Made carefully,
on purpose.
We work the way a workshop works. Small team, plain agreements, written record. The opposite of an agency in nearly every respect that matters.
- № 01
We write before we build.
Every commission starts with a memo, not a Figma file. If we cannot describe the work in plain English, we are not ready to make it.
- № 02
Small teams, short loops.
One principal sees the work end-to-end. Specialists join when the work calls for them — never to fill a seat.
- № 03
Boring software, sharp results.
We use the stack that will still be running in five years. Postgres, TypeScript, Next.js, plain HTTP. Novelty is reserved for the parts where it pays.
- № 04
Honest defaults.
Performance, accessibility, and observability are not line items. They are the floor. Everything we ship clears them or it does not ship.
- № 05
An exit from day one.
Every engagement is designed to be left. Documentation, hand-off plans, and a budget for the day you no longer need us — written down before we begin.
Four shapes the work tends to take.
[I] · SPRINT
Fixed-scope sprint
4 to 16 weeks
A defined start, a defined end, a defined deliverable. Priced as a flat fee, billed against milestones. The cleanest engagement we run, and the one we recommend by default.
Fits: Websites, V1 SaaS builds, anything that has a clear edge.
[II] · RETAINER
Workshop retainer
Quarterly minimum
A set number of hours per month, drawn against a backlog you keep. We meet weekly, ship continuously, and tell you well in advance when the well is running dry.
Fits: Live products that need ongoing engineering and design.
[III] · SHADOW
Shadow CTO
12 months typical
A standing seat at the table. Hiring, architecture, vendor selection, and the structural calls — without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. We leave when your in-house leader is ready.
Fits: Founders without a senior technical co-pilot.
[IV] · MEMO
Counsel
Two weeks
We read the codebase, talk to the team, and write you a memo. No deck, no scorecard, no follow-on pressure. The shortest engagement we do, and often the most valuable.
Fits: When you need a reading, not a vendor.
What a week with the workshop looks like.
- MONDAY
A 30-minute working session with the founder. Agenda is in writing the night before.
- TUESDAY
Heads-down build. We do not take meetings on Tuesdays.
- WEDNESDAY
Design review. We use real content, on real devices, with real data.
- THURSDAY
Heads-down build. Pull requests merge by end of day.
- FRIDAY
A short written update. What shipped, what we learned, what we are watching.
If this looks like the workshop you have been looking for —