If you're vetting agencies for a serious build, you've probably discovered the industry's quiet trick: the code lives in the agency's accounts, the infrastructure runs on the agency's billing, and leaving means starting over. That arrangement has a name. It's a hostage situation with a monthly invoice.
Here's how we structure builds instead, published so you can use it as a diligence checklist on anyone, including us.
Your name on everything, from day one
- Repositories: created in your organization. We work as collaborators you can remove.
- Infrastructure: hosting, database, domains, all on accounts you control and can re-key.
- Third-party services: payment processors, email, storage: your accounts, your API keys.
- The data: yours by construction, exportable at any moment, no request required.
The test of ownership is simple: if you fired us today, what would you lose? The answer should be "our future help," and nothing else.
Phases with working software, not milestones with decks
Every phase ends with something your customers can use, priced in writing before it starts. The first working version ships early on purpose: real usage steers the roadmap better than any planning document, and it means you're never six months deep with nothing but mockups.
Documentation as a deliverable
Handover isn't a favor at the end; it's built as we go. Setup instructions, architecture notes, and the operational runbook live in your repo, so any competent engineer can pick up the system cold. We aim to be re-hired for the next build because the last one went well, not because we're unremovable.
Why we work this way
Partly ethics, partly incentives: an agency that can't hold your project hostage has to keep earning the relationship. Every engagement of ours renews on merit. That pressure makes the work better, and we'd rather live with it than without it.