How To Hire Us

3-Hour Initial Online Consultation

A focused session for creative entrepreneurs, makers, and small shops ready to improve their operations and product development strategy. We review your processes and workflows to find practical ways to boost efficiency, reduce waste, and increase profitability. Recommendations are tailored to your setup, tools, and goals.

Current availability and pricing →

Fixed Price

A fixed price agreed upfront: 50% due at project start, 25% at the final design review, and the remainder after final deliverables are accepted. Projects with considerable upfront material costs may require additional payment upfront.

Time and Materials

We negotiate an hourly rate and contract ceiling before starting, then invoice monthly for work completed. As a rule of thumb: $400/hour for engineering and design work, $250/hour for review-only work. Engineering efforts typically run 40 to 80 hours over 2 to 3 months. We provide good-faith material estimates, notify you at 80% of estimate, and check in before any purchase that would exceed it, so you always make an informed go / no-go decision.

Retainer

For a long-term relationship, retain our services for a monthly fee applied against costs incurred that month. For technical management coaching, for example, a $5,000 monthly retainer provides 50 hours of nearly 24/7 access to professional engineering expertise. The next 50 hours are billed at $75/hour, and the remainder of the month at $50/hour.