How it works
From your idea to software you use every day.
- Nothing is charged before you have a price in writing.
- Half when you approve it, half the day it goes live.
- You own it from the first day.
An example project, about seven weeks
- Sep 2First call30 minutes, free
- Sep 3Price in writingOne fixed figureHalf paid
- Sep 8Build startsSomething to use every week
- Oct 19LiveOn your own addressHalf paid
- AfterLook after itOptional, monthly
The five steps
What happens, who does what, and when the money moves.
- 1
A free 30 minute call
The idea
Bring the part of your week that is worst, or the idea you keep coming back to. You do not need a specification. Working out what to build is our job.
- You do
- Describe the problem in your own words.
- We do
- Ask about the awkward cases, who will use it, and what already works.
- You end up with
- A straight answer on whether it is worth building, and a rough idea of cost.
First call, Northfield Rentals
30 min- Quotes are typed twice, about 3 hours a week
- Two people approve any spend over $5,000
- Already on QuickBooks, keep it
Worth buildingRough cost given on the callWhat people worry about here
What if I cannot afford what I need?
Then we say so and describe the smaller version. Sometimes the honest answer is a tool you can buy for forty dollars a month.
- 2
Within a few days
Design
We sketch the main screens with you and write one short document: what gets built, what does not, the dates, and one fixed price.
- You do
- Read it, ask questions, take it to whoever else has a say.
- We do
- Write it in plain words, price it as one figure, not a range.
- You end up with
- A document you could hand to your accountant before deciding.
Half is due when you approve the price.
Screen sketch
Scope, one page
InInNot inOne fixed price
What people worry about here
The last quote I got kept moving.
This one is fixed the moment you approve it. Anything new is priced on its own, and you decide first.
- 3
One to eight weeks
Build
Every week you get something you can open and use, with a short recording of what changed.
- You do
- Look at it and tell us what is wrong while it is cheap to change. Ten minutes a week.
- We do
- Build it, and tell you the day something looks like slipping.
- You end up with
- Working pieces you have already used, not drawings.
What changed this week
Week 1Sign-in and customer listReady to tryWeek 2Quote page with line itemsReady to tryWeek 3Card payment on the quoteIn progress2 minute recording of what changedWhat people worry about here
How will I know it is really progressing?
You are using the real thing every week. If a week has nothing worth showing, we tell you why before you ask.
- 4
A day or two
Launch
It moves onto your own web address. First we check every screen on a phone, every button, and every place a record or payment could go wrong.
- You do
- Drive it yourself for half an hour while we watch.
- We do
- Check it end to end, set up your sign-ins, and record a walkthrough for your next hire.
- You end up with
- It working, on your address, in your hands.
The other half is due on launch day.
Before we call it finished
- Every screen checked on a phone
- Every button pressed
- Every payment path tested
- Sign-ins set up for your team
- Walkthrough recorded for your next hire
Live on yourcompany.caYou drove it for half an hour firstWhat people worry about here
What if my staff cannot use it?
That is what the half hour is for. Anything that trips them up gets changed before we call it finished.
- 5
Optional, monthly
Look after it
Hosting, backups, fixes and changes, if you want us to keep it running. Stopping does not switch it off.
- You do
- Nothing, unless something breaks or you want a change.
- We do
- Keep it up, patched and backed up, and make the changes you ask for.
- You end up with
- Software that keeps up with the business.
What people worry about here
What if you get hit by a bus?
It runs in accounts in your business's name and is built with ordinary tools. Any good developer can open it and carry on.
How long
Usual timings, by what you are having built.
A website
1 to 2 weeks
A website you edit yourself
2 to 3 weeks
A tool your staff run the day on
3 to 5 weeks
A portal your customers sign into
4 to 8 weeks
The money
Two payments. Both after you have seen something.
- 50%Payment oneHalf when you approve the priceBy then you have read exactly what will be built and what will not.
- 50%Payment twoHalf on launch dayThe day it works on your own address and you have used it.
- OptionalA care plan, from launch day, from $290 a monthNever before. Plenty of clients take none.
If you want to stop halfway.
You pay for what has been built and take it with you. No penalty, no notice period.
Who owns it.
You do, from the first day of the build. Running costs like hosting, email and card fees are ordinary monthly bills in your own name.
Projects start from $6,000. See every price
What the written price looks like
Written price
Quotes that sign and pay themselves
For Northfield Rentals. Valid 30 days.
What gets built
- A quote page your customer signs
- Card payment on the same page
- Posting to your QuickBooks
- Reminders for quotes gone quiet
What does not
- Payroll
- A phone app in the app stores
- Moving ten years of old quotes across
Build starts
Sep 8
Live by
Oct 19
Changes
Priced first, your call
Owner
You, from day one
Fixed price
$12,000
plus GST. One figure, not a range.
When you approve
$6,000
On launch day
$6,000
Approved by
Jamie Okafor
What we need from you
Five things, and none of them are technical.
Your logo
The best file you have. A photo of a sign is a start.
Your words
How you describe what you do. Notes are fine.
Your photos
Your own jobs and team. A phone is fine.
Your accounts
Card payments, bookkeeping, email. In your name, never ours.
One person who can say yes
Waiting on a decision is the most common reason a build runs late.
The costliest surprise in a build is a second person who must approve things, found after the price is agreed. Tell us at the first call who else has a say.
Looking after it
A button on every screen, for when something is wrong.
- Keep it runningIt stays up, it stays backed up, and there is a button on every screen for when something is wrong.$290 a month
- Keep it movingThe above, plus four hours of changes a month, and the small breakages get looked at overnight.$850 a month
- We run it with youThe above, plus twelve hours a month, first in the queue, and a named day each week that is yours.$2,400 a month
Proposed prices. See care plan prices
Report a problem
This number looks wrong for today.
Screen and page name attached
The report button in RingUps, on a sample account.