does an engagement actually feel like, week to week?
That has its own page. Process walks through the rhythm of the work, from the first days to the handoff.
The first call
Let's talk.
Tell us where you're trying to grow. We'll tell you the truth about how to get there. We'll pick the right shape together.