Services

We design, build and support custom software for small companies and growing teams, and we run the media work around it. Every project is scoped in a written specification first, so you know what you get before the build starts.

• Launch

  $5,000–$15,000

  Fits

  A first version of one product for one audience, or a focused tool for one team.

  Typical scope

  Scope under $15,000 and up to 500 people on launch day

  Timeline

  Specification 1–2 weeks, then typically 4–5 weeks of build

  Support after launch

  Care, 6 months ($450 a month)

  QA and security included

  Acceptance tests for every requirement, phone and desktop, WCAG 2.1 AA on public pages, database access tests, nightly backup with a proven restore.

  Example projects

  • ExampleA booking site with an admin view for a five-person studio
  • ExampleA client portal where a small firm shares documents and invoices
  • ExampleAn internal tool that replaces a shared spreadsheet
  Start with Launch

• Growth

  From $15,000

  Fits

  A product with paying customers or several kinds of user, where load and security need proving before launch.

  Typical scope

  Scope $15,000–$50,000 or 501–1,999 people on launch day

  Timeline

  Specification 1–2 weeks, then build length set in your specification

  Support after launch

  Care, 6 months ($450 a month)

  QA and security included

  Launch QA plus a load test at twice expected peak, a security checklist and a restore drill.

  Example projects

  • ExampleA membership app with payments and separate member and staff views
  • ExampleAn online course platform with video lessons and progress tracking
  • ExampleA two-sided marketplace pilot in one city
  Start with Growth

• Scale

  From $50,000

  Fits

  A platform with many integrations or heavy data, where downtime costs real money and an outside security test is expected.

  Typical scope

  Scope $50,000–$300,000 (reached by scope only)

  Timeline

  Specification 1–2 weeks, then build length set in your specification

  Support after launch

  Care + Media, 6 months ($1,350 a month)

  QA and security included

  Growth QA plus a load test at five times peak, a budgeted third-party penetration test, service-level objectives and an on-call runbook.

  Example projects

  • ExampleAn operations platform shared by several locations, connected to their existing systems
  • ExampleA customer dashboard over large data sets, with single sign-on and an audit trail
  Start with Scale

• Enterprise

  From $300,000

  Starts at $300,000 whatever the feature list, because testing at launch-day scale is part of the job.

  Fits

  An organization launching to thousands of people on day one, with its own testers, an accessibility audit and a staged rollout.

  Typical scope

  2,000+ people on launch day, or scope of $300,000 or more

  Timeline

  Specification 1–2 weeks, then build length set in your specification

  Support after launch

  Partner, 6 months (quoted after a call)

  QA and security included

  QA at day-one scale: load at three times peak concurrency, formal acceptance testing with the client's testers, an accessibility audit, a disaster-recovery drill, a security review and a staged rollout.

  Example projects

  • ExampleA district-wide learning platform that every student uses from the first day
  • ExampleA company-wide system that replaces a legacy tool on a fixed date
  Start with Enterprise

Every estimate is a range. The exact figure comes in your written specification, after we review your request.

How an engagement runs

1. Stage 1 · 1–2 weeksSpecificationWe write the complete specification: every requirement, and the test that proves it is delivered.
2. Stage 2 · At your paceYour reviewYou read, question and approve the specification. If you stop here, you keep it and owe nothing more.
3. Stage 3 · Set in your specificationBuildWe build to the approved specification and show progress as it lands. A Launch-tier product typically takes 4–5 weeks.
4. Stage 4 · About 1 weekAcceptance and trainingYou run the acceptance tests in the specification, we train your team, and support begins.

How payment works

1. 33% of the build: on signing — buys the written specification
2. 33% of the build: on specification approval — build starts
3. 33% of the build: on acceptance
4. Then the support plan, monthly.

Invoices are due in 15 days.

Support after launch

• Care$450 a monthHosting management, backups, monitoring, security updates and priority response; about 2 hours of changes a month.
• Care + Media$1,350 a monthHosting management, backups, monitoring, security updates and priority response; 4 one-hour sessions with Wilson a month.
• PartnerQuoted after a callHosting management, backups, monitoring, security updates and priority response; a monthly bank of development hours, priced at $150 an hour or less.

Time with Wilson for strategy or media work: $150 an hour, in monthly blocks of 2 hours ($300), 5 hours ($750), 10 hours ($1,500).

Third-party services: paid to vendors at cost, no markup

Hosting, database, email and other services are billed by the vendor, in your name, at cost plus payment processing. Typical costs at launch:

Hosting

$20–$25 a month

Database with daily backups

$25 a month

Email sending

$0–$20 a month

Video delivery (unlisted hosting)

$0 a month

Podcast hosting

$0–$19 a month

Domain

$1.25 a month

Storage and CDN

Depends on usage; estimated in your specification

AI model usage (per 1,000 users)

Depends on usage; estimated in your specification

Maps

Depends on usage; estimated in your specification

SMS

Depends on usage; estimated in your specification

What we don't build

• Brand identity and logo design
• Writing your content
• Filming and editing, unless you add media work to the request
• Legal, tax or compliance advice
• Moderating your community
• Buying or managing advertising
• Anything the approved specification does not list: new scope needs a signed change order