Headless commerce. Custom CMS. CRM and ERP integrations. Multi-region rollouts. The kind of build where the platform isn't decided until we've audited the team, the data, and the load profile. Senior engineers only — no offshored handoffs.
Most agencies pick a stack before they understand the problem. We don't. Every custom development engagement starts with a technical audit: your team's capability, your data flow, your performance and security requirements, your existing toolchain. The platform recommendation comes after — Next.js + Sanity, headless Shopify, custom Laravel, Rails, whatever the work actually needs.
Senior engineers only. The lead developer on your project has 8+ years of experience and is on the calls, in the standups, and in the Slack channel. No offshored handoffs. No junior-staffed retainer surprise three months in.
See client outcomesSalesforce, HubSpot, NetSuite, Stripe, Twilio, Klaviyo — APIs are the work, not an add-on at the end.
GDPR, CCPA, SOC2-readiness, HIPAA — we've shipped builds in regulated environments. Documentation included.
Headless commerce, JAMstack, micro-frontends — we recommend composable architecture when it solves a real problem, not because it's fashionable.
Custom development isn't a fixed-scope build — but the work pattern is consistent. Five phases, written deliverables at each gate, no ambiguity about who's on the hook for what.
Every engagement starts with a 2-week technical audit. We map your data flow, integration surface, team capability, performance requirements, and security posture. The output is a written architecture recommendation — including platform, hosting, integration approach, and a scoped engineering plan.
We design the system before we write the code. Database schema, API contracts, component architecture, caching strategy, deploy pipeline. Reviewed with your tech team (or our recommended one) before development begins. No 'figure it out as we go' projects.
Every commit to main is deployed automatically to staging. Test coverage tracked. Logging, error tracking, and performance monitoring are part of the build, not an afterthought. Your team has read access to the repo from day one — no black-box delivery.
Salesforce, HubSpot, NetSuite, Stripe, Shopify, Twilio, Klaviyo, custom internal APIs — integration is the work, not the add-on at the end. We design the integration layer with retry logic, idempotency, and observability built in.
Custom builds fail when the agency leaves and the client team can't maintain the code. We prevent that with structured handover: live walkthroughs, written runbooks, and a 30-day support window where your team works alongside ours before we step back.
Custom development isn't templated, but the operating cadence is. Stage-gated, audit-driven, with deliverables your engineering leadership signs off on before each phase moves forward.
Two weeks: data, integrations, team, performance, security. Output: a written architecture recommendation your CTO signs off on before we touch a keyboard.
Weeks 1–2Database, API contracts, component design, caching, deploy pipeline. Diagrams + ADRs reviewed with your team. Approved before development.
Weeks 2–4CI/CD from day one. Tests, observability, code review on every PR. Bi-weekly demos. Read access to the repo for your team throughout.
Weeks 4–20Walkthroughs, runbooks, pair support for 30 days. Optional managed retainer if you want us to keep operating it. No lock-in either way.
Final 4 weeksThree reasons engineering leaders give when they pick us in a competitive bake-off.
Senior engineers only — same team from kickoff through handover. The lead engineer is in your standups, your PR reviews, your Slack.
Senior teamArchitecture decisions are documented in ADRs your team can read. No black-box choices. No lock-in to decisions you can't challenge later.
Documented decisionsWe design the system so your team can take it over. Runbooks, walkthroughs, and 30 days of pair support are part of every engagement.
No lock-inTechnical and process questions we hear most often. If we missed yours, ping us directly.
JS/TS-heavy: Next.js, Remix, Nuxt, SvelteKit. Backend: Node, Python (FastAPI/Django), Go, Rails, Laravel. Headless commerce: Shopify Hydrogen, Medusa, custom on Stripe. Headless CMS: Sanity, Contentful, Strapi, Storyblok. We don't pick the stack until the audit's done — we pick what fits your team and the load profile.
Yes — about 40% of our engagements are augmentation, not full-build. We embed engineers into your team, work in your repo, follow your conventions. Or we run a parallel team and integrate at agreed boundaries. Whatever fits your engineering org.
You own the code from commit one. The repo is in your GitHub/GitLab org from day one — your team has read access throughout the build. No agency-owned repos. No proprietary platform lock-in.
Yes — both are standard for us. We've shipped under MSAs, SOWs, and DPAs across multiple regulated environments (healthcare, finance, EU consumer data). Send the doc and we'll review or counter within 3 business days.
Engineering decisions are made with security in scope from the start — not bolted on at the end. We've shipped HIPAA-aware builds, GDPR/CCPA compliance, SOC2-readiness, and PCI-out-of-scope architectures. Specific compliance frameworks add weeks to the project — we scope them upfront, not surprise you with them.
Two models: fixed-fee for well-defined scopes (typical: $48K–$180K) or T&M for evolving work ($2,400/day per senior engineer). The audit phase always runs fixed-fee — at $4,800 — so you can decide on the larger build with all the information in hand.
A sampling of recent engagements that match this work.
A SaaS subscriber-acquisition tool overcame onboarding-leak issues with funnel rebuilds, automated drip campaigns, and a 4-channel launch — 300% activation lift, 3,000 customers in week one, and 400+ daily subscribers post-launch.
A Nottingham-based construction project management specialist replaced an outdated site + scattered service explanation with a bespoke modern build — 250+ first-page keywords, 10K monthly visits, 31% lower CPA in 6 months.
A logistics innovator transformed over-the-road freight via API Connect — 320% engagement lift, 5.48% conversion rate, $476K controlled ad spend, $56.01 stable cost-per-conversion across 14 months.