What it costs. And what you get.
Three ways to work with me, priced up front. You shouldn't need a discovery call to find out what anything costs.
Most of this runs in one direction. You find out whether it's worth building, then you build it. Adopt is a separate door for a different problem.
Decide
What it is
A working session and a written verdict on whether your idea is worth building.
What happens
We spend two to three hours pulling it apart. What you're actually trying to achieve, who it's for, what already exists that does some of this, what it would genuinely cost, and how long it would genuinely take. Then I write it up properly rather than leaving you with a memory of a conversation.
What you get
A document, yours to keep. It contains the verdict, a real cost range, a real timeline, the smallest version worth launching, the risks nobody quoting you would raise, and what I'd do if it were my money.
The three answers
- Don't build it. This happens more often than you'd think, and it's the cheapest possible outcome. You found out for €950 rather than for €30,000.
- Build it, and I'll build it. The document becomes the scope and the price. No separate proposal.
- Build it, and I'll set you up to build it yourself. That's Handover, below.
Price
€950, fixed, paid up front. It isn't credited against a build. The document is worth what it's worth whichever answer you get, and crediting it would quietly turn an honest opinion into a sales step.
Build
What it is
I build the thing. One person, from validated idea to running software with real users on it.
How pricing works
Milestones, not hours. Decide produces the exact number before anything starts. Most builds land in this range. If yours is bigger, I'll tell you it's bigger before you commit, not halfway through.
When scope changes
It gets quoted as a new milestone, or it waits for later. What doesn't happen is you discovering a change order on an invoice.
What you get
The software running, the code in your repository from the first commit, documentation written as it was built, and one person to call when something breaks.
Decide comes first
Not a sales tactic. I won't quote a build I haven't scoped properly, because quoting blind is exactly how you end up being charged what someone thinks you'll pay.
Adopt
What it is
Half a day getting AI actually working in your business, rather than generating things that sound like everyone else.
What happens
We map your week, find the work that shouldn't need a human, and build the first automation together before I leave. Then guardrails, so what comes out still sounds like you.
What you get
One automation working, the guardrails around it, and a written list of what to do next in priority order.
Price
€600, fixed, half a day. No retainer, no commitment, and it doesn't require Decide first.
Handover
What it is
I set you up to build it yourself, with AI agents doing the work.
Why it exists
Sometimes the honest answer after Decide is that you can build this, and you'd be better off owning it than paying me to own it for you.
What happens
I configure the agent setup, define the loop that keeps it honest, write the verification that tells you when it's wrong, and hand over a working harness with the documentation to run it.
What you get
A setup that works and the ability to keep going without me.
Price
€3,000, fixed. Available after Decide.
Questions people actually ask
Why would I pay to find out whether to hire you?
Because free advice from someone who wants the project isn't advice, it's a sales call. The fee is what makes an honest no possible.
What if the answer is don't build it?
Then you spent €950 instead of €30,000, and you keep the document explaining why. That's the service working, not failing.
You're one person. What happens if you're unavailable?
A fair question and a real risk, so here's the honest answer. Your code is in your repository from the first commit. Everything is documented as it's built. I use standard, boring tooling rather than anything only I understand. If I vanished tomorrow, another developer could pick it up and carry on. Worth asking an agency the same question, because the answer often isn't better.
How can one person be faster than a team?
Most of a team's time goes on coordinating the team. I spent years billing for that coordination from the inside, so this isn't a guess. I don't have that cost. I also run agent-driven workflows that let one person deliver at a pace that used to need several people. I'm documenting how that works in public so you can judge it rather than take my word for it.
I already have a developer.
Then you probably want Decide rather than Build. Working out what to build and building it are different jobs, and getting the first one right makes the second considerably cheaper.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes.
Where are you based?
Czech Republic, working remotely with clients across Europe and beyond.
What are you thinking of building?
Tell me what's on your mind. You don't need a technical brief. I reply personally within 24 hours.