Selective engagements

The goal is to make an underdefined idea understandable and demonstrable enough that the next decision becomes clearer.

A fixed-fee engagement covers both halves of the work: the thinking that gives an early idea its shape, and the prototype that makes it real enough to discuss. The prototype is evidence of the thinking, not the whole of the engagement. This is exploratory work — not implementation execution.

Most work begins with a short conversation about what you're exploring and whether this kind of collaboration would be useful. If there's a good fit, we define a small, focused scope together.

Work typically focuses on:

• Clarify an early idea
• Frame the concept so others can understand it
• Identify the question the prototype should help answer
• Create a lightweight artifact for discussion
• Support stakeholder feedback and decision-making
• Explore trade-offs before implementation
• When useful, package the work for a later builder or internal team

Depending on scope, deliverables can include hosted or local demos, documented files, and, when useful, a GitHub repository intended as a foundation for later development — not a commitment to ongoing production work.

Engagements are kept focused and bounded so the work stays practical, useful, and centered on learning rather than delivery management.

Most engagements fall within a range of $750–$1500 depending on scope and time involved. A clear scope is what keeps the work focused and the fee stable.

I expect to take on only 3–4 carefully selected collaborations each year so the work can stay thoughtful and attentive.

Most engagements are about clarity and exploration, not running live systems, so they don't carry ongoing costs.

When a prototype needs to run somewhere — a hosted demo, an AI-powered example, an API integration — hosting and service costs sit on stakeholder-owned accounts from the start. Access to any repository or deployment is agreed up front, so there is nothing to untangle later.

If a prototype needs to stay live beyond the engagement, it stays on your infrastructure. Ongoing operation and support are outside the scope of this work.

If something you're exploring sounds like a fit, I'd like to hear about it.