How much of my time will the project take?

As a rough guide, expect around two days a week during Discover and Design. During Build, it drops to around a day a week, then rises again for testing and sign-off before launch. We run the project, the team and the technical choices; your time goes on the calls only you can make.

Where your time goes

Your time follows the decisions. It’s heaviest at the start, lighter in the middle and picks up again just before launch.

It varies with the product. A Scale project with many stakeholders needs more of you than a Starter website.

One person who can say yes

Every project needs a single decision-maker on your side. That might be you, a cofounder or a product owner you trust.

The risk isn’t a slow decision so much as a split one. Two people with a veto and no tie-breaker can stall a sprint over a button colour. Decide who has the final word before Discovery starts.

Answers within about a day

Most questions during a build are small. Which of two layouts? Should a refund go back to the card or to account credit? Each one comes with our recommendation, so “yes, go with that” is often enough.

What slows a project isn’t hard questions. It’s easy questions left for a week. Aim to reply within a day. If you’ll be away, tell us and name someone who can answer for you.

What only you can bring

We bring the technical judgement. You bring the things no supplier can:

• Knowledge of your customers. Who they are, what they do today, and what annoys them about it.
• Access to real users. A handful of them to try the prototype, and later a beta.
• Your brand and content. Logos, any brand guidelines, and the words only you can write, like pricing and policies.
• Your existing data. If customers are moving from an old system, we need access to it. Migration support is part of Growth and Scale.
• Sign-off. You try the finished product and confirm it’s ready for real customers.

Admin that has to come from your company

Some accounts are tied to a legal business. If they’re going into your name, the paperwork has to come from you.

Apple and Google need your company’s details to open developer accounts. Both need a free D-U-N-S number, a business ID. Apple says issuing one can take up to five business days, so apply early.

A payments account such as Stripe belongs to the business that takes the money. Open it in your company’s name and invite us in.

During the build, the other accounts can sit with us or with you, whichever you prefer. At launch they’re yours either way, and running them until then is already in the price.

What you don’t need to do

You don’t need to manage developers, read code or chase progress. You don’t need opinions on frameworks or databases, though we’ll happily explain them if you’re curious.

Your job during the build is to stay on the customer’s side of it. Keep talking to the people you’re building for, and keep new ideas on a “later” list. Version two is where they belong.

If you’re worried about keeping up with the technical side, read can I build an app if I’m not technical. For how updates and demos work, see how often we meet. And if you already know you’ll be stretched, what happens if I’m slow with feedback is worth reading before you start.

The non-technical founder’s build playbook covers the founder’s side of a build in more depth, including the account checklist.