how it works · discovery to handoff

The handoff is the deliverable

Every engagement runs the same four phases, and ends the same way: with you holding everything needed to keep the thing running without me. That is the point, not a courtesy at the end.

01

Discovery

A conversation about the workflow as it actually runs, not as the org chart describes it. Who touches the work, where it stalls, what has already been tried. This is where I say so if software is not the answer yet.

02

Scope

The ambiguity gets written down: requirements, data model, user flows, and what is explicitly out of scope. You approve the scope before anything gets built, and it names what I am deliberately leaving out.

03

Build

Plain stacks, working software in front of you early. Where AI is involved it drafts and flags; a person approves anything that matters. You see progress against the scope, not a status meeting about it.

04

Handoff

The deliverable is not the running system, it is the running system plus the source, the data, the accounts, and documentation a stranger could follow. Handoff is scoped and paid for like any other phase, because it is the part that makes it yours.

Three structures, picked to fit the work rather than to maximize the invoice. Invoices are real Stripe invoices, payable by ACH Direct Debit or card. Processing fees come out of my side either way, so the invoice total is what you pay. I prefer ACH because a card fee is a percentage of the total and grows every time the invoice does, which makes it a favor rather than a discount.

Hourly

Decimal hours with a work period on every line, invoiced against work already done. Best for open-ended or exploratory work where the scope is still moving.

Flat milestone

A fixed price against a defined deliverable, with partial payment accepted so a milestone can be split. Best when the scope is clear enough to name the finish line.

Monthly retainer

A recurring block for ongoing support and iteration. Extra hours are logged as pending items and roll onto the next renewal automatically rather than becoming a surprise invoice.

source: the billing setup written up at kenvalenzuela.com/notes, 2026-07

what paying actually looks like →

Rates depend on the shape of the work, so I quote them against a scope rather than publishing a number that would be wrong for most projects. Ask and you will get a straight answer in the first conversation, before either of us has spent real time.

Next

Bring the workflow, not a spec. The first conversation is about what breaks, who it breaks for, and how often.

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