[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":1392},["ShallowReactive",2],{"insights-list":3},[4,259,481,669,948,1135],{"id":5,"title":6,"body":7,"category":246,"date":247,"description":248,"extension":249,"meta":250,"navigation":251,"path":252,"readingTime":253,"seo":254,"seoTitle":255,"stem":256,"updated":257,"__hash__":258},"insights\u002Finsights\u002Ffreelance-laravel-developer-or-agency.md","Freelance Laravel developer or agency? How to choose",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":233},"minimark",[10,23,28,44,47,51,54,57,63,67,70,73,77,80,83,87,90,93,124,127,131,134,137,141,161,165,209,213,216],[11,12,13,14,18,19,22],"p",{},"If you need something built on Laravel, you’ll quickly face a decision: hire a ",[15,16,17],"strong",{},"freelance Laravel developer",", or hand it to an ",[15,20,21],{},"agency","? Both can deliver great work, and both can go badly wrong. Here’s how I’d think about it, including the times an agency is the better choice (even though I’m a freelancer).",[24,25,27],"h2",{"id":26},"the-short-version","The short version",[29,30,31,38],"ul",{},[32,33,34,37],"li",{},[15,35,36],{},"Choose a freelancer"," when you have a focused product, an MVP, an internal tool, an upgrade, or you want senior technical leadership without a big overhead.",[32,39,40,43],{},[15,41,42],{},"Choose an agency"," when you need a large, multi-discipline team (design, development, QA, marketing) working in parallel on something big, with tight, fixed deadlines.",[11,45,46],{},"Everything else is a trade-off. Let’s look at each one.",[24,48,50],{"id":49},"_1-who-you-actually-talk-to","1. Who you actually talk to",[11,52,53],{},"With a freelancer, you speak to the person writing the code. Questions get answered quickly, and nothing is lost in translation.",[11,55,56],{},"With an agency, you usually deal with an account or project manager first. That’s not bad: a good one keeps projects organised. But it adds a layer between you and the people making technical decisions.",[11,58,59,62],{},[15,60,61],{},"Ask:"," “Who will write the code, and will I be able to talk to them?”",[24,64,66],{"id":65},"_2-where-your-money-goes","2. Where your money goes",[11,68,69],{},"Agencies carry overheads: sales, management, offices and a bench of staff. Part of every day rate covers those. A freelancer’s rate usually has fewer layers in it, so more of your budget becomes working software.",[11,71,72],{},"That doesn’t automatically make a freelancer cheaper. A senior freelancer’s day rate can be high. But for focused work, the total cost is often lower because there’s less overhead and less time spent on coordination.",[24,74,76],{"id":75},"_3-capacity-and-speed","3. Capacity and speed",[11,78,79],{},"An agency can scale up quickly: ten developers in parallel is possible. A freelancer is one person, so capacity is limited, though I bring in trusted specialists (developers, designers, copywriters and SEO specialists) when a project needs them.",[11,81,82],{},"If your project genuinely needs a team of ten, an agency is the right answer. If it needs one excellent senior developer, a team of ten will mostly create meetings.",[24,84,86],{"id":85},"_4-the-what-if-they-disappear-risk","4. The “what if they disappear?” risk",[11,88,89],{},"This is the objection I hear most about freelancers, and it’s fair. A single person can get ill, take another job or become unavailable.",[11,91,92],{},"You can reduce that risk a lot with a few simple rules:",[29,94,95,101,107,113,118],{},[32,96,97,100],{},[15,98,99],{},"Your code lives in your repository",", in your accounts, not on a laptop.",[32,102,103,106],{},[15,104,105],{},"It has automated tests",", so anyone can change it safely.",[32,108,109,112],{},[15,110,111],{},"It’s documented",", even briefly: how to run it, how it’s deployed, what the main parts are.",[32,114,115],{},[15,116,117],{},"You own the hosting and the domain.",[32,119,120,123],{},[15,121,122],{},"Choose Laravel conventions",", so any competent Laravel developer can pick it up.",[11,125,126],{},"Agencies have team depth, but hand-over quality between their own people can vary too. Ask both how they’d handle someone leaving mid-project.",[24,128,130],{"id":129},"_5-technical-leadership","5. Technical leadership",[11,132,133],{},"A good freelancer who’s been doing this for years will often challenge your idea, simplify the scope and tell you what not to build. That’s worth more than the code itself.",[11,135,136],{},"Agencies can do this too, but their incentive is to keep a team busy. Whoever you pick, ask: “What would you leave out of version one?”",[24,138,140],{"id":139},"_6-fit-with-your-stage","6. Fit with your stage",[29,142,143,149,155],{},[32,144,145,148],{},[15,146,147],{},"Early-stage startups"," often do best with one senior developer who can build the MVP and act as a part-time technical lead.",[32,150,151,154],{},[15,152,153],{},"Growing SMEs"," often use a freelancer for internal systems, upgrades and integrations, and bring in an agency for big, separate projects like a rebrand.",[32,156,157,160],{},[15,158,159],{},"Larger programmes"," with many workstreams usually need a team.",[24,162,164],{"id":163},"a-checklist-for-either-choice","A checklist for either choice",[166,167,168,175,182,188,195,202],"ol",{},[32,169,170,171,174],{},"Ask for ",[15,172,173],{},"examples of similar work",", and a reference you can actually call.",[32,176,177,178,181],{},"Check they’ll use ",[15,179,180],{},"version control, automated tests and a staging site",".",[32,183,184,185,181],{},"Make sure ",[15,186,187],{},"you own the code, designs and accounts",[32,189,190,191,194],{},"Agree ",[15,192,193],{},"how change requests are handled"," before you start.",[32,196,197,198,201],{},"Find out ",[15,199,200],{},"what happens after launch",", and what support costs.",[32,203,204,205,208],{},"Start with a ",[15,206,207],{},"small paid first phase"," to see how it feels to work together.",[24,210,212],{"id":211},"what-id-do-in-your-position","What I’d do in your position",[11,214,215],{},"Be honest about the size of the project. If you’re building an MVP, an internal tool, a SaaS product or modernising a Laravel app, a senior freelancer is usually faster and better value. If it’s a big, multi-team programme, go to a proper agency.",[11,217,218,219,223,224,228,229,181],{},"I work as a ",[220,221,17],"a",{"href":222},"\u002Flaravel-development"," and can also act as your ",[220,225,227],{"href":226},"\u002Fservices\u002Ffractional-cto","fractional CTO",", reviewing your agency’s quotes or leading the build. If you’d like an honest opinion on which route suits your project, ",[220,230,232],{"href":231},"\u002Fcontact?topic=laravel","get in touch",{"title":234,"searchDepth":235,"depth":235,"links":236},"",2,[237,238,239,240,241,242,243,244,245],{"id":26,"depth":235,"text":27},{"id":49,"depth":235,"text":50},{"id":65,"depth":235,"text":66},{"id":75,"depth":235,"text":76},{"id":85,"depth":235,"text":86},{"id":129,"depth":235,"text":130},{"id":139,"depth":235,"text":140},{"id":163,"depth":235,"text":164},{"id":211,"depth":235,"text":212},"Laravel","2026-11-03","Hiring a Laravel developer for your startup or SME? An honest comparison of freelancers and agencies: cost, risk, speed and when each one is the better choice.","md",{},true,"\u002Finsights\u002Ffreelance-laravel-developer-or-agency",7,{"title":6,"description":248},"Freelance Laravel Developer vs Agency: How to Choose","insights\u002Ffreelance-laravel-developer-or-agency",null,"dRgjDlk7zO2WQb_E5c9HPMoGPCf2XDiIbxB2R7trXJY",{"id":260,"title":261,"body":262,"category":246,"date":247,"description":474,"extension":249,"meta":475,"navigation":251,"path":476,"readingTime":253,"seo":477,"seoTitle":478,"stem":479,"updated":257,"__hash__":480},"insights\u002Finsights\u002Flaravel-upgrade-or-rebuild.md","Is your Laravel app out of date? Upgrade or rebuild?",{"type":8,"value":263,"toc":465},[264,267,274,278,281,284,310,314,317,336,339,343,348,362,367,381,388,392,395,433,436,440,443,447,450,454],[11,265,266],{},"Software doesn’t wear out, but it does age. A Laravel app built a few years ago still works, until the PHP version it runs on stops receiving security fixes, a package it depends on is abandoned, or nobody dares change anything for fear of breaking it.",[11,268,269,270,273],{},"When that happens, you’ll face the question every owner of an ageing application hits: ",[15,271,272],{},"upgrade it, or rebuild it?"," Here’s how to think about it without needing to read the code.",[24,275,277],{"id":276},"why-old-versions-matter","Why old versions matter",[11,279,280],{},"Laravel releases a new major version regularly, and PHP does too. Each version gets bug fixes for a while and security fixes for a little longer. After that, nothing. If your app is on a version that’s no longer supported, any newly discovered vulnerability stays unfixed.",[11,282,283],{},"That isn’t just a technical worry. It can affect:",[29,285,286,292,298,304],{},[32,287,288,291],{},[15,289,290],{},"Security",": unpatched software is the easiest to attack.",[32,293,294,297],{},[15,295,296],{},"Hosting",": providers eventually drop old PHP versions, forcing a rushed upgrade.",[32,299,300,303],{},[15,301,302],{},"Hiring",": developers don’t enjoy working on very old versions, and it’s harder to find good ones.",[32,305,306,309],{},[15,307,308],{},"Cost of change",": the further behind you fall, the bigger and riskier the eventual jump.",[24,311,313],{"id":312},"how-to-check-your-version","How to check your version",[11,315,316],{},"You (or your developer) can find out in a couple of minutes:",[166,318,319,326,333],{},[32,320,321,322,325],{},"Look at the ",[15,323,324],{},"composer.lock"," file in the project, which lists the Laravel framework version.",[32,327,328,329,332],{},"Check your ",[15,330,331],{},"hosting dashboard"," or ask your host which PHP version you’re running.",[32,334,335],{},"Compare both with the currently supported versions on the official Laravel and PHP websites.",[11,337,338],{},"If either is a few major versions behind, it’s time to plan.",[24,340,342],{"id":341},"upgrade-or-rebuild","Upgrade or rebuild?",[11,344,345],{},[15,346,347],{},"Upgrade when…",[29,349,350,353,356,359],{},[32,351,352],{},"The app does what the business needs and users are broadly happy.",[32,354,355],{},"The code is reasonably structured, even if it’s old.",[32,357,358],{},"You rely on behaviour that would be expensive to recreate.",[32,360,361],{},"You want the lowest-risk, lowest-cost route.",[11,363,364],{},[15,365,366],{},"Rebuild when…",[29,368,369,372,375,378],{},[32,370,371],{},"The core design no longer fits the business (the product has changed fundamentally).",[32,373,374],{},"The code is tangled, untested and no one understands it, and upgrading would cost more than starting fresh.",[32,376,377],{},"The data model is badly wrong in ways that cause constant bugs.",[32,379,380],{},"You’re planning a big change in direction anyway.",[11,382,383,384,387],{},"In my experience, ",[15,385,386],{},"most Laravel apps should be upgraded, not rebuilt."," A rebuild tends to take longer and cost more than expected, and it throws away years of small fixes. The exception is when the foundations genuinely can’t be saved.",[24,389,391],{"id":390},"how-a-safe-upgrade-works","How a safe upgrade works",[11,393,394],{},"A good upgrade is boring, which is exactly what you want:",[166,396,397,403,409,415,421,427],{},[32,398,399,402],{},[15,400,401],{},"Audit first."," Review the code, dependencies, hosting and deployment. You get a plain-English report with a prioritised plan.",[32,404,405,408],{},[15,406,407],{},"Add tests around the critical parts."," Before changing anything, you capture how the important features behave so you can prove they still work.",[32,410,411,414],{},[15,412,413],{},"Upgrade in steps."," Move one version at a time rather than leaping several at once. Release each step to a staging site first.",[32,416,417,420],{},[15,418,419],{},"Fix and replace outdated packages",", and remove ones you no longer need.",[32,422,423,426],{},[15,424,425],{},"Release gradually",", with a rollback plan and monitoring in place.",[32,428,429,432],{},[15,430,431],{},"Document and hand over",", so the next upgrade is easier.",[11,434,435],{},"Done like this, users shouldn’t notice anything, apart from things getting faster and more reliable.",[24,437,439],{"id":438},"what-it-costs-and-how-long-it-takes","What it costs and how long it takes",[11,441,442],{},"It depends on how far behind you are and how well the app is tested. A modest app a version or two behind can be upgraded quite quickly. A long-neglected one takes longer, because there’s more to untangle. The honest way to get a number is a short audit, which usually costs far less than guessing wrong in either direction.",[24,444,446],{"id":445},"keep-it-healthy-afterwards","Keep it healthy afterwards",[11,448,449],{},"The cheapest upgrade is the small one you do regularly. A light maintenance arrangement (security updates, dependency checks and monitoring) means you never fall far behind again.",[24,451,453],{"id":452},"next-steps","Next steps",[11,455,456,457,461,462,181],{},"If you’re not sure where your app stands, a ",[220,458,460],{"href":459},"\u002Flaravel-development\u002Fupgrades","Laravel health check"," will tell you what’s healthy, what’s risky and whether to upgrade or rebuild. If you’d like to talk it through, ",[220,463,232],{"href":464},"\u002Fcontact?topic=upgrade",{"title":234,"searchDepth":235,"depth":235,"links":466},[467,468,469,470,471,472,473],{"id":276,"depth":235,"text":277},{"id":312,"depth":235,"text":313},{"id":341,"depth":235,"text":342},{"id":390,"depth":235,"text":391},{"id":438,"depth":235,"text":439},{"id":445,"depth":235,"text":446},{"id":452,"depth":235,"text":453},"An old Laravel or PHP version is a growing risk. How to tell whether to upgrade or rebuild your Laravel app, in plain English, with a practical checklist.",{},"\u002Finsights\u002Flaravel-upgrade-or-rebuild",{"title":261,"description":474},"Laravel Upgrade or Rebuild? A Founder's Guide","insights\u002Flaravel-upgrade-or-rebuild","LIdnKkgsYTLIO4GL-IydpcRzffJ-klY4m2WpdR6cTCU",{"id":482,"title":483,"body":484,"category":659,"date":660,"description":661,"extension":249,"meta":662,"navigation":251,"path":663,"readingTime":664,"seo":665,"seoTitle":666,"stem":667,"updated":257,"__hash__":668},"insights\u002Finsights\u002Fai-for-small-business-where-to-start.md","AI for small businesses: where to start (and what to avoid)",{"type":8,"value":485,"toc":650},[486,489,493,500,507,511,555,558,562,568,579,585,589,592,618,622,625,629,632,636],[11,487,488],{},"If you run a small business or a startup, you’re probably being told daily that you “need an AI strategy”. Some of that is genuinely good advice. A lot of it is people selling something. Here’s how I’d think about it.",[24,490,492],{"id":491},"start-with-the-problem-not-the-technology","Start with the problem, not the technology",[11,494,495,496,499],{},"The best AI projects start with a boring question: ",[15,497,498],{},"“Where do we waste the most time or money on work that’s repetitive and rules-based?”"," Not “how can we use AI?”.",[11,501,502,503,506],{},"AI is excellent at tasks involving ",[15,504,505],{},"language and documents",": reading, summarising, drafting, sorting, extracting and answering questions. It’s much less reliable at tasks requiring perfect accuracy, real-world judgement or accountability. Keep that in mind and most of the decisions get easier.",[24,508,510],{"id":509},"seven-sensible-places-to-start","Seven sensible places to start",[166,512,513,519,525,531,537,543,549],{},[32,514,515,518],{},[15,516,517],{},"Triaging and drafting replies to enquiries and support emails."," AI reads incoming messages, categorises them and drafts a response for a person to review and send.",[32,520,521,524],{},[15,522,523],{},"Pulling data out of documents."," Invoices, contracts, application forms, order confirmations: extracting the key fields into your system instead of re-typing them.",[32,526,527,530],{},[15,528,529],{},"Summarising calls and meetings."," Turning a recording or transcript into notes and action items, ready to drop into your CRM.",[32,532,533,536],{},[15,534,535],{},"An internal “ask the handbook” assistant."," Staff ask questions about policies, procedures or product details and get answers drawn from your own documents, with links to the source.",[32,538,539,542],{},[15,540,541],{},"Customer-facing question answering."," The same idea for customers, on your website or inside your product, for common questions. Needs more care and testing than the internal version.",[32,544,545,548],{},[15,546,547],{},"Reporting in plain English."," Asking questions of your own data (“which customers haven’t ordered in 90 days?”) without waiting for someone to build a report.",[32,550,551,554],{},[15,552,553],{},"First drafts of repetitive content."," Product descriptions, proposals, job adverts: drafted by AI, finished and approved by a human.",[11,556,557],{},"Notice what these have in common: a human stays in the loop, the task is tedious rather than creative, and the benefit is easy to measure (hours saved, speed of response).",[24,559,561],{"id":560},"three-traps-to-avoid","Three traps to avoid",[11,563,564,567],{},[15,565,566],{},"1. Starting with a big, impressive project."," A six-month “AI transformation” is a great way to spend a lot and learn very little. Start with something small, prove it works and expand.",[11,569,570,573,574,578],{},[15,571,572],{},"2. Treating a demo as a product."," It’s easy to build something that looks magical on five examples and falls apart on real data. Always test on your ",[575,576,577],"em",{},"own"," messy, real-world examples before committing.",[11,580,581,584],{},[15,582,583],{},"3. Automating high-stakes decisions without oversight."," Anything involving money, legal commitments, health or people’s livelihoods needs a human reviewing the output. AI can be confidently wrong.",[24,586,588],{"id":587},"keeping-your-data-safe","Keeping your data safe",[11,590,591],{},"This is the part many businesses skip, and it matters:",[29,593,594,600,606,612],{},[32,595,596,599],{},[15,597,598],{},"Know what you’re putting where."," Free consumer AI tools often have weaker privacy terms than business plans or API access. Check the provider’s terms on how they use and retain your data.",[32,601,602,605],{},[15,603,604],{},"Be careful with personal data."," If you’re handling customers’ or staff members’ personal information, UK GDPR still applies, and you need a lawful basis and appropriate safeguards.",[32,607,608,611],{},[15,609,610],{},"Write a short staff policy."," What’s fine to paste into AI tools, and what isn’t? One page is plenty.",[32,613,614,617],{},[15,615,616],{},"Choose tools deliberately."," The best model for your task isn’t always the most famous one, and you don’t want to be locked into a single vendor.",[24,619,621],{"id":620},"how-do-you-know-its-working","How do you know it’s working?",[11,623,624],{},"Before you start, decide how you’ll measure success: hours saved per week, response times, error rates, customer satisfaction. After a few weeks, compare. If it isn’t clearly better, change it or drop it. That’s not failure; that’s the whole point of starting small.",[24,626,628],{"id":627},"sometimes-the-answer-is-you-dont-need-ai","Sometimes the answer is “you don’t need AI”",[11,630,631],{},"I mean that. Plenty of problems are better solved with a clearer process, a spreadsheet or a simple automation between two tools you already use. A good adviser will tell you that, even though it means less work for them.",[24,633,635],{"id":634},"where-i-can-help","Where I can help",[11,637,638,639,643,644,646,647,181],{},"I help startups and SMEs find the places where AI will genuinely pay off, prototype them quickly on real data and build the good ones properly, with safeguards. That might start with a short ",[220,640,642],{"href":641},"\u002Fservices\u002Fai-consulting","AI readiness workshop",", or as part of a wider ",[220,645,227],{"href":226}," arrangement. If you’d like to talk it through, ",[220,648,232],{"href":649},"\u002Fcontact?topic=ai",{"title":234,"searchDepth":235,"depth":235,"links":651},[652,653,654,655,656,657,658],{"id":491,"depth":235,"text":492},{"id":509,"depth":235,"text":510},{"id":560,"depth":235,"text":561},{"id":587,"depth":235,"text":588},{"id":620,"depth":235,"text":621},{"id":627,"depth":235,"text":628},{"id":634,"depth":235,"text":635},"AI","2026-10-22","A practical, hype-free guide to using AI in a small or growing business — seven sensible places to start, three traps to avoid and how to stay safe with your data.",{},"\u002Finsights\u002Fai-for-small-business-where-to-start",8,{"title":483,"description":661},"AI for Small Businesses: Where to Start | Chris Mackie","insights\u002Fai-for-small-business-where-to-start","B8IcagRkaNoNFE_KMjH8wIktaTO-rLud1176O7_ssCo",{"id":670,"title":671,"body":672,"category":940,"date":660,"description":941,"extension":249,"meta":942,"navigation":251,"path":943,"readingTime":664,"seo":944,"seoTitle":945,"stem":946,"updated":257,"__hash__":947},"insights\u002Finsights\u002Fhow-much-does-custom-software-cost-uk.md","How much does custom software cost in the UK? A plain-English guide",{"type":8,"value":673,"toc":931},[674,681,685,692,759,762,766,773,811,815,818,833,836,840,860,864,867,887,891,912,916],[11,675,676,677,680],{},"“How much will it cost?” is the first question almost everyone asks, and the least satisfying answer is “it depends”. So let me explain ",[15,678,679],{},"what it depends on",", give you some rough ballparks, and show you how to keep the number sensible.",[24,682,684],{"id":683},"the-honest-ballpark","The honest ballpark",[11,686,687,688,691],{},"These are rough figures for the UK market, ",[15,689,690],{},"not a quote",". Every project differs, and agencies, freelancers and in-house teams all price differently.",[693,694,695,711],"table",{},[696,697,698],"thead",{},[699,700,701,705,708],"tr",{},[702,703,704],"th",{},"What you’re building",[702,706,707],{},"Typical shape",[702,709,710],{},"Rough range",[712,713,714,726,737,748],"tbody",{},[699,715,716,720,723],{},[717,718,719],"td",{},"A focused internal tool or simple portal",[717,721,722],{},"A handful of screens, one type of user",[717,724,725],{},"Roughly £5k–£15k",[699,727,728,731,734],{},[717,729,730],{},"A first version (MVP) of a startup product",[717,732,733],{},"Core features only, polished enough for real users",[717,735,736],{},"Roughly £15k–£60k",[699,738,739,742,745],{},[717,740,741],{},"A fuller business platform",[717,743,744],{},"Multiple user types, integrations, reporting, payments",[717,746,747],{},"Roughly £50k–£150k",[699,749,750,753,756],{},[717,751,752],{},"A complex or regulated platform",[717,754,755],{},"Heavy integrations, compliance, high scale",[717,757,758],{},"Six figures and up",[11,760,761],{},"If a quote is wildly outside the range for what you’re describing, in either direction, ask questions. Very cheap quotes often leave things out; very expensive ones sometimes include far more than you need.",[24,763,765],{"id":764},"what-actually-drives-the-price","What actually drives the price",[11,767,768,769,772],{},"Surprisingly, ",[15,770,771],{},"the technology matters least",". What moves the number is:",[166,774,775,781,787,793,799,805],{},[32,776,777,780],{},[15,778,779],{},"Scope."," How many features, screens and rules? Every extra feature adds design, build, testing and maintenance.",[32,782,783,786],{},[15,784,785],{},"Complexity of the business logic."," “Calculate a price” is simple. “Calculate a price based on 14 rules that vary by customer, region and date” is not.",[32,788,789,792],{},[15,790,791],{},"Integrations."," Connecting to payments, accounting, CRMs or other systems takes time, especially if the other system is poorly documented.",[32,794,795,798],{},[15,796,797],{},"Who’s using it."," An app for 10 staff is easier than one for 100,000 customers.",[32,800,801,804],{},[15,802,803],{},"Quality bar."," Security, testing, accessibility and reliability take effort, and are the things you’ll regret skipping.",[32,806,807,810],{},[15,808,809],{},"Clarity."," Vague requirements cost more, because the unknowns turn into rework.",[24,812,814],{"id":813},"the-biggest-cost-saver-build-less-first","The biggest cost-saver: build less, first",[11,816,817],{},"The cheapest feature is the one you don’t build. A common mistake is trying to build the “complete” product before anyone has used it. Instead:",[29,819,820,827,830],{},[32,821,822,823,826],{},"Decide what the ",[15,824,825],{},"one thing"," is that the first version must do well.",[32,828,829],{},"Build that, put it in front of real users and learn.",[32,831,832],{},"Add features in order of value, not in order of excitement.",[11,834,835],{},"This approach usually gets you to market faster, spends less money before you have evidence, and avoids building things nobody wants.",[24,837,839],{"id":838},"fixed-price-or-day-rate","Fixed price or day rate?",[29,841,842,848,854],{},[32,843,844,847],{},[15,845,846],{},"Fixed price"," gives you cost certainty, but only works when the scope is well defined. Expect change requests if you learn something mid-project (and you will).",[32,849,850,853],{},[15,851,852],{},"Day rate \u002F time-and-materials"," is more flexible and often more honest about uncertainty, but needs trust and good visibility on progress.",[32,855,856,859],{},[15,857,858],{},"A hybrid",": fixed price for a clearly scoped first phase, then flexible blocks of time, is often the best of both.",[24,861,863],{"id":862},"dont-forget-the-running-costs","Don’t forget the running costs",[11,865,866],{},"The build isn’t the end. Budget for:",[29,868,869,875,881],{},[32,870,871,874],{},[15,872,873],{},"Hosting and services",": often modest for early-stage products, but worth tracking.",[32,876,877,880],{},[15,878,879],{},"Maintenance",": security updates, bug fixes and small improvements. A common rule of thumb is to expect to spend a meaningful percentage of the build cost each year keeping software healthy.",[32,882,883,886],{},[15,884,885],{},"Ongoing development",": if the product succeeds, you’ll want to keep improving it.",[24,888,890],{"id":889},"questions-to-ask-before-you-sign-anything","Questions to ask before you sign anything",[166,892,893,900,903,906,909],{},[32,894,895,896,899],{},"What exactly is included, and what’s explicitly ",[575,897,898],{},"not","?",[32,901,902],{},"How will we handle changes if something turns out to be different from what we expected?",[32,904,905],{},"Who owns the code, the designs and the hosting accounts?",[32,907,908],{},"Will there be automated tests and documentation?",[32,910,911],{},"What happens after launch, and what does support cost?",[24,913,915],{"id":914},"want-a-realistic-number-for-your-idea","Want a realistic number for your idea?",[11,917,918,919,922,923,927,928,930],{},"I build custom web applications, MVPs and internal tools as a ",[220,920,921],{"href":222},"senior developer",", and I’m happy to give you a straight, jargon-free view of what yours might involve. If you already have a quote and want a second opinion, a ",[220,924,926],{"href":925},"\u002Fservices\u002Ftechnical-audit","technical audit"," is a quick, low-cost way to check it’s sensible. Or just ",[220,929,232],{"href":231}," and tell me what you’re planning.",{"title":234,"searchDepth":235,"depth":235,"links":932},[933,934,935,936,937,938,939],{"id":683,"depth":235,"text":684},{"id":764,"depth":235,"text":765},{"id":813,"depth":235,"text":814},{"id":838,"depth":235,"text":839},{"id":862,"depth":235,"text":863},{"id":889,"depth":235,"text":890},{"id":914,"depth":235,"text":915},"Software development","What drives the price of a custom web app or software project, rough UK ballparks, and how to keep costs under control — written for non-technical founders.",{},"\u002Finsights\u002Fhow-much-does-custom-software-cost-uk",{"title":671,"description":941},"How Much Does Custom Software Cost in the UK? | Chris Mackie","insights\u002Fhow-much-does-custom-software-cost-uk","Vz9ac84923F1j7XkQ6ckY84JIhLLjhBpnTwJG-in8RI",{"id":949,"title":950,"body":951,"category":1127,"date":660,"description":1128,"extension":249,"meta":1129,"navigation":251,"path":1130,"readingTime":253,"seo":1131,"seoTitle":1132,"stem":1133,"updated":257,"__hash__":1134},"insights\u002Finsights\u002Fquestions-to-ask-your-developer-or-agency.md","10 questions to ask your developer or agency (no technical degree required)",{"type":8,"value":952,"toc":1113},[953,960,963,967,977,981,989,993,1001,1005,1013,1017,1025,1029,1037,1041,1049,1053,1061,1065,1073,1077,1085,1089,1096,1100],[11,954,955,956,959],{},"One of the hardest parts of commissioning software when you’re not technical is knowing whether you’re getting good advice. The good news: you don’t need to understand the code to ask good questions. You just need to listen carefully to ",[15,957,958],{},"how"," people answer.",[11,961,962],{},"Here are ten questions I’d ask, what a good answer sounds like and what should worry you.",[24,964,966],{"id":965},"_1-whats-the-simplest-version-we-could-launch-first","1. “What’s the simplest version we could launch first?”",[11,968,969,972,973,976],{},[15,970,971],{},"Good:"," A clear, confident answer about a smaller first release, with reasons.\n",[15,974,975],{},"Worrying:"," “Well, we need to build everything properly from the start.” Big-bang builds are expensive and risky.",[24,978,980],{"id":979},"_2-what-are-the-biggest-risks-on-this-project","2. “What are the biggest risks on this project?”",[11,982,983,985,986,988],{},[15,984,971],{}," Specific, honest answers: a tricky integration, an unclear requirement, a dependency on a third party.\n",[15,987,975],{}," “There aren’t really any.” Every project has risks. If they can’t name any, they haven’t thought hard enough.",[24,990,992],{"id":991},"_3-can-you-explain-that-without-the-jargon","3. “Can you explain that without the jargon?”",[11,994,995,997,998,1000],{},[15,996,971],{}," They happily rephrase and use analogies.\n",[15,999,975],{}," They get defensive or just repeat it louder. If someone can’t explain it simply, you can’t make an informed decision.",[24,1002,1004],{"id":1003},"_4-who-owns-the-code-the-designs-and-the-hosting-accounts","4. “Who owns the code, the designs and the hosting accounts?”",[11,1006,1007,1009,1010,1012],{},[15,1008,971],{}," “You do. Everything lives in your accounts.”\n",[15,1011,975],{}," Vague answers, or code hosted only on their systems. You should never be locked in because someone holds the keys.",[24,1014,1016],{"id":1015},"_5-how-will-we-know-how-its-going","5. “How will we know how it’s going?”",[11,1018,1019,1021,1022,1024],{},[15,1020,971],{}," Regular, visible progress: working software you can try every week or two, not just status reports.\n",[15,1023,975],{}," Silence for weeks, followed by “nearly there!”",[24,1026,1028],{"id":1027},"_6-how-do-you-test-it-and-how-do-you-deploy-changes","6. “How do you test it, and how do you deploy changes?”",[11,1030,1031,1033,1034,1036],{},[15,1032,971],{}," Mentions of automated tests, a staging site to try things before they go live and a repeatable way to release.\n",[15,1035,975],{}," “We test it manually” or “we just upload the files.” It works until it doesn’t, usually at the worst possible moment.",[24,1038,1040],{"id":1039},"_7-what-happens-when-something-breaks-after-launch","7. “What happens when something breaks after launch?”",[11,1042,1043,1045,1046,1048],{},[15,1044,971],{}," A clear support arrangement: who to contact, how quickly they’ll respond and what it costs.\n",[15,1047,975],{}," “We’ll sort something out.” Software needs looking after; you want to know how before you need it.",[24,1050,1052],{"id":1051},"_8-what-will-it-cost-to-run-and-maintain-not-just-to-build","8. “What will it cost to run and maintain, not just to build?”",[11,1054,1055,1057,1058,1060],{},[15,1056,971],{}," A realistic view of hosting, licences and maintenance, including what’s likely to change as you grow.\n",[15,1059,975],{}," Only talking about the build price. The running costs are where surprises hide.",[24,1062,1064],{"id":1063},"_9-whats-not-included-in-this-quote","9. “What’s not included in this quote?”",[11,1066,1067,1069,1070,1072],{},[15,1068,971],{}," A clear list of exclusions and assumptions, with how changes will be handled.\n",[15,1071,975],{}," “Everything’s included!” (Then the quote’s probably vague, and the scope arguments will come later.)",[24,1074,1076],{"id":1075},"_10-what-would-you-do-if-it-were-your-money","10. “What would you do if it were your money?”",[11,1078,1079,1081,1082,1084],{},[15,1080,971],{}," A thoughtful answer, even if it means building less, spending less or using an existing product.\n",[15,1083,975],{}," Every answer happens to involve more work for them.",[24,1086,1088],{"id":1087},"how-to-use-this-list","How to use this list",[11,1090,1091,1092,1095],{},"You don’t need to ask all ten, or to grade the answers like an exam. Just pay attention to whether you come away ",[15,1093,1094],{},"understanding more",", and whether the person seems more interested in solving your problem than in selling you a project.",[24,1097,1099],{"id":1098},"when-you-want-a-second-opinion","When you want a second opinion",[11,1101,1102,1103,1105,1106,1108,1109,1112],{},"If you’ve got a quote, a proposal or a half-built project and you’re not sure whether it’s sensible, an independent ",[220,1104,926],{"href":925}," gives you a plain-English view of what’s good, what’s risky and what to do next. And if you’d like someone senior on your side throughout, that’s what a ",[220,1107,227],{"href":226}," is for. Or simply ",[220,1110,232],{"href":1111},"\u002Fcontact?topic=audit"," and tell me what’s going on.",{"title":234,"searchDepth":235,"depth":235,"links":1114},[1115,1116,1117,1118,1119,1120,1121,1122,1123,1124,1125,1126],{"id":965,"depth":235,"text":966},{"id":979,"depth":235,"text":980},{"id":991,"depth":235,"text":992},{"id":1003,"depth":235,"text":1004},{"id":1015,"depth":235,"text":1016},{"id":1027,"depth":235,"text":1028},{"id":1039,"depth":235,"text":1040},{"id":1051,"depth":235,"text":1052},{"id":1063,"depth":235,"text":1064},{"id":1075,"depth":235,"text":1076},{"id":1087,"depth":235,"text":1088},{"id":1098,"depth":235,"text":1099},"Working with developers","Not technical? These ten plain-English questions help you spot good (and worrying) answers from the developers or agencies building your software.",{},"\u002Finsights\u002Fquestions-to-ask-your-developer-or-agency",{"title":950,"description":1128},"10 Questions to Ask Your Developer or Agency | Chris Mackie","insights\u002Fquestions-to-ask-your-developer-or-agency","35WUxf983MWdR5ZmAjENk4uqEMXfLkySmJTHsNjrRoc",{"id":1136,"title":1137,"body":1138,"category":1291,"date":660,"description":1385,"extension":249,"meta":1386,"navigation":251,"path":1387,"readingTime":253,"seo":1388,"seoTitle":1389,"stem":1390,"updated":257,"__hash__":1391},"insights\u002Finsights\u002Fwhat-is-a-fractional-cto.md","What is a fractional CTO? (And does your startup or SME need one?)",{"type":8,"value":1139,"toc":1375},[1140,1143,1149,1153,1160,1195,1198,1202,1205,1231,1235,1238,1241,1245,1248,1269,1272,1276,1279,1299,1302,1306,1309,1329,1332,1336,1362,1366],[11,1141,1142],{},"If you’ve ever nodded along to a developer’s explanation without really understanding it, or signed off a quote you couldn’t properly judge, this one’s for you.",[11,1144,1145,1146,1148],{},"A ",[15,1147,227],{}," is an experienced technology leader who works with your business part-time. You get the thinking, decisions and oversight of a Chief Technology Officer, but for a few days a month (or a day or two a week) instead of full-time. It’s the same idea as a part-time finance director: senior expertise, in proportion to what you actually need.",[24,1150,1152],{"id":1151},"what-does-a-cto-actually-do","What does a CTO actually do?",[11,1154,1155,1156,1159],{},"“CTO” sounds like it means “the person who writes the code”. In reality, the role is mostly about ",[15,1157,1158],{},"decisions and direction",":",[29,1161,1162,1171,1177,1183,1189],{},[32,1163,1164,1167,1168,1170],{},[15,1165,1166],{},"Deciding what to build"," (and just as importantly, what ",[575,1169,898],{}," to build).",[32,1172,1173,1176],{},[15,1174,1175],{},"Choosing the approach",": custom software, an off-the-shelf product, or a bit of both.",[32,1178,1179,1182],{},[15,1180,1181],{},"Hiring and managing"," developers, agencies and freelancers, and knowing whether they’re doing a good job.",[32,1184,1185,1188],{},[15,1186,1187],{},"Keeping things safe and sustainable",": security, backups, costs, and avoiding systems that need rebuilding in two years.",[32,1190,1191,1194],{},[15,1192,1193],{},"Translating"," between the business and the technical team, in both directions.",[11,1196,1197],{},"A fractional CTO does all of that, just in a part-time shape.",[24,1199,1201],{"id":1200},"who-is-a-fractional-cto-for","Who is a fractional CTO for?",[11,1203,1204],{},"In my experience, it tends to suit four kinds of business:",[166,1206,1207,1213,1219,1225],{},[32,1208,1209,1212],{},[15,1210,1211],{},"Non-technical founders"," with a product idea who need someone trustworthy to turn it into a plan, and to keep the people building it honest.",[32,1214,1215,1218],{},[15,1216,1217],{},"Startups around funding",", either preparing for investment or just past it, where investors are suddenly asking about architecture, security and scalability.",[32,1220,1221,1224],{},[15,1222,1223],{},"SMEs that rely on suppliers",": you have an agency, a freelancer or a small dev team, but nobody senior enough to challenge their estimates or sense-check their work.",[32,1226,1227,1230],{},[15,1228,1229],{},"Businesses recovering from a bad project",": the last build ran over, and you want a safe pair of hands for the next one.",[24,1232,1234],{"id":1233},"fractional-cto-vs-full-time-cto","Fractional CTO vs full-time CTO",[11,1236,1237],{},"A full-time CTO is a big commitment: a six-figure salary in the UK, plus benefits, equity and recruitment costs, and it can take months to find the right person. That’s the right call once your technology is complex enough, and your business is big enough, to keep them busy five days a week.",[11,1239,1240],{},"Before that point, a fractional CTO gives you most of the value for a fraction of the cost. And if you do eventually hire a full-time CTO, a fractional one can help you write the job spec, interview candidates and handle the handover.",[24,1242,1244],{"id":1243},"fractional-cto-vs-software-agency","Fractional CTO vs software agency",[11,1246,1247],{},"This one trips people up. They’re not alternatives; they do different jobs.",[29,1249,1250,1260],{},[32,1251,1252,1253,1255,1256,1259],{},"An ",[15,1254,21],{}," sells you ",[575,1257,1258],{},"delivery",". They build what’s in the brief.",[32,1261,1145,1262,1264,1265,1268],{},[15,1263,227],{}," works ",[575,1266,1267],{},"for you",". They help decide what the brief should say, whether the quote is fair, and whether what was delivered is any good.",[11,1270,1271],{},"The two work best together. If your agency knows you have technical leadership on your side, you tend to get better work and fewer surprises.",[24,1273,1275],{"id":1274},"what-does-it-cost","What does it cost?",[11,1277,1278],{},"It depends on how much time you need. Typical shapes are:",[29,1280,1281,1287,1293],{},[32,1282,1283,1286],{},[15,1284,1285],{},"Advisory",": a few hours a month for a regular check-in and on-call questions.",[32,1288,1289,1292],{},[15,1290,1291],{},"Fractional CTO",": a regular weekly rhythm, often one or two days.",[32,1294,1295,1298],{},[15,1296,1297],{},"Hands-on \u002F interim",": a focused period where your CTO also builds or turns around something specific.",[11,1300,1301],{},"Because you’re paying for time rather than a salary, pension, equity and recruitment fees, it’s usually a small fraction of a full-time hire. Any good fractional CTO should give you a clear figure after a short conversation about your situation, not a vague “it depends”.",[24,1303,1305],{"id":1304},"how-to-tell-if-you-need-one","How to tell if you need one",[11,1307,1308],{},"Ask yourself:",[29,1310,1311,1317,1320,1323,1326],{},[32,1312,1313,1314],{},"Do I feel confident judging a technical quote or timeline? ",[575,1315,1316],{},"(If not, you may want a second opinion.)",[32,1318,1319],{},"Is there one person who’s the only one who understands how our system works?",[32,1321,1322],{},"Are we about to make a decision (a rebuild, a platform choice, a big hire) that’s expensive to get wrong?",[32,1324,1325],{},"Are investors, partners or customers starting to ask technical questions I can’t answer?",[32,1327,1328],{},"Do I want to use AI in the business but don’t know where it would actually help?",[11,1330,1331],{},"If you answered yes to a couple of those, a conversation with a fractional CTO is probably worth an hour of your time.",[24,1333,1335],{"id":1334},"what-to-look-for","What to look for",[29,1337,1338,1344,1350,1356],{},[32,1339,1340,1343],{},[15,1341,1342],{},"They’ve built things."," Advice from someone who has shipped real software is better than advice from someone who’s only managed it.",[32,1345,1346,1349],{},[15,1347,1348],{},"They explain things clearly."," If you can’t follow what they’re saying in the first call, that’s a red flag.",[32,1351,1352,1355],{},[15,1353,1354],{},"They’ll tell you “no”."," A good one will talk you out of work you don’t need.",[32,1357,1358,1361],{},[15,1359,1360],{},"Clear terms."," You should own your code, your accounts and your data from day one.",[24,1363,1365],{"id":1364},"want-to-talk-it-through","Want to talk it through?",[11,1367,218,1368,1370,1371,1374],{},[220,1369,227],{"href":226}," for startups and growing businesses, in London and across the UK. If you’d like a no-obligation chat about whether it would help, ",[220,1372,232],{"href":1373},"\u002Fcontact?topic=fractional"," and tell me what’s on your mind.",{"title":234,"searchDepth":235,"depth":235,"links":1376},[1377,1378,1379,1380,1381,1382,1383,1384],{"id":1151,"depth":235,"text":1152},{"id":1200,"depth":235,"text":1201},{"id":1233,"depth":235,"text":1234},{"id":1243,"depth":235,"text":1244},{"id":1274,"depth":235,"text":1275},{"id":1304,"depth":235,"text":1305},{"id":1334,"depth":235,"text":1335},{"id":1364,"depth":235,"text":1365},"A plain-English guide to fractional CTOs for non-technical founders — what they do, what they cost, and how to know when it’s the right move.",{},"\u002Finsights\u002Fwhat-is-a-fractional-cto",{"title":1137,"description":1385},"What Is a Fractional CTO? A Guide for UK Startups & SMEs","insights\u002Fwhat-is-a-fractional-cto","Y5rwuisG_o09WVU3eSQdhiTQ04FHWoqBWZp5Ssgd8Nk",1793819429760]