JOURNAL

What to Know Before You Build

6 entries in two tracks. Writing for owners paying for software: how to brief it, budget it, and know good work when you see it. Plus a few notes on engineering practice, for the developers who write to me about it.

For Clients · Jul 2026 · 6 min

How to brief a developer so you get what you asked for

You don't need to know the technology. You need to arrive with five answers.

For Clients · Jun 2026 · 5 min

Five signs your website is losing you customers

None require a developer to check. All of them cost you money every week.

For Clients · May 2026 · 7 min

What building a web app actually costs

Why quotes for the same idea range from $2,000 to $200,000, and how to read them.

Practice · Apr 2026 · 7 min

Think like a client. Own the outcome.

The shift from completing tasks to owning results, and why it changes the relationship.

Tooling · Mar 2026 · 6 min

Before renewing that subscription, price the build

When replacing software subscriptions with small custom tools makes financial sense.

Engineering · Feb 2026 · 7 min

Pick infrastructure for the project you have, not the one you wish you had

Five questions to answer before you choose a stack.