Frequently asked questions
These are the questions buyers actually ask on a first call, answered in full. We embed with your team, measure what one workflow costs you today, build the fix inside the systems you already run, on your accounts, and stay to operate it. Nothing on this page is hidden behind a click.
Before you talk to us
What do you actually do?
We take one workflow your team complains about, measure what it costs you today, build the software that fixes it inside the systems you already run, and stay long enough to operate it with your people. The deliverable is a running system, not a recommendation. How an engagement runs
What size company is this for?
Engineering engagements fit operating companies of roughly 50 to 500 people — below that the workflows are usually not expensive enough, above that you can probably hire the capability. Smaller local service businesses usually start with a marketing retainer or one of our software plans instead.
Is the first conversation a sales call?
No. It is a short version of the measurement: which workflow, how many people touch it, how long it takes, what it costs when it goes wrong. It is free, you keep the number, and sometimes it ends with us telling you there is not enough in it to be worth anyone’s money.
Who will we actually work with?
Josh Soderblom, directly. There is no account manager between you and the person building the system. About Josh
How many clients do you take at once?
Two concurrent engineering engagements, hard cap. Embedded work stops being embedded when it is spread thin, so if both slots are full we will tell you when the next one opens rather than squeeze you in.
Do you work outside Colorado?
Yes. The measurement is done on site wherever you are, the build is remote, and we come back for launch.
Cost and contracts
What does it cost?
It is priced per engagement against what the workflow costs you today, measured on site. If that number comes out small, we tell you not to do it. We publish the arithmetic, not a price. What it costs
Can you give us a ballpark on the phone?
No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. A number quoted before the workflow is measured is a guess, and the guess is usually what turns into a change-request bill later.
Do you require a long contract?
Not for marketing — a retainer that needs a contract to survive has stopped being worth buying. An engineering engagement is a bounded piece of work with its scope written down before it starts.
What costs keep running after the build?
Usually the software licences you already pay for, plus metered usage for anything that calls an AI model or sends messages. Those run on your accounts, so you see the bill directly. A quote that does not list every recurring cost is incomplete. How to read an automation quote
Your systems, your data
Do we have to switch software?
No. The default is building into what you already run — your CRM, your accounting system, your scheduler, your phone system. Replacing something only comes up when it is the measured bottleneck, and then with the numbers attached.
What if our software has no API?
It happens, often on a vendor’s entry-level plan. There are two ways in: the system works from the exports the software already produces, or it gets its own user and works the screens the way a person would. The second is only built after we have seen those screens and confirmed the vendor’s terms allow it, and either way a person approves each change before it goes in.
Do you need our login?
Not yours. Anything the system does inside your software should happen under its own user, created by you, so every action shows up under its own name and you can switch it off without touching anyone’s access.
Do we own what you build?
Yes. It runs on your accounts, with credentials in your names, documented, with your team trained on it. The test we build to is whether it keeps running if we stop answering the phone. Who owns the system
What happens to the files we send you?
They are used for the job they were sent for, usually testing the build against your real data instead of a guess. We do not publish client data, name clients, or reuse what we see as marketing.
What if our data is a mess?
Then the first fix is the process, not the software. Automating a mess produces the mess faster. You cannot automate a mess
Timing and what happens after launch
How long until it is running?
Roughly ten weeks from the first measurement to a system in production for one well-chosen workflow. Anything promising two weeks is describing a prototype. What ten weeks looks like
Will it disrupt how we work now?
Less than you might expect, but not zero. It is built and tested on your real data, then deployed with us standing next to your people while they use it. Expect the first week to turn up things nobody predicted, and expect at least one step of the process to change rather than just be automated.
What happens when the system is not sure?
It stops and hands the item to a person. Every build ships with a named human owner for exceptions; a system that guesses in production is a liability.
Who fixes it when something changes?
We operate it with your team after launch — watching usage, fixing what makes people avoid it, handling the cases that only show up once it is live. Then there is a real handover: documentation, training and credentials in your names.
Can we start small?
You should. One workflow, one measured result. The next one is earned by the first number, not sold up front.
Marketing
Do you do marketing as well as engineering?
Yes — it is the same practice. Marketing conversations often turn into engineering ones once we see where the enquiries actually die. Marketing
How long before marketing work shows?
Lead-handling fixes show in days, because response time is measurable immediately. Search and AI-answer position is slower — a fair first read is about a quarter, and anyone promising a month is selling the report, not the result.
Can you guarantee we show up in AI answers?
No, and nobody can. We can name the questions, record where you stand today, and show what moved. Answer engine optimisation
Do we own the ad accounts?
Yes, always — opened in your name, on your billing. You keep the account, the history and the audiences whether or not we keep working together.
Still have a question?
Ask it through the form on the start page.
How an engagement runs · What it costs · Who we work with · Start the measurement
Get in touch
Email solutions@ikonic303.dev to start with the measurement. ikonic303 is based in Colorado and works with clients nationwide.