No surprises, in either direction
Plenty of small businesses have been burned by a project that ran long, cost double, and left them with something nobody could maintain. Here is exactly how ours run, so you can judge before you spend anything.
Four stages, in this order
- 01
A free 30 minute consult
No slides, no discovery fee. We ask what is taking too long and you tell us. By the end of the call we both know whether there is something here worth building. If there is not, or if you need someone other than us, we say so on the call.
- 02
A written fixed scope
Before anything gets built you get it in writing: what we are making, what it will do, what it costs, and roughly when. One page, plain English. Nothing starts until you have read it and said yes.
- 03
A pilot on the one process that costs the most
We do not rebuild your whole operation on a promise. We pick the single most expensive process and fix that first, so you can watch it working with your own data before you decide to go further. If it does not earn its keep, you stop there.
- 04
Care afterwards, or a clean handover
Most clients keep us on a monthly care plan so someone who knows the system is still watching it. If you would rather run it in house, you get documentation, access to everything, and a walkthrough. Both endings are fine with us.
What a care plan covers
The reason software rots is that nobody owns it after the invoice is paid. A care plan is us continuing to own it.
- Hosting on our own servers, included in the plan.
- Updates and security patches, done before they become a problem.
- Backups that are actually tested, not just scheduled.
- Monitoring, so we usually know something broke before you do.
- Small changes as the business shifts, without a new quote every time.
- One number to call, answered by the person who built it.
How pricing works
There is no rate card on this site, and we would not trust one that was. What a job costs depends on what the job is, and quoting before we understand it would just be a guess dressed up as a number.
The shape is consistent though. A fixed price for the pilot, agreed in writing before work starts, so the number cannot move underneath you. Then a monthly care plan if you want us to keep running it. You will know both figures before you commit to anything, and you will know what happens if the scope changes.
We would rather tell you the honest number on a first call and lose the job than win it and hand you a bigger invoice later.
What you own
If you ever want to walk away, that should be an ordinary Tuesday, not a hostage negotiation.
- Your domain stays in your name, on your account.
- Your content and your data are yours, exportable at any time.
- We write down how to leave, including where everything lives and who to call.
Questions about any of this are welcome before you book anything. Email darren@spl.tech or start with the free consult.
Book a free consult →Start with the consult, decide after
A free 30 minute consult. No pitch deck, just straight answers. We reply within 1 business day.