See all services
Technical Guidance as a Service
Clear, concise, and tailored technical guidance to help you manage your developers and build better software. Unlimited advice for a flat monthly fee. Try free for 14 days. Cancel at any time.
Technical Guidance
Ask unlimited questions and get technical help asynchronously
$600
per
month
month
Plan includes:
We invite you to a Slack or Google Chat channel to ask unlimited questions or share materials for us to review
Invite up to 4 of your co-founders or team members to also ask questions
Ask us to review proposals or deliverables from your freelancer or agency contractors
Responses typically by the end of the business day
Embedded Guidance
Ask unlimited questions in the context of your organization’s communication and collaboration channels
$1,200
per
month
month
Plan includes:
Everything in the previous tier
You invite us to your organization’s Slack or Google Chat channels and other collaboration tools
Anyone from your team can tag us to ask questions or request code reviews
We’ll also monitor the communication channels to see if there’s guidance we can provide
Enhanced Guidance
Ask unlimited questions and receive technical guidance via both messaging and calls
$2,400
per
month
month
Plan includes:
Everything in the previous tiers
We’ll provide our ongoing availability for calls to discuss any issue you’d like
Same-day and next-day calls typically available
Best for architecture design, specification reviews, or code walk-throughs
Candidate Vetting + Interviews
We’ll perform a review of your recruitment candidates’ profiles or conduct technical interviews and provide our recommendations
Plan includes:
Vetting - You send us portfolios, websites, LinkedIn profiles, or other information about freelancer, agency, or employee candidates you are considering hiring
Interviews - We’ll provide ongoing availability to schedule interview calls with potential freelancers, agencies, co-founders, or employees you are considering hiring as developers
For each candidate we vet or interview, we will perform an in-depth evaluation and provide yes/no recommendations based on the position or project you are hiring for.
$3,000
per
month
month
Add Candidate Vetting + Interviews to any of the above plans at checkout
Want to learn more?
Book an info call to learn more about how our Technical Guidance as a Service plans can help you and your organization succeed.
Technical Guidance as a Service Details
Technical guidance
What type of help can I receive?
We can provide guidance on anything related to software engineering, web application development, system design, building SaaS products, growing a software startup, or any other related topic. Some of the specifics include but are not limited to:- Software architecture
- Technology/language selection
- API design
- UX design
- Software product strategy (B2B SaaS, B2C SaaS, online marketplaces, ecommerce, etc.)
- Developer hiring/vetting practices
- Technical/product specification review
- Wireframe review
- Performance bottlenecks
- Review of proposals, specifications, or deliverables provided by a freelancer or agency (requires at least the Embedded Technical Guidance plan if you want us to conduct code reviews in your code repository)
- What’s the right SQL database schema for this project collaboration feature in the context of my enterprise-focused application? It needs to have features X, Y, and Z. I’m expecting organizations with up to 10,000 staff members using this, and performance is a major concern.
- We need help designing a discount system for our ecommerce-focused SaaS product. Discounts are coupon code based, and have a variety of other configuration options, which you can read in our specification. We’re expecting up to 1,000,000 financial transactions that may or may not have discount applications per day, and expect our traffic to be in bursts.
- The freelancer we’re working with has proposed using MongoDB and a microservice architecture with Node.js and React.js for this application. Is this the right move for us? Please look at our product requirements document to understand our functional requirements. We’re looking to minimize infrastructure costs at the start while being able to scale effectively in the future.
- Here’s a screenshot of the role management page in our application that administrative users see to configure organizational roles. We’re receiving reports that users are confused by this page and believe the interface is too cluttered. What UX improvements can we make here?
Who is this technical guidance subscription useful for?
Our technical guidance service is valuable for organizations that would benefit from advice, suggestions, feedback, or answers to specific technical questions they face. There’s a wide range of organizations that fall into this category. Here are a few general examples:- Solo founders that don’t even have a product or team yet, but are looking to evaluate an idea and create a plan for technical hiring and product development.
- Non-technical or somewhat-technical founders looking to build a team of freelancers (through a platform such as Upwork or through other means), or looking to hire a software development agency. Founders in this position often benefit immensely from consulting with skilled technical advisors to avoid spending money on low-quality work, or in some cases, avoid getting misled or scammed either through unnecessary work or outright fraud.
- Companies that have a technical founder or founding engineer who does not have anyone to consult with on architecture, design, infrastructure, technology selection, or other similar decisions. Technical decisions made early on are very impactful for a new company: such decisions can save or cost a lot of money, expedite or inhibit delivery times, as well as propagate or minimize technical debt. Our team has the experience of successfully building greenfield projects for past employers and for our clients. We understand the trade offs a new company has to make, the limited resources available, and the various concerns that need to be balanced.
- Small and medium sized companies that have a high ratio of junior-to-senior developers, where the few senior staff are often busy or overburdened and junior staff are unable to receive help quickly.
- Companies whose development teams consist largely or entirely of off-shore developers focused on building features but that lack anyone focused on big picture or long-term technical decisions. In this situation, leadership will benefit from being assisted in evaluating the current state of technical initiatives at the organization and creating plans in service of long-term goals as well as to address any current concerns.
Who will I be getting guidance from? What experience do they have?
Technical guidance is provided by Christian and Ben, the founders of Foxhound Systems. You can read about our backgrounds, see examples of our recent work, and look at the technologies we’ve worked with. We are a U.S. company based out of Chicago, Illinois. If we add more staff to assist with providing guidance, we’ll ramp them up with the context we have about your organization before we introduce them to you.Can we jump on a quick call?
Yes, if you subscribe to our Enhanced Technical Guidance plan. Once you do so, we will share a call availability calendar with you.What’s the benefit of using this technical guidance service over Google/ChatGPT or asking questions on technical forums?
The answers that the mentioned services/forums can provide can be helpful for individual questions, but will fall short of having a team of expert senior software engineers available to you and your team in many ways:- When you start a subscription with us, we begin building an understanding of your company, your existing systems, and your ongoing development initiatives. The responses to questions you ask, guidance you seek, or items you request we review will be provided in the context of your organization.
- Our service will only become more effective over time as our guidance is honed based on the ongoing relationship we form with you. Any help or guidance we provide will always consider everything we know about you, whether it be something you inform us of in the present moment or something we’ve been made aware of several months prior.
- Neither Google nor ChatGPT will ask you questions to refine their understanding of your problems. With these services, the burden is on you to provide all the relevant details and ask the right questions. By contrast, you can expect us to ask plenty of follow-up questions to ensure we’re giving you the best guidance for your organization/team/existing infrastructure/current initiative.
- On technical forums, the quality of responses is often very mixed, in part due to the unverifiable competence/experience of the respondents as well as due to the lack of context even competent answerers have. By contrast, you can view our past work, our software engineering principles, and our technical writing to understand who we are.
Can you write code or create specifications/wireframes for me?
As part of our technical guidance service, we may write short snippets of code to illustrate a concept or provide an example. We can also help you refine lists of requirements or other details in a specification. If you would like us to build software or create full specifications or wireframes for you, we will need to enter into a standard engagement separately from a technical guidance subscription. Email info@foxhound.systems for more information.What timezone are you in? Will timezone differences be an issue?
We are based out of Chicago, Illinois in the USA, so our timezone is US/Central (UTC-6). For technical guidance offered asynchronously through messaging, timezone differences should never be an issue. For guidance offered via calls as part of the Enhanced Technical Guidance plan, we should be able to provide some overlap with virtually any timezone.Subscriptions
What happens after I subscribe?
In order to start your subscription, you must provide your email address and your preferred messaging tool (Slack, Google Chat, or something else). Once your subscription is active, we’ll invite you to a shared channel using the specified messaging tool along with an introductory email. If you indicate that you are not using one of the named messaging tools, we’ll reach out to you to coordinate.Can I really try this service for free for the trial period?
Yes. If you sign up for the free trial, we’ll provide the full service for free during the trial period. If you decide that the service is not a good fit for you, you can cancel your subscription using our service portal and you will not get billed.Is there a minimum amount of time I must subscribe for?
No. You can cancel your subscription at any time by logging into our service portal using the email address you used to start your subscription. Upon canceling, your subscription will remain active for the remaining portion of the month that you have paid for.Can I get a refund if I’m not happy with this service?
Yes, we offer a 7 day money back guarantee for new subscriptions, counting from the end of any free trial. If you’d like to to request a refund, please do so before the end of the 7th day after subscribing. Send an email to billing@foxhound.systems and we’ll cancel your subscription and initiate a refund, no questions asked.Which payment methods can I use?
We use Stripe as our payment processor with the credit card and ACH (U.S.) payment methods.Can you send invoices to my organization instead of the monthly subscription service?
Yes, but you will need to pre-pay for several months of service at a time. Reach out to info@foxhound.systems to request an invoice-based pricing setup.Confidentiality & intellectual property
Will you keep my questions and the information I provide to you confidential?
Yes, we will absolutely keep any information you share with us confidential.My organization requires a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Will you sign it?
Yes, we will sign most NDAs with no or minimal redlining. Please email your NDA to info@foxhound.systems for review after subscribing. We will not sign an NDA prior to an active subscription.Who owns the intellectual property derived from the guidance or related materials we get from you?
You own all of the intellectual property created over the course of or derived from our relationship. In the event we give you code, inventions, or other know-how, we’ll automatically grant you a nonexclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, worldwide license to make, have made, modify, use, sell whatever we have given you.Unlimited service
What does “unlimited” mean in this context? Can I really ask unlimited questions?
“Unlimited” means there is no restriction to the number of questions or amount of help you ask for. So yes, you can ask as many questions as you have. We will typically answer before the end of the same business day, and often even faster than that. We will answer questions in the order that we receive them, one at a time. If you ask a series of questions or for us to review multiple items, we’ll do so sequentially.How many calls can I schedule with the Enhanced Technical Guidance plan?
Similar to guidance sought via messaging, we can schedule as many calls as you need, with a few constraints:- You cannot schedule multiple calls on the same day, but you can always ask follow-up questions via messaging.
- Each call must start with a specific topic or have a clear agenda at the time of scheduling. We will not schedule standing or recurring calls, as they violate this rule.
- All calls will be scheduled to be 30 minutes in length, which we find is ample time to address almost any specific topic.
What happens if I ask a question and you don’t answer it before my subscription ends?
As long as you ask the question before your subscription ends, we will answer it even after your subscription has ended.Can I ask request technical guidance on behalf of others?
You can ask questions and request guidance that pertain to what you or your organization is actively engaged in building, including questions encountered by your team members. You cannot “share” your subscription with someone at another company or organization.Candidate vetting and interview service
What is the candidate vetting process?
You can send us the portfolios, resumes, websites, LinkedIn profiles, or any other material of freelancers, agencies, or employees you are considering hiring. We will review each candidate’s materials and provide a yes/no recommendation along with remarks. Vetting can occur either before or after you choose to interview them, or before we proceed to interview them.In order to ensure this vetting process is efficient and we can provide recommendations as quickly as possible, it is subject to the following constraints:
- You must clearly articulate the requirements of the position(s) and/or project(s) you are hiring for. This can be via messaging, written documents you provide, or a call, but it must happen before we start vetting.
- We will vet up to 6 candidates at a time for up to 2 different types of positions or projects at a time. As soon as we finish vetting candidates, you can send us more, up to 6 at a time.
- The results of our vetting will be a yes/no recommendation based on the position/project you are hiring for. We will typically include additional remarks to help you understand the trade offs between various “yes” recommendations or why “no” recommendations were given.
What is the candidate interview process?
We’ll provide ongoing availability to schedule interview calls with potential freelancers, agencies, co-founders, or employees you are considering hiring for technical positions.As with the vetting process, in order to ensure this interview process is efficient and we can interview candidates effectively, it is subject to the following constraints:
- You must clearly articulate the requirements of the position(s) and/or project(s) you are hiring for, as well as any technical skills you would like us to evaluate in interviews. You can convey this via messaging, a call, written documents you provide, but it must happen before we begin conducting interviews.
- Each interview call can be up to 45 minutes. We can conduct this interview independently or alongside you and members of your team.
- We will schedule up to 3 interview calls at a time.
- The results of our interview will be a yes/no recommendation based on the position or project you are hiring for. We will include additional remarks to help you understand the trade offs between various “yes” recommendations or why “no” recommendations were given.
