Why We Are Building 10 Small-Business Websites at a Founding Rate

We are selecting 10 small businesses for a focused five-page website build at a fixed $900 founding rate. It is a real production website, not a free mockup and not a stripped-down trial. The scope is simply tight enough to price clearly and deliver quickly. See the full offer and apply for a founding spot. Why launch a founding client program? A new agency needs more than a good portfolio concept. It needs a delivery system that works with real businesses, real deadlines, real content, and real feedback. The first 10 projects will help us test and improve:How clearly we collect business and content requirements How quickly a client can move from application to an approved scope Which questions prevent delays later How design feedback should be collected and consolidated How reliably we can launch a focused site in about 10 business days What clients need during handoff and the first month after launchThe client receives a lower fixed price. We receive candid feedback, stronger operating data, and — when permission is granted — public work we can use to demonstrate what the process produces. That is the exchange. The quality standard stays the same. Is $900 unusually low? For a professionally delivered small-business site in North America or Western Europe, yes. It is intentionally below the normal professional range. Clutch's July 2026 web design pricing guide reports that most reviewed web design projects cost less than $10,000, with listed agencies commonly charging $100–$149 per hour. DesignRush's 2026 guide places template-based small-business sites around $1,000–$5,000 and custom sites from $5,000 upward. Recent UK pricing guides commonly place simple brochure sites around £1,000–£3,000 before more custom agency work. Those figures cover very different providers and scopes, so they are not a promise of value. They do show why a five-page professional build at $900 needs clear boundaries. Our standard five-page package is $1,200. The founding rate is 25% lower:Founding project Standard packageFixed build price $900 USD $1,200 USDCore pages Up to 5 Up to 5Revision rounds 2 2Target delivery About 10 business days 5–10 business daysNumber available 10 accepted projects OngoingWe are not inflating a fictional list price to create a discount. The $1,200 package is already published on our website service page and pricing page. What the $900 includes The package is built for a local or professional service business that needs a credible site designed to produce inquiries. It includes:Up to five core pages A responsive design for mobile and desktop Light visual customization around your existing brand Clear page structure and calls to action Technical SEO, schema, sitemap, and AI-search foundations A contact or inquiry form Basic analytics setup Two consolidated revision rounds Production deployment and launch support 30 days of post-launch defect fixes Ownership of the finished code, content, and domainA typical five-page structure might be:Home About Services Work, results, or service area ContactThe exact page names can change. The total scope cannot quietly become a store, member portal, booking platform, and brand project at the same price. What is not included The founding package does not include:Ecommerce or payment workflows User accounts, dashboards, or custom application logic A full logo or brand identity project Professional photography or video Long-form copywriting for every page Unlimited revisions Paid software and third-party fees Ongoing maintenance after the defect-fix periodIf you need an added page, CMS, content migration, or another defined feature, we can quote it before doing the work. Additions do not change the founding price of the original scope; they sit beside it as a separate line item. Why scope matters more than the discount Website projects usually become expensive because the definition of “done” keeps moving. A request can begin as a five-page website and gradually add:A new logo Rewritten copy A booking system Three extra service pages A customer login Another stakeholder with a different design directionNone of those requests is unreasonable by itself. They are simply different work. The founding program stays affordable by making the agreement visible before work begins: pages, features, revision rounds, responsibilities, exclusions, price, and target schedule. If the scope changes, the price and delivery date can change with it. No surprise work. No surprise invoice. How payment works Payment is split into two equal parts:$450 to reserve the build and begin work $450 when the approved site is ready to launchThe second payment is tied to “ready to launch,” not to an open-ended future launch date. A business may delay launch because a domain transfer, legal review, photography, or internal approval is still pending. That delay should not turn a completed build into unpaid work. Before the first payment, you receive the written scope, content checklist, exclusions, and target start date. The application form does not collect payment. What the timeline looks like The target is about 10 business days after the required content and access are ready. 1. Application and fit review You tell us what the business does, what the current website is missing, and what the new site should achieve. We review whether the project matches the fixed scope. 2. Scope and content checklist If it fits, we send the page list, deliverables, exclusions, payment terms, and target start date. You provide your logo, content, images, and required account access. 3. Structure, design, and build We turn the agreed content into a responsive website with a clear path from visitor question to business inquiry. 4. Two review rounds You send one consolidated response per round. Feedback from different people should be combined before it reaches us. This protects the timeline and prevents contradictory direction. 5. Final payment and launch When the site meets the agreed scope and is ready for production, the remaining $450 is due. We deploy the site and begin the 30-day defect-fix period. What we ask from founding clients The discount is not conditional on praise. It is conditional on a workable collaboration. We ask founding clients to:Provide content and access on the agreed schedule Name one person who can approve decisions Return consolidated feedback within the review window Join one short post-launch debrief Share candid feedback about what felt clear, slow, or difficult Let us ask permission to feature the finished public website as a case studyAn honest testimonial is welcome. A positive review is never required. Who should apply? The offer is a strong fit when:You run a local or professional service business Your services are already clear You need a brochure or lead-generation website Your basic logo, content, and images are available One person can make final decisions You want to launch in weeks, not spend months in workshopsIt is probably not a fit when:You need ecommerce, a marketplace, or a member platform Your brand identity needs to be created first A large committee must approve every page The content is not available and no one owns writing it You expect unlimited design directions at a fixed priceSaying no to the wrong project protects both sides. A complex project deserves a proper discovery phase and a price based on its actual requirements. What happens after the first 10? We will review the real delivery time, number of revisions, support load, client feedback, and results. Then we will decide what to standardize, what to remove, and where the price should move. The founding rate applies only to the initial accepted scope. It does not create a lifetime discount on future website work, maintenance, hosting, SEO, or additional features. That is important. A founding offer should help a new agency learn faster. It should not lock the agency or the client into a price that no longer matches the work. Apply for a founding project If your business needs a focused five-page website and the boundaries above make sense, review the complete Founding Client Program and apply here. We review the brief first. If it fits, you receive a clear scope, payment schedule, and proposed start date before making a decision.