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// how we work

Fixed-price, direct invoice, no retainer.

Most agencies price hourly and push monthly retainers because that's how they justify their overhead. We don't have that overhead, so we don't need that pricing. Here's what working with Four Thirteen Studios actually looks like.

  1. Kickoffstep 01

    Kickoff call

    A 30-minute video call — free, no sales pitch. You describe what you want to build; we ask the questions we need to write a meaningful quote. If we're not a fit, we say so and recommend someone who is.

  2. Quotestep 02

    Fixed-price quote

    Within two business days you get a written quote: scope, deliverables, timeline, and a single fixed number. If we've missed something, we say so explicitly — we don't quote blind. Once you accept, the number doesn't move unless you change the scope.

  3. Invoicestep 03

    Invoice & kickoff

    We send an invoice directly — card or ACH, your choice. Half up front, half on delivery. No third-party billing platform, no payment-processor markup. When it clears, we start.

  4. Buildstep 04

    Weekly builds

    We ship against the scope in weekly increments. You get a shared review link and a written update every Friday: what moved, what's next, any decisions we need from you. No status-meeting theater.

  5. Launchstep 05

    Launch & handoff

    When the scope is complete and you sign off, we ship. You own the code, the domain, the analytics, the accounts — everything. We include a written handoff document so nothing lives only in our heads.

What changes hands at launchhandoff.checklist

“You own everything” needs a list. Here's exactly what gets transferred when the project launches — or the moment you cancel, if you cancel.

  • DomainRegistered in your name from day one. We unlink at launch (or cancel); the domain stays with you.
  • RepositoryOne-click transfer to your GitHub org, or sanitized zip export — your call. Contains CONTINUITY.md.
  • Hosting accountVercel/Netlify or your platform of choice. On Site/Site+/App/App+, we manage it; you can take admin anytime.
  • Database & dataApps: customer-owned Supabase from day one, or Four13-managed during build and migrated at launch. Your choice at intake.
  • Email & transactionalResend (or your provider) — account in your name with API keys you control.
  • AnalyticsGA4 / Plausible / whatever you picked — account ownership in your name. We're just collaborators.
  • CMS credentialsSanity, Payload, MDX-in-repo, or headless WordPress. Admin access transfers; we can stay invited or leave.
  • Working files & assetsFinal design exports yours outright. Figma source on request. Brand assets, fonts, licensed photography all transferred.

Every repo includes a CONTINUITY.md documenting deploy steps, environment variables, third-party service relationships, and contacts. If we ever stop operating, you have everything needed to run the site or hand it to another developer.

What we don't doexclusions

  • Monthly retainers

    If you need ongoing work, come back with a new project. No auto-renewals to fight.

  • Vendor lock-in

    We use platforms you can migrate off of (Next.js, standard payment processors, standard hosts). Your accounts, your code, from day one.

  • Surprise invoices

    The number on the quote is the number on the invoice. If the scope changes, we write a new mini-quote first.

  • Agency markup on tools

    You pay your payment processor, hosting, and domain bills directly. We don't mark them up and resell them to you.

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