Service 07  ·  Custom systems

When the service list isn’t enough.

Multi-layer engagements for operational businesses where what you need crosses categories. Websites, internal tools, automation, AI, data hub, customer surfaces — built together as the tech and product function the business doesn’t yet have. Same handover-first principle. Bigger scope.

01  —  Who this is for

When one service won’t fix it.
And the whole layer needs addressing.

Businesses at the scale where the right answer requires people who can see across web, systems, data, and AI. Where engaging a separate team per layer would slow you down. Where the business runs on duct tape and individual heroics, and the next move requires building, not buying.
02  —  Common symptomsIf one or more sound familiar
01You need three of the services on this list at once.
02The right answer requires people who can see across layers.
03Engaging a separate team per layer would slow you down.
04You’re at the scale where hiring engineering doesn’t yet make sense.
05The business currently runs on duct tape and individual heroics.
06The next move requires building things, not buying more software.
03  —  What we build

Concrete deliverables.
No retainers in disguise.

  • 01Multi-layer engagements, end to endThe combination that fits — typically some mix of websites, automation, internal tools, data hub, portals, and AI. Built as one engagement, not six.
  • 02The full commercial and operational stackPublic surface, go-to-market systems, internal tooling, customer-facing surfaces, infrastructure underneath. All wired together around how your team actually works.
  • 03Tech-and-product-team-as-a-serviceFor early- and mid-stage operators not ready to hire engineering yet. We act as the function until you are — and only until you are.
  • 04Owners named on day oneMulti-layer engagements have more moving parts. The scope and ownership are explicit before anything ships, by phase and by component.
  • 05Same handover-first principle, regardless of scopeEvery layer gets documented. Every component has an owner on your side at handover. Nothing locked behind us.
  • 06Optional retainer after, only if iteration is genuinely usefulA retainer can pick up after handover if there is a clear next phase worth running. Never assumed, never required.
04  —  How an engagement runs
Map, build, hand over.
Your team runs the whole layer from there.
Four phases. The same shape as the single-service engagements, scaled. Phases run sequentially or in parallel by component. Owners named on day one. A written handover closes every layer. Multi-month engagements only when the scope genuinely warrants it.
Phase
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13+
01
Map
02
Build
03
Handover
04
Filed
◆  Your team runs it. We step out.
After handover →
Retainer
optional · continuous
Run
→
Iterate
→
Design
→
Build
01 · Map
You
Tell us what is in the way across the business. Sales, ops, finance, product, the lot.
Us
Sit with each function. Map the whole picture. Identify which layers need building first.
Filed
Cross-functional map · layered scope · phased options
Honest about the whole picture.
02 · Build
You
Stay engaged across functions. Loom walkthroughs by layer, weekly.
Us
Build layer by layer, in agreed sequence. Each layer production-grade as it lands.
Filed
Layers live · in your stack · team using them
Visible progress across the whole stack.
03 · Handover
You
Name an owner per layer. Walk each one with us.
Us
Document every layer. Train every owner. Close every file.
Filed
Runbooks · owners · review cadence
Yours from here, top to bottom.
04 · Filed
◆ MILESTONE
You
Run it. Extend it. Hire engineering when the time comes.
Us
Grace period covered. Anything after is booked.
Filed
File closed · no ongoing dependency
The point.
↻  Retainer · optional
Iterate on what’s
live, by the month.
One cycle · run, iterate, design, build
01 · Run
Keep it operating.
02 · Iterate
Act on what usage shows.
03 · Design
Scope the next thing worth building.
04 · Build
Ship it. Measure it. Back to run.
Typical follow-on
Usage optimisation, workflow tweaks, feature additions. Shape varies by what was built and what the team needs once it’s in their hands.
Cancel any month · 30 days' notice
Engagement is always the foundation · retainer never required
05  —  Relevant case study
Recruitment agency · File 01

Tech and product, as a team.

The recruitment-agency engagement is the canonical custom-systems build. Seven modules across public surface, CRM, automation, custom apps, and infrastructure — covered as the tech and product function the business didn’t yet have. Scaled commercially without hiring engineering on day one.

7modules
From public surface to infrastructure
Read the case file →
06  —  Smallest useful first move

A two-week cross-functional diagnostic.
Standalone. No follow-on required.

Bigger scope, longer first move. We sit with every function, trace how the business actually runs, and write up the whole picture. Two weeks, on-site or remote. You get a cross-functional map, layered scope, phased build plan, and indicative costs before any commitment to build. If you stop there, you stop there.
07  —  Start a conversation
If this is the kind of work you’re after, here’s how to begin.
Thirty minutes. What’s in the way, what you’ve already tried, whether there’s a useful first move. No deck, no proposal.
Discuss your setupRead a case file