Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about how we work, what things cost, and what you own at the end. Including the questions where the honest answer is that you might not need us.
Working with us
How projects actually run, from first conversation to handover.
How does a project start?
With a conversation about what you are trying to solve, not a feature list. From there we scope the work properly — for software that usually means mapping how your process runs today, including the informal steps nobody documented. Then you get a fixed quote. You are not committed to anything until you have a real number in front of you.
Do you work with businesses outside Warwickshire?
Yes. We are based in Rugby and site visits around the Midlands are straightforward, but most projects run remotely and always have. Location has never been the limiting factor — being able to describe your process clearly matters far more than being nearby.
Who actually does the work?
We do. Nothing is outsourced and nothing is assembled from a marketplace template. That is a deliberate constraint — it means we take on fewer projects than an agency of the same size, and the person who scoped your project is the person building it.
How do you handle changes during a project?
Small adjustments get absorbed; that is normal and we do not nickel-and-dime it. Anything that materially changes scope gets quoted separately before the work happens, so you are never surprised by an invoice at the end.
What happens after launch?
You get training and documentation at handover. Beyond that it is your call — some clients handle everything themselves, others want a support arrangement. We price that separately so it stays a genuine choice rather than something bundled in by default.
How do payments work?
Typically a deposit to start and the balance on completion. Larger projects get split across milestones so payment tracks progress rather than arriving as one lump at the end.
Ownership and lock-in
What you own, and what happens if you want to leave.
Do I own what you build?
Yes — the code, the domain and the hosting account. There is no proprietary platform holding your project hostage and no licence you have to keep paying to keep using what you paid us to build.
What if we stop working together?
You keep everything. We hand over the repository and a deployment guide, and another developer can pick it up. We would rather you stay because the work is good than because leaving is painful.
Can another developer maintain your code?
That is the intention. We write conventional, documented code using mainstream tools — React, Node, Django, MySQL — rather than anything exotic that would make you dependent on us. If you ever hand it to someone else, they should be able to read it.
Where is my data hosted?
Wherever suits you. We can host it, or deploy to infrastructure you control. Either way the data is yours and you can export it in full whenever you want.
Deciding whether to hire anyone
Including the cases where the honest answer is that you should not.
How do I know if I actually need custom software?
A reasonable test: take your five most common scenarios and walk each through the off-the-shelf product you are considering, using its standard workflow. Count the workarounds. Zero or one, buy the package. Four or five, it will fight you daily and custom starts making sense. If you are unsure, describe the process to us and we will tell you which side you are on.
Would you ever tell me not to hire you?
Regularly. If an off-the-shelf product covers your requirement, buy it — it will cost less than anything bespoke. If your website is fine and the real problem is that nobody can find it, a redesign will not fix that. We would rather lose a project than build something that does not solve what you came to us about.
My site gets no traffic. Do I need a redesign?
Usually not. Most sites with no traffic do not look bad — they have too few pages, targeting terms that are too broad, with nothing linking to them. A redesign changes none of that. Check how many of your pages Google has indexed before spending anything on how it looks.
Is it too early for us to be thinking about this?
Sometimes, and we will say so. If you are a two-person operation running a handful of jobs a week, a spreadsheet or a whiteboard genuinely works. Custom software earns its place when the volume or the specificity of your process has outgrown the simple option, not before.
Technical questions
What we build with, and why.
What do you build with?
For websites, hand-coded React and Next.js, or WordPress with a lean custom theme where a CMS genuinely earns its place. For software, React front ends with Node or Django back ends and MySQL. Mainstream, well-supported tools — deliberately, so you are never dependent on something obscure.
Will my site work on phones?
Yes, and it is designed mobile-first rather than adapted afterwards. Most traffic to small business sites arrives on a phone, frequently on a poor connection, so that is the case we build for first.
Do you handle hosting and domains?
We can set both up and manage them, or work with what you already have. Either way the accounts are in your name — we will not register your domain under ours.
Is the software accessible from outside the office?
Everything we build is web-based, so it works on a desktop, a tablet at a workstation, or a wall-mounted display. Access from outside the network is a decision you make on security grounds, and we set it up either way.
What about security?
Role-based access as standard, so people only see and sign off what they are authorised to. Beyond that it depends on what the system handles — we scope security requirements alongside everything else rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Questions about a specific service
Each service page answers the questions specific to that kind of project — cost, timescales, and when it is the wrong choice.
Custom Website Design
4 questions answered
- — How much does a custom website cost?
- — How long does it take?
WordPress Development
3 questions answered
- — Why is my current WordPress site so slow?
- — Can you fix my existing site rather than rebuild it?
Bespoke Software Development
4 questions answered
- — How much does bespoke software cost?
- — What if the requirements change during the build?
Custom CRM Systems
3 questions answered
- — Why build a CRM instead of using Salesforce or HubSpot?
- — Can you migrate our existing data?
Production Management Systems
7 questions answered
- — Can I see it working before committing to anything?
- — Do you sell a standard product?
19 general questions answered here, plus more on each service page. If yours is not covered, just ask — we will give you a straight answer whether or not it leads to work.