What's the difference between the setup cost and the monthly retainer?+
They're two separate things. The setup cost covers the actual build — designing, developing, and deploying your automation workflows. It's a one-off project fee scoped after your audit, typically $1,500–$3,000 for Starter and $4,000–$8,000 for Growth. The monthly retainer then covers ongoing support, monitoring, optimisation calls, and system updates as your business evolves. You always know both numbers before you commit to anything.
How long does implementation actually take?+
Most Starter builds go live in 14 days from kick-off. Growth projects typically run 21–28 days depending on the number of integrations. Enterprise engagements are scoped individually. We build in phases — you'll often have your first workflow live within the first week while we continue building the rest in parallel. We don't disappear for weeks and reappear with a finished product.
Do I need to know what I want to automate before booking?+
No — that's exactly what the Smart Business Audit is for. Most clients come in knowing something feels slow or manual, but they're not sure where to start. The audit maps your full operations, identifies every time drain, and produces a prioritised roadmap of what to automate first, second, and third based on impact and effort. You walk away with a clear plan whether or not you proceed with us.
What tools and systems do you integrate with?+
Whatever you already use. Common integrations include Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, HubSpot, Salesforce, Shopify, WooCommerce, Airtable, Monday.com, ServiceM8, Deputy, Cliniko (for healthcare), PRODA (for NDIS), and most other industry platforms. If you use it, we've almost certainly connected to it or can. We don't ask you to change your stack.
Do we own the automations you build for us?+
Yes. Everything we build for you is yours. We don't use proprietary tools that lock you in — we build on standard platforms (n8n, Supabase, Next.js, Resend, etc.) using infrastructure you can access independently. If you ever part ways with us, you keep the systems and can hand them to another developer. There's no vendor lock-in by design.
Can I cancel anytime?+
Yes. Monthly retainers require 30 days written notice to cancel — no minimum term, no lock-in period, no penalty clauses. The Smart Business Audit is a one-time payment with no further obligation. We keep clients because the systems work, not because the contract makes leaving hard.
Is this available outside Australia?+
Yes. We're based in Melbourne and most of our clients are Australian, but we work with businesses in New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, and the US. Our delivery is remote-first, time zones are manageable for APAC, and we build compliance into the systems appropriate to your jurisdiction. For NZ and international clients, prices shown are approximate — Stripe charges in AUD at the current exchange rate.