Fixed-price proposals after a free scoping call
Preisser Tech doesn't quote off a rate card. Every engagement begins with a free 30-60 minute scoping call where Tyler personally walks through what you're trying to accomplish, what success looks like, and what's actually involved technically.
After the call, Tyler writes a fixed-price written proposal — clear scope, clear deliverables, clear timeline, clear total price. You see the number before you commit. Once approved, that's the price; there are no scope-creep upcharges unless you actively change the scope.
This model serves clients better than hourly billing. With fixed-price, the incentive aligns: Tyler is motivated to ship efficiently, and you're not watching a meter run. With hourly, the incentive inverts — slow work pays better, and you can't budget reliably.
What different engagements actually cost
Pricing varies with scope, but these are honest ranges from real recent engagements. Use them as ballpark — the scoping call dials in the actual number.
Custom websites
Marketing sites for Kansas small businesses typically start in the low thousands and scale based on page count, custom features, integrations, and content depth. A focused 5-10 page custom-coded marketing site with full schema.org structured data, AI engine optimization, and a custom design system is the typical starting engagement. Larger marketing sites with extensive content, complex layouts, blog architecture, or unique interactive elements scale up from there.
Web applications
Custom web applications are scoped per project because complexity varies widely. A focused internal tool or client portal — login, a few core workflows, integrations with one or two existing systems — typically lands in the mid four-figure to low five-figure range. Complex applications with substantial business logic, multiple user roles, real-time features, and several integrations scale up significantly.
Business automation systems
Business process automation engagements depend on the number of systems being wired together and the complexity of the logic between them. A focused automation — wiring CRM to email outreach with AI personalization, for instance — typically delivers in the mid four-figure range. Larger automation systems involving multiple integrations, AI decision-making, and custom logic scale up. The Cassidy HVAC reactivation engine and HG Oil inventory system are examples of substantial automation builds.
Custom AI agents
Custom AI agent development depends on the agent's purpose and depth of training. A focused single-purpose agent — invoice processing, customer service, research support — typically lands in the mid four-figure range. More complex multi-step agents with deep domain training, integration into multiple systems, and ongoing learning scale up.
Dashboards & analytics
Custom real-time dashboards are scoped based on the data sources being integrated, the metrics being surfaced, and the visualization complexity. A focused single-team dashboard with a handful of integrations typically lands in the mid four-figure range. Comprehensive multi-team dashboards with deep analytics, custom drill-downs, and forecasting capabilities scale up.
Where typical agency markup comes from
Most boutique digital agencies bill at $150-300/hour because their cost structure forces it. Typical agency cost stack:
- Account executive billing time on every meeting and email
- Project manager billing time coordinating between client and developer
- Junior developer doing the actual code work at lower productivity than a senior
- Design team handing off to development team (extra coordination, extra hours)
- Office overhead, marketing budget, sales team commissions
- Profit margin layered on top of all the above
Why this firm prices differently
Preisser Tech runs a deliberately different cost structure. Tyler scopes, designs, codes, and ships every engagement personally — no project managers, no junior associates, no offshore subcontractors, no design-to-development handoffs.
That structural difference means more of the project price goes directly to building the actual product, not to coordinating between roles. Buyers typically see efficiency improvements of 30-50% versus equivalent boutique agency engagements at the same scope.
This isn't a discount strategy — it's a cost-structure difference. Premium custom development at honest, founder-led pricing.
