Services · 3 ways to engage

Audit, Build, Retain. Pick where you are.

Most engagements start as one of three. If you don't know which fits, that's the audit. If you already know what to build, that's the build. If you've shipped and need it to evolve, that's the retainer.

00. By practice

What we build, grouped by practice.

The three engagement shapes (audit, build, retain) describe how we work. These are what we work on. Most clients start at the engagement shape that fits and pick the practice below by what their operation needs.

01 · AI workflows

AI workflow automation

Production AI workflows for mid-market operations. Built, integrated, and operated end-to-end. Beyond the connectors.

See AI workflow automation →
02 · n8n

n8n implementation

Production n8n. Custom nodes, AI integration, governance, eval suites. Long-term operation or handoff.

See n8n implementation →
03 · Claude

Claude implementation

Production Claude with the operational substrate. Eval suites, MCP integrations, HITL gates, audit logs.

See Claude implementation →

More practices: Agentic AI on AWS · Mobile app development.

01 / 03Audit

The 14-day operations audit.

We embed for two weeks. We sit with your operators, walk your workflow, document the edge cases, and produce a written assessment of where automation will pay for itself in 90 days. And where it won't. You own the deliverable regardless of next step.

ForOperators who know there's friction in their workflow but can't articulate where the highest-impact fix is. Companies who've been burned by agencies that promised AI without understanding the work.
What's includedWorkflow documentation, decision-point map, integration inventory, prioritized opportunity list with effort vs. payoff scoring, and a written 90-day plan you can execute with or without us.
What's notNo production code. No Figma files. No promises about what's possible until we've seen the work.
Timeline14 calendar days from kickoff to delivery. Two on-site days, ten async. Final readout via 60-minute video call with full team.
OutcomeA document you can hand to any other firm and get a fixed bid against. We don't lock you into us.
MoreGo deeper on the diagnostic →
02 / 03Build

The build engagement.

You know what needs to exist. We design, build, and ship it. Operational platforms, AI-assisted workflows, mobile field tools, internal dashboards. Two-week sprints, public Jira board, weekly demo. No agency theatrics.

ForOperators with a clear scope (often arrived at via the audit) who need a team that can build it without three months of "discovery."
What's includedProduct design, full-stack engineering, deployment to your infrastructure or ours, integration work (QuickBooks, Jira, Slack, custom APIs), and a working system in production at the end.
What's notNo marketing sites. No "design exploration" phases. No deliverables you can't use.
TimelineMost builds are 8 to 16 weeks. Phased rollout with real users on real data before anything is declared "done."
StackNext.js / NestJS / Postgres / React Native / Anthropic / MCP / n8n. Hosted on Vercel or your cloud.
Live exampleSee a real workflow get automated →
MoreHow a build engagement runs →
03 / 03Retain

The retainer for software that lasts.

Software gets used differently in year three than in month three. The retainer is for operators who already have a working system and need a team that knows it cold, ships improvements every sprint, and operates as your engineering function.

ForCompanies with a deployed system — built by us or someone else — that needs ongoing engineering: new features, integrations, performance work, on-call coverage.
What's includedDedicated engineering capacity (most retainers are 1–3 engineers), Sprint Observer dashboard for transparency, weekly review with your team, business-hours support coverage across EST and PST. How we operate in production →
What's notNo bench-warming. No "hours we didn't use." Capacity is committed and used.
Commitment3-month minimum, monthly thereafter. 30-day notice to wind down. Most clients stay 18+ months.
ExamplesDocuPaint (3+ years), LoadQuest (4 years), ZoomCasa (ongoing).
MoreThe embedded retainer model →
01. Decision tree

Not sure which? Read this.

IF YOU CAN'T NAME THE FIX
Start with → Audit

You know something's broken. You can't articulate exactly what to build. Two weeks of structured listening produces a plan you can fund.

IF THE SCOPE IS CLEAR
Go straight to → Build

You have a clear "we need X by Y." Sometimes from a prior audit, sometimes from internal clarity. Skip the audit and ship.

IF IT'S ALREADY LIVE
Set up a → Retainer

The system exists, real users depend on it, and the question is who keeps it healthy and evolving. Most clients land here within 6 months.

02. Common questions
Do you do fixed-bid builds without an audit?
Sometimes. If your spec is detailed and you've already done the operational mapping, we'll quote against it. But most engagements that skip the audit spend 30%+ more in the first month sorting out things the audit would have surfaced.
Can the audit credit toward a build?
Yes. If you engage us for a build within 60 days of audit delivery, the audit fee credits 50% against the first invoice.
Who owns the code?
You do. All deliverables, including code, designs, and documentation, transfer to your ownership on final payment. We retain no licensing claims.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, mutual NDAs before any audit work. We have a standard one ready and we'll sign yours if it's reasonable.
Can you work with our existing engineering team?
Frequently. About 40% of our retainers are alongside an in-house team. We integrate via your Jira/GitHub/Slack and operate as a pod with clear scope.
What industries do you not work in?
We don't take consumer apps, dating, gambling, or anything ad-driven. We do operational software for businesses that ship, build, dispatch, inspect, or transport real things.
03. Begin
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Ready to talk through where you are?

Schedule a call →Email directly+1.602.815.5600