Straight answers on building products
Practical, specific writing on scoping, designing, and shipping digital products, including what things actually cost. Written for founders making the same calls we help clients make every week.
Engineering
Choose boring technology: picking a stack you won't regret
The best tech stack for a first build is a boring one: proven, well-documented, and easy to hire for. Here's what “boring” actually means in 2026, the traps that sink second years, and a sensible default to start from.
11 Sep 2026 · 10 min read
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Regulated Products
Launching a fintech in the UK without becoming a bank
You rarely need your own licence to launch a payments or e-money product. Here are the routes that let you go live in weeks instead of a year, what you still own, and the safeguarding change landing in May 2026.
8 Sep 2026 · 11 min read
Product Strategy
How much should an MVP cost in 2026?
Every founder asks it, and “it depends” is a useless answer. Here's the real 2026 range for a UK build, the five things that actually set your number, how offshore and native change it, and the three places budgets quietly leak.
2 Sep 2026 · 11 min read
Regulated Products
Building for the NHS: what DTAC and clinical safety add to a health product
If an NHS organisation is going to use your product, you have to clear DTAC before the pilot, not just before procurement. Here's what that involves in 2026, the roles you'll need, and how to sequence it so it doesn't derail the build.
27 Aug 2026 · 11 min read
Product Strategy
Product discovery: the two weeks before anyone opens Figma
“You need discovery first” is the most expensive-sounding sentence an agency can say. Here's exactly what those two weeks contain, the artefacts you walk away with, what it costs in 2026, and how to tell whether you actually need it.
19 Aug 2026 · 8 min read
Working with Agencies
Agency, freelancer, or in-house: how to resource your first build
Every founder faces this call, and most make it on day rate alone. Here's the honest version: when each option is right, what each really costs in 2026, how fast each can start, and the questions that expose a bad fit before you sign.
5 Aug 2026 · 8 min read
Working with Agencies
What “founder-led” actually means when the invoice arrives
Every agency website says “founder-led.” Most mean the founder was in the room for the pitch and nowhere near the delivery. Here's what the phrase should cash out as, and the specific questions that tell you whether it survived the sales process.
22 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
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