How an engagement actually works.
No pricing calculator, no itemized rate card — the work is bespoke and fixed-scope, so what follows is how we get from a phone call to a quote you can say yes to.
From a call to a deposit.
A call
We talk through the problem — what's broken, what "done" looks like, and whether we're the right fit. No pitch deck, no discovery-phase invoice.
A fixed-scope quote
You get one price for the whole project before any code gets written. No hourly billing, no scope creep charged by the hour.
A deposit, then we start
Work begins once the deposit clears — no different from any contractor you'd hire for something that matters.
Weekly updates, small releases
You see working software along the way, not one big reveal at the end — short updates on what actually shipped, not a status meeting.
Your project stays private too.
Most of Carlton's twenty-five years of work shipped under other companies' and agencies' names — that's client confidentiality doing its job, not a gap in the résumé. The same discretion applies to you. What we build together stays between us unless you want it shown off.
How pricing gets decided.
There's no rate card because the work isn't standardized — a two-week fix and a three-month rebuild don't belong on the same price list. After the call, we scope exactly what needs to happen and quote the whole thing as one number, before you commit to anything.
One more thing, at the end.
If you're happy with the result and willing to say so publicly, we'll ask for a testimonial — and take $100 off your final invoice for letting us publish it in your name. It's how an honest track record gets built, one project at a time.