Aakib Shah Sayed

How do engagements typically start?

With a scoping call — a working session on what you need, the constraints, and what 'done' looks like. You leave with a written technical plan whether or not we work together.

Do you work remotely?

Yes, every engagement I've taken on has been fully remote. I work async by default with overlapping call time when it matters.

What engagement models do you offer?

MVP Sprint (a fixed-scope, time-boxed build), Monthly Retainer (ongoing delivery), Architecture Audit (one-time review with a remediation plan), and Fractional CTO (recurring advisory and leadership). See the Services page for details on each.

Can you take over a project another team started?

Often, yes. That usually starts with an architecture audit so we both know exactly what's being inherited before committing to a build plan.

Who owns the code?

You do, from the first commit. Work happens in your repository, under your organization, on infrastructure in your accounts. There's no lock-in.

How much does it cost to build a SaaS MVP?

It depends on scope — billing, multi-tenancy, and third-party integrations each add time. You get a fixed quote after the scoping call, before any commitment, not a rate card guess.

What's the typical timeline for a marketing or business site?

Scope-dependent, but a focused site is usually weeks, not months, once the plan is set. You'll get a real timeline after the discovery call.

Do you offer fixed-price projects or hourly billing?

Mostly fixed-price for scoped work — it removes ambiguity for both sides. Retainers are billed monthly. I'll be specific about the model before any commitment.

What's your primary stack?

React/Next.js on the frontend, Node.js and PostgreSQL on the backend, AWS for infrastructure. TypeScript where the codebase warrants it. The right tool for the job, not the same answer every time.

Do you handle SEO?

The technical side, yes — metadata, structured data, sitemaps, Core Web Vitals, semantic HTML. That's engineering work and it's included. Content strategy and link building are not.

Can you reduce our AWS bill without a full redesign?

Often, yes — right-sizing, reserved capacity, and removing unused resources typically account for a meaningful chunk of overspend before any architectural change is needed.

Do you build the AI model or integrate an existing one?

Integrate. I work with existing foundation model APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic) rather than training models from scratch — that's the right tradeoff for the vast majority of product use cases.

Can you make an AI feature answer only from our own data?

Yes — that's a retrieval-augmented setup: your content is chunked, embedded, and searched, and the model is constrained to answer from what's retrieved rather than its general training.