/ Product
Product strategy & MVP builds
The fastest path from idea to working product is ruthless scope. Build the cheapest version of the answer first. Validate the assumption before you hire engineers. Most products that fail were built before the core premise was tested.
Validation comes before code. The first question is whether the thing needs to be built at all, and in what form. Once that is settled, the build uses AI-assisted processes to buy the commodity parts and build the differentiated ones. GearShare, the My Wellness practitioner platform, and ProfitShape are all product builds out of this process.
One builder across strategy, design, and build means nothing is lost in handover. The product thinking and the engineering thinking are in the same head at the same time.
/ What's included
Validation and scoping
Test the core assumption before any build spend is committed. Prototype, user conversations, or a landing page. The goal is evidence, not a document.
UX and brand
Interface design and visual identity that serves the product's job. Not decorative. Designed to reduce friction at the moments that matter most.
MVP build
AI-assisted build process. Buy the commodity parts, build the differentiated ones. A working product at the end of the sprint, not a staging environment.
Post-launch iteration
The build is the start. Iteration after launch is where products compound. Structured around what the data shows, not what the brief said six months ago.
/ Engagements & pricing
Validation sprint
Under $4,000 NZD
Test the idea before building it. A prototype, a landing page, or structured user conversations. The output is a recommendation: build it, pivot it, or park it.
MVP build
$10,000 to $30,000 NZD
Most products land in this range. Complex multi-sided platforms, the kind with separate user types and real data complexity, sit closer to $50,000. Scope is fixed before the build starts.
Build retainer
$4,000 to $8,000 NZD / month
Ongoing product work after launch. Feature development, iteration, and the unglamorous maintenance that keeps a product from quietly decaying.
Frequently asked questions
- What does an MVP cost in New Zealand?
- Most products land between $10,000 and $30,000 NZD. Complex multi-sided builds with separate user types and real data complexity sit closer to $50,000. A validation sprint to test the premise first runs under $4,000 NZD and often saves significantly more than that.
- How fast can we get to something usable?
- Weeks, not months. ProfitShape went from concept to working MVP in under two months. The timeline depends on scope discipline. The biggest delays come from scope that expands mid-build, not from the build itself.
- Am I hiring a consultant or a developer?
- Coverage across product, engineering, and growth in one engagement. Not a title. Most early-stage products need someone who can hold the product thinking and the engineering thinking at the same time. Splitting those into separate hires at the MVP stage is usually the wrong call.
- What happens after launch?
- The build is the start. The compounding happens in the iteration. Post-launch work is structured around what users do, not what the brief said. A build retainer keeps that momentum going without the cost of a full in-house team.
Not sure which shape fits? A 30-minute call sorts it.