How I build
I don’t tell you what to buy. I show you what’s on the market, what it costs, and where it falls short, so whatever you decide, you decide on the merits, not on my say-so.
The ladder · DO-ART-302
Every engagement climbs the same ladder, and it starts at the bottom every time. The bottom rung isn’t always right. You should have to reject it out loud before anyone spends money on the one above.
Rung 1
If something on the market already fits, it goes on the table, named and priced. There are several good platforms in this sector, and the right one depends on your business. I don’t sell any of them, and I earn nothing from whichever you pick.
That costs me nothing to say. Which is rather the point: you can weigh what I tell you about it knowing there’s nothing in it for me either way.
Rung 2 The normal answer
Usually the platform is right but leaves gaps: supplier feeds, artwork, reporting across more than one business. I’ll show you what the gap costs to leave alone versus what it costs to close with a custom layer, and let you weigh it up.
Rung 3 · Last resort
If nothing off the shelf fits, that option goes on the table too, priced honestly, alongside everything else considered and why it didn’t make the cut.
You own the decision. I just make sure you’re making it with the facts in front of you.
Architecture · DO-ART-112
The gap the layer closes, named specifically.
Why it works this way
There are several good platforms in this sector. I don’t sell any of them, and I earn nothing from whichever you pick.Craig Blackman · Decoded Ops
I’m not on anyone’s partner list, so there’s no version of this where the platform I name pays me for naming it. If your own choice lands on rung 2 or rung 3, you’ll see what every option would have cost, not only the one you chose.
That’s the whole arrangement, and it’s why the recommendation is worth something.
An hour on what’s actually going wrong. You’ll get an honest read on which rung you’re on, including if the answer is that you don’t need me at all.