Cincinnati · Software studio

AI leverage for the work that’s eating your hours.

For 10–150 person businesses with real revenue and too much manual work. We find where AI compounds in your operations, then build the systems that take the hours back. Fixed price. You own everything.

Recent: a payroll integration that eliminated manual reconciliation for a multi-location restaurant operator — half-day chore to a green checkmark. Read it →

Funded founder shipping an MVP? Start here → · Engineering team? Start here →

Cortado Pro · dashboard
real product screenshot
Solo · ops
Locke · loyalty
Trusted by operators in Cincinnati and beyond
  • Solo Coffee Cart
  • Locke Coffee
  • Podium Cincinnati
  • Cortado Pro
  • Openly
01 / Why Shift

What you get that you don’t get elsewhere.

01

AI in your operations, not on a slide

Most “AI consultants” stop at strategy decks. We find the workflow where AI actually compounds, then build and ship the system that runs it. You see leverage, not a roadmap.

02

Senior engineers across disciplines

Backgrounds in backend, infra, AI, and product — applied to your problem on day one. We learn your business fast. No 6-week ramp-up. No junior team practicing on you.

03

Fixed price. You own everything

Written scope, fixed quote in 48 hours, predictable cost. Code, docs, and infra delivered to your accounts. No retainer lock-in — most clients don’t need one. That’s the point.

02 / Services

Two ways we work.

Pick the engagement that matches the problem. Each service has clear pricing and timelines — fixed quote in 48 hours.

From $10K2–4 weeks for small builds

Custom Software

Internal tools, integrations, and ops platforms for operators replacing clunky tools and spreadsheets. MVPs for funded founders shipping their first product. Built to run, not to demo.

From $3K1–2 weeks for assessments

AI Consulting & Implementation

We audit your workflows, find where AI actually compounds, then build and run the system. Production-ready or we don’t ship it.

04 / How we work

From first call to keys in your hands.

Four steps, written down. No surprise invoices, no project black box.

01

Discovery (free)

30-minute call to understand the work that’s eating hours. No pitch. No pressure. We’ll tell you straight if we’re not the right fit.

02

Scope & Quote

Written scope and a fixed quote within 48 hours. You see the price and the timeline before you commit to anything.

03

Build

Weekly working demo against the scope. You see real progress every week — not Gantt charts and status updates.

04

Handoff

Shipped to your repo, your infra, your accounts. Documentation, training, and the keys. You own everything.

After launch: ongoing retainer available if you want it. Most clients don’t need one — that’s the point.

Studio · workbench
05 / Studio

Small studio. Senior engineering.

Led by Ryan Hill, with a vetted bench of 4 senior engineers across disciplines — backend, infra, AI, and product. One point of contact. The right brains on every problem. No agency overhead, no junior team practicing on your project.

06 / FAQ

Common questions.

How do you price projects?
Fixed-price by default. After the discovery call we send a written scope and a fixed quote within 48 hours. Ongoing work moves to a monthly retainer if you want it — most clients don’t.
What’s your typical timeline?
Small builds and integrations: 2–4 weeks. MVPs and AI implementations: 4–8 weeks. Full platforms: scoped per project, with a working demo every week either way.
Do you work with non-technical founders and operators?
Yes. Most of our clients are operators, not engineers. We translate business problems into systems and own the technical decisions.
What if my project goes over scope?
Scope changes are a conversation, not a surprise invoice. We re-quote any change before doing the work. Original scope stays at the original price.
Can you take over a project from another developer?
Often, yes. We do a short audit first to make sure the codebase is workable. If it isn’t, we’ll tell you straight.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes. Send yours or use ours.
Do you work outside of Cincinnati?
Yes. Cincinnati is home; clients are everywhere. Remote-friendly engagements are the norm.
What stack do you use?
Go, TypeScript, React, Postgres, Cloud Run. We pick the boring, durable parts and let AI tooling do the heavy lifting.
Get in touch

Ready to ship something?

Book a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll talk through your problem, give you an honest assessment, and tell you if we’re the right fit. No pressure.