Intro thread
A short written exchange to understand the problem and decide honestly whether a consultation is the right next step — or whether you need a product, a build, or nothing at all.
A clear yes, no, or not yet.Technical consultation
Get the technical decision right — in writing.
An experienced outside view on architecture, payments and Web3 integration, build-versus-buy, security readiness, and scope. Everything runs in writing over the text channel you choose — no calls, no meetings to schedule — and ends in a recommendation your team can act on, not a slide deck.
FormatWritten, asynchronous
ChannelEmail, Slack, Telegram, and more
Reply timeUsually two working days
What we advise on
Seven areas where an outside view pays for itself.
- Architecture & system design review
We review the design against how the system will actually be operated: failure modes, data ownership, deployment, and the boundaries between services. You get a written assessment with the risks ranked and the smallest changes that remove them.
Payment or settlement architectureEvent and webhook designData model and ledger designDeployment and environment layout - Payments & Web3 integration advice
Decisions about who holds keys, which networks to support, how many confirmations count as paid, and how the record reconciles are business decisions with engineering consequences. We help you make them deliberately and write them down.
Self-hosted gateway designSigning and key-management boundariesConfirmation and reorg policyReconciliation and payout flows - Build, buy, or rent decisions
Most technology decisions are made by default: whoever asked first. We run the decision properly — criteria, weights, total cost over a realistic horizon, lock-in analysis — and leave you with a decision record you can defend later.
Payments: build, self-host, or rentInternal tool: build, buy, or configureVendor comparison and shortlisting - Technical due diligence
Before you buy, integrate, invest in, or take over a system, we assess what is really there: code quality and structure, operational maturity, security posture, and the gap between the pitch and the implementation.
Evaluating a gateway or platform vendorReviewing an inherited codebaseProof-of-concept design and scoring - Security & operations readiness
We walk the layers between the internet and your most sensitive assets, and test whether you can actually recover: restore a backup, rotate a secret, follow a runbook. The output is a prioritised list, not a wall of findings.
Go-live readiness reviewBackup and restore drill designRunbook and on-call reviewSecrets and key hygiene - Product scoping & MVP planning
We help you find the smallest complete product, write the problem and the non-goals, sequence the risks, and decide what the first release must prove. You leave with a scope document any capable team could build from.
Six-week MVP scopingStory mapping and slicingRisk-first sequencingStatement-of-work preparation - Engineering practice & team advisory
Short, focused engagements to raise the floor of a team's practice: code review on the parts that matter, type-system patterns for safer code, test strategy, and delivery habits that make releases boring.
TypeScript and domain modellingNext.js application architectureTest and release strategyTechnical hiring input
Formats1–3 working days 2–3 working days 1–2 weeks 1–2 weeks Calendar-bounded
Five ways to work together.
Start small. Most consultations begin with an intro thread and end after one written answer or review. Scope and fee are agreed in writing before anything starts.
Written Q&A
You send one decision or design question with whatever context and documents you can share. We reply in writing with a recommendation, the reasoning, and the trade-offs, then answer one round of follow-up questions.
A written answer and one follow-up round.Asynchronous review
A structured review of a system, plan, or vendor from the documents, diagrams, and repositories you share. Questions go back and forth in the thread; findings are ranked by consequence and paired with the smallest fix.
A written report, a risk register, and a one-page summary for your team.Decision brief
For a real decision: build versus buy, network and token choices, scope, or a launch plan. We send a short questionnaire to agree the criteria, score the options against them, and deliver a brief with a recommendation. Disagreements are settled in the thread, in writing.
A decision record and an owner for every action.Advisory thread
A private channel with the studio for a limited term and an explicit scope. Questions are answered within an agreed response window, with a written digest at each checkpoint. Not an open-ended retainer.
An agreed response window, a digest per checkpoint, and an end date.Why written
We do not take calls, on purpose.
Every consultation runs in writing, in the text channel you already use. It is a deliberate choice, not a limitation.
- Precise
Written questions force precise answers. Ambiguity that survives a meeting gets exposed on the page.
- A record you keep
The whole exchange is a searchable record: the question, the reasoning, the trade-offs, and the decision.
- Easy to share
Forward the thread or the brief to a co-founder, a board member, or an auditor. Nobody has to have been in the room.
- Any time zone
No scheduling, no overlapping calendars. You answer when it suits you and we answer within the agreed window.
ChannelsEmailSlack (shared channel)TelegramWhatsAppSignalMicrosoft Teams (chat)DiscordOther text channel
How it works
From request to written outcome.
Six steps. Nothing is billed until the scope is agreed in writing, and every engagement ends with a document.
- 01
Tell us the problem
Use the form below. Describe the decision or design question, what exists today, what would make the consultation a success, and which text channel you prefer.
- 02
We reply in your channel
Usually within two working days, with questions or a proposed scope. If we are not the right people, we say so and, where we can, suggest who is.
- 03
Written scope
Before anything is billed, we agree in writing what will be covered, the format, the deliverable, the response window, and the fee.
- 04
The work, in writing
You share documents, diagrams, and, if useful, screenshots or a recorded walkthrough. We send prepared questions and findings in the thread. There are no meetings to schedule.
- 05
Written outcome
You receive a document, not a slide deck: the recommendation, the reasoning, the risks, and the next actions with suggested owners.
- 06
Follow-up
One round of clarifying questions is included, and we message you after thirty days to see what was done and what changed. If a build or product fits, we scope it separately.
What you receive
A document you can act on.
Deliverables
- A written recommendation with the reasoning behind it
- A ranked risk register with the smallest fix for each item
- A decision record you can file and revisit
- Diagrams where a picture is clearer than a paragraph
- A prioritised action list with suggested owners
- A one-page summary for the people who were not in the conversation
Not this
- Legal, tax, regulatory, or compliance advice
- Custody, holding, or moving of funds
- Implementation, unless separately scoped in writing
- A guaranteed outcome or a rubber stamp for a decision already made
- An open-ended retainer with no boundary
- Calls, video meetings, or live workshops: everything is written
Track record
Advice from people who operate what they design.
- Digital assetsVellum Markets
Vellum needed stablecoin settlement they could operate themselves — not another hosted processor with a black-box ledger.
Time to first live payment: 17 daysManual reconciliation: −64% - Energy servicesHelios Grid
A field-services company needed to pay contractors in stablecoin on jobs that close in hours — and keep an audit trail the existing ERP could accept.
Median contractor settlement: 14 days → 11 hoursERP exceptions after ingest: < 0.4%
Read first
Start with the thinking, for free.
These guides show how we reason about the decisions people bring us. If they answer your question, you may not need a consultation.
Guide9 May 20266 min read
Build, buy, or rent: a decision framework for payment infrastructure
Three options, six criteria, and a scoring sheet you can fill in before the next vendor call.
By Omar Farouk, Layla Haddad
StablePayPaymentsDecision framework
Read the essayGuide27 May 20265 min read
A buyer's checklist for evaluating a self-hosted payment gateway
Thirty questions to ask before you deploy anything that can move money — sorted by what they reveal.
By Omar Farouk, Daniel Whitfield
StablePaySecurityBuying guide
Read the essayGuide8 Jul 20266 min read
How to scope an MVP that actually ships in six weeks
A practical method for cutting a product down to the smallest complete system — and writing down what you are not building.
By Omar Farouk
StartupsMVPProduct engineering
Read the essayBook
Tell us what you are deciding.
A few honest paragraphs are more useful than a long form. We read every request in full and reply with questions or a proposed scope, in the channel you choose. If we are not the right people, we will say so.
- Written only, in the channel you choose — no calls
- Reply usually within two working days
- Confidentiality agreed before you share anything sensitive
- Scope and fee in writing before any work
FAQ
Questions before you book.
Who is a technical consultation for?
Founders, engineering leads, and operators facing a specific technical decision: how to design a payment flow, whether to build or buy, whether a system is ready to launch, or how to scope a first release. It suits teams that want an experienced outside view, in writing, without hiring a full engagement.
Can we do a call or a video meeting instead?
No. We do not take calls or video meetings. Every consultation runs in writing over a text channel you choose, such as email, Slack, or Telegram. It keeps the reasoning precise, leaves a record you can share with your team, and works in any time zone. Screenshots, annotated diagrams, and recorded walkthroughs are welcome.
Which channels do you use?
Whatever text channel you already use: email, a shared Slack channel, Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, Microsoft Teams chat, or Discord. Tell us your preference in the form and we will reply there. Please do not send secrets or credentials over any channel.
Do you only advise on payments and Web3?
No. Payments infrastructure is where our depth is greatest, but we also advise on operations software, internal tools, scoping, delivery, and TypeScript and Next.js engineering. If a topic is outside our depth, we will say so.
How is it priced?
We do not publish a rate card. Scope, format, and fee are agreed in writing after the intro thread and before any work starts, so there are no surprises. Fixed fees are typical for written Q&A, reviews, and decision briefs.
Will you write code as part of a consultation?
Usually not. The output is advice, documentation, and decisions. If the outcome is a build, that is a separate, written engagement — you are under no obligation to use us for it.
Can you review our code or infrastructure?
Yes, as a scoped review. We work under a confidentiality agreement signed before we see anything sensitive, and we ask for the minimum access needed.
Is it advice we can rely on legally?
It is engineering and product advice. We do not provide legal, tax, or compliance advice, and we are not a custodian or a bank. Take those questions to your own advisers.
What happens after the consultation?
You own the written outcome. One round of follow-up questions is included, and we message you after thirty days. If you decide to build, buy, or deploy something, we can talk about that separately, but the consultation stands on its own.