[ solo stack ]

How it works

Five phases. One relationship. Fixed price.

Every project follows the same five-phase process: discovery, scope, build, launch, maintain. The person you speak to in discovery is the person who writes your code.

01

Discovery

30 minutes

A focused call where we ask questions about your workflow, your users, your current pain points, and what success looks like three months after launch. We are listening for what is broken in your current setup, not for a chance to upsell scope.

  • You describe the problem in your own words
  • I ask clarifying questions about edge cases and user types
  • We identify what is in scope and what can wait for later
  • No selling, no portfolio walkthrough, no pitch deck

Discovery is free. Nothing is committed on either side until you approve a written scope.

02

Scope

24 hours after discovery

Within 24 hours we send a written summary of what we heard in the discovery call. You confirm it is accurate. Then we send a fixed-price scope document: what is included, what is explicitly out of scope, and what the total price is. No hourly billing, no scope-creep invoices.

  • Written summary of your problem and the proposed solution
  • Feature list with explicit inclusions and exclusions
  • Fixed total price — not an estimate, not a range
  • Payment split: 50% to start, 50% on launch
  • Estimated timeline based on project type and current queue

You approve the scope in writing before we write a single line of code.

03

Build

Varies by project type

Database design first, then authentication, then core screens, then secondary features, then polish. We work sequentially so each layer is solid before building on top of it.

  • Short Loom walkthroughs after each major milestone (usually 3–4 minutes)
  • Working features only — no half-built demos or empty mock data
  • You give feedback during build while it is still cheap to change
  • Direct Slack channel or email thread — no ticket system, no project manager

Typical timelines

Marketing website

1–2 weeks

CMS website

2–3 weeks

Internal business tool

3–5 weeks

Custom web app or portal

4–8 weeks

Timelines assume prompt feedback on milestones. Delays in feedback extend the timeline proportionally.

04

Launch

1–2 days

Before going live, we run a full pre-launch checklist covering security, functionality, mobile layout, and production environment configuration. Then we hand the project over to you.

  • Pre-launch security and functionality checklist
  • Your admin account created and verified
  • Written walkthrough guide emailed to you
  • Recorded Loom tutorial of the full application
  • 30-minute live call where you drive and I guide
  • Final payment (50%) due at this step

You should feel confident operating the application independently after the launch call.

05

Maintain

Ongoing

Every push to GitHub triggers an automatic rebuild and deploy in about 2 minutes. Your URL never changes. You never install updates or manage a server — the new version just appears.

  • Hosting-only: $75/month — infrastructure, domain, monitoring
  • Maintenance: $200/month — up to 2 hours of updates or fixes per month
  • Active development: $400–800/month — ongoing feature work
  • Rollbacks available if a deploy causes an issue
  • Uptime monitoring with alerts

No retainer is required. You can host elsewhere if you prefer — the codebase belongs to you.

What you need to provide

The client asset checklist.

Before we can start building, we need a few things from you. This is a short list — most clients have everything within a day of the scope being signed.

  • Domain name (or access to wherever it is registered)
  • Business email address (for accounts and notifications)
  • Any logos or brand assets in vector or high-resolution format
  • Content for text-heavy pages (services descriptions, about text, etc.)
  • Any existing accounts the app needs to connect to (QuickBooks, Stripe, etc.)

If you do not have a domain yet, I can advise on where to register one. If you do not have a logo, we can discuss options — a text-based wordmark is often sufficient for Phase 1 of a new tool.

The stack

Modern. Open-source. Yours.

All projects are built on Next.js 14 and deployed to Vercel. Web apps and portals use Supabase for the database and authentication. Marketing and CMS sites may not require a database at all.

These are not proprietary platforms. Next.js and Supabase are open-source software used by thousands of production applications. Your code lives in a private GitHub repository that belongs to you. You can take the codebase to any developer or hosting provider at any time — no exit fee, no platform lock-in.

Vercel hosting costs are included in the monthly retainer. If you choose not to take a retainer, you can host the application yourself on any platform that supports Node.js — Render, Railway, Fly.io, or your own server.

Ready to start?

Tell us what you need built.

Fill out the intake form. We review every submission personally and reply within 2 business days. If the project is a fit, we will book a 30-minute discovery call.

Start a project