Software development estimation: how to read the number
Your developer sent back a number: 12 weeks, $180,000. An estimate is a range someone rounded off for you. Here are the four questions that pull the range…
Source code escrow: why most non-technical founders get pitched the wrong fix
Source code escrow protects enterprise buyers from large vendors going bankrupt. It is the wrong instrument for an early-stage startup buying custom software from a small studio.
Technical advisor: the lightest hire a non-technical founder can make
A non-technical founder's guide to technical advisors: what 0.25–1% equity actually buys, the three failure patterns, and the four conversations to have before signing.
Founding engineer: what a non-technical founder needs to know before making the hire
A founding engineer is the highest-stakes hire a non-technical founder makes. Here is what you are actually buying, the three traps to avoid, the equity math, and the…
Feature creep: the founder is usually the source
A field guide for non-technical founders on what feature creep really is, why the standard "say no" advice doesn't help you, and the three-source diagnosis plus one-question test…
Software maintenance cost: the line item every non-technical founder underestimates
A founder-first guide to what you actually pay after launch, why "15% of build" is the wrong rule for early-stage startups, and the five-question diagnostic to estimate your…