How we partner

We don’t have clients. We have partners.

Here is what that means in practice, and how work with us starts.

I · What a partner can expect

Seven things that hold on every piece of work.

The relationship outlasts the job.
The first piece of work is scoped and handed over. We expect there to be a second.
Terms are custom and written first.
There is no price list. Scope, timeline and cost are agreed in writing for your work before anything starts.
You keep what we build.
Plans, documents, systems and tools belong to you at the end, with notes on how they work and how to change them.
Everyone on the work is named to you.
There are no anonymous contributors on work we run.
Status is stated as it is.
We report what happened, including the parts that did not work.
Some partners share the upside instead.
In the Ventures lane we may take a stake rather than an invoice. That is agreed case by case, in writing.
We name partners in public only with their agreement.
Until then this site describes the work, not who it was for.

II · How it starts

Five steps, in this order, every time.

You get in touch.
Tell us what is going on. A few sentences is plenty.
We talk.
A short call to see whether this is a fit. If it is not a fit, we say so and point you somewhere better.
You get it in writing.
What we will do, what you will have at the end, how long it takes, what it costs and what is not included.
We both sign.
Nothing starts before that.
Invoice, then payment.
On the terms in the agreement. There is no payment link on this site.

III · How the work runs

We do not need to own every piece. We build the table.

The sequence is the same whatever the subject.

01Identify
Find the opportunity, and be specific about who it is worth something to.
02Design
Turn it into a plan somebody could fund and staff.
03Convene
Bring the partners who need to be at the table to the table.
04Capitalize
Line up the money: public, private, philanthropic, or all three.
05Build
Put in place the systems the plan runs on: the process, the numbers, the tools.
06Execute
Run the plan, or hand it to whoever is best placed to run it.
07Measure
Report what happened, including what did not work.

IV · What we are not

Not a web agency.We will build a site where there is none. But if a website is all you need, there are good Philadelphia firms that do only that. Use them.
Not a general advice desk.The city’s small-business programs already give good general advice. If you want someone to read your plan and talk it through, start there. We will tell you so.
Not an executive on call.Continuous senior cover is a different thing. We take on work with an end and something running at the end of it.

Start a conversation

A few sentences is enough. If we are not the right people, we will say so.