Why we don't build what we recommend
Almost every intro call includes the same question: if you understand the technology, why not build it for us? Here is the honest answer.
The question we hear on every call
A founder explains their idea, or an owner describes the system that is slowing their team down. We ask questions, sketch a direction, and then it comes: you clearly know how this works, so why not just build it for us?
It is a fair question. Building is where most of a software budget goes, and most firms with technical people offer it. On projects we advise on, we have chosen not to, and the reason is about incentives rather than ability.
Advice changes when the build is for sale
When a company earns its revenue from building software, every problem it looks at starts to resemble a build. That is rarely dishonest. It is simply what the business is set up to see.
It shows up in small ways. A project gets scoped to keep a team busy for six months. An existing product that would cover most of the need gets less attention than a custom one. The option to wait a quarter, or to fix a process before buying any software at all, is rarely said out loud.
A non-technical owner has no easy way to tell which of these is happening. They receive a confident proposal, sometimes three, and have to choose.
What we do instead
We stay on the client's side of that conversation. In discovery we work out what the real problem is and test the riskiest part of the idea. The only thing we build in an advisory engagement is that prototype, and it is deliberately small enough to throw away.
Then we write the specification any qualified team can quote against, help the client compare those teams like for like, and stay on as a part-time technical lead while the chosen vendor builds. Our recommendation can be build, buy, or wait, and we are paid the same whichever it is.
What this costs us
It means giving up the largest part of the budget on every project we advise on. We are paid for judgment and oversight, which keeps us small and means we are the right fit only for clients who value an independent view.
We think that trade is worth it, because the recommendation is the part that is hardest to get from anyone else. Entretech Studio does build websites, chatbots and AI tools, but only for clients who come to us for a build, never for a project we have advised on.
When you don't need us
If you already have a technical co-founder or an experienced in-house team, you probably have the independent view covered. The same is true for small, well-defined projects, such as a simple marketing website, where the risk of a poor choice is low.
Where we help most is the space in between: a meaningful budget, a decision you can't fully evaluate yourself, and no one technical on your side yet.
Not sure which side of that line you're on?
An intro call is free and without obligation. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.