The build-and-stay retainer. The reason most clients stay.
The system, in motion / Ongoing partnership
Each pass adds value and the line never resets. A partner who is still here a year in has built something that keeps earning.
Ongoing partnership is the retainer engagement that keeps DOTxLabs on the work after the build is shipped. New feature work, content production, design iteration, performance tuning, and the strategic conversations that come up when the business changes. Most of our work compounds inside this stage. The output is a partner who already knows the system and doesn't need to be re-onboarded every quarter.
Clients who've shipped a build with us and want to keep building. Operators who've learned the cost of starting a new agency relationship every six months. Founders who'd rather pay a known quantity to keep the system improving than rebuild trust with a stranger.
A short, paid diagnostic that maps the work before any code is written.
Architecture and interface, decided up front rather than discovered late.
Shipped to production on infrastructure we keep running afterward.
We stay on the system so it keeps earning across years, not months.
Monthly retainer fee scoped to the hours and capabilities in play. Most retainers land between mid-four and low-five figures monthly. The shape comes out of the conversation about what the next six months actually need.
Three months. Most engagements run twelve to thirty-six months. We don't lock anyone in past three.
Yes. We adjust the retainer up when there's heavy feature work, down when the business is in maintenance mode. The shape is the conversation, not a fixed grid.
Pause is fine. We hand off documentation, keep the system stable, and reopen the retainer when the business is ready.
Bring the problem, the deadline and the ambition. We will tell you what we would build and how fast it can ship.