FAQ
Common questions, honest answers.
Questions about how independent ecommerce consultancy works, what to expect from an engagement, and whether this is the right fit for your situation.
Independence
What does 'independent' actually mean?
No platform partnerships, no agency affiliations, no referral arrangements, and no commercial relationship with any technology vendor. The advice is not influenced by who pays a commission or which platform a partner agency prefers to build on. The only objective is the right answer for your business.
How is this different from getting advice from an agency?
Agencies make money building things. That creates an incentive to recommend builds, migrations, and projects, regardless of whether they are the right answer. An independent consultant with no implementation revenue has no such incentive. The honest answer is always the right commercial answer, even when it is 'you don't need to change anything'.
Do you have preferred platforms you tend to recommend?
No. The platform recommendation always follows the requirements. Shopify Plus, Magento, BigCommerce, and composable architectures all have legitimate use cases. The job is matching the platform to the business, not the business to a preferred platform.
Engagements
How does an engagement typically start?
With a conversation. The first step is understanding the specific situation, what you are trying to achieve, and whether there is a genuine fit. If there is, an engagement structure that matches the need follows: a focused advisory project, ongoing retainer, or fractional arrangement.
Do you work on a project or retainer basis?
Both. Shorter, defined advisory projects suit specific decisions: platform selection, agency proposal review, or a replatforming assessment. Ongoing retainers and fractional arrangements suit businesses that need consistent strategic input over time. The structure depends on what the situation actually calls for.
What size businesses do you work with?
Typically ecommerce businesses turning over between £2m and £50m. Businesses at this scale tend to have the commercial complexity that makes independent strategic advice most valuable: significant platform decisions to make, agencies to manage, and growth ambitions that require more than execution.
Do you work with businesses outside the UK?
Yes. While the client base is primarily UK-based, the work is not geographically restricted. Platform decisions and ecommerce strategy do not change significantly by market, and most engagements involve a mix of remote and in-person work regardless.
Fit
What kind of businesses get the most from this?
Founders and ecommerce directors who are facing a significant platform decision, preparing for a replatform, managing a complex build, or needing strategic leadership that their current team cannot provide. Businesses where the cost of the wrong decision is high and the value of genuinely independent advice is clear.
When is this probably not the right fit?
If you need someone to execute, writing code, running campaigns, or managing day-to-day operations, this is not the right engagement. The work here is strategic advisory and decision-making oversight, not implementation. If you need an agency, the advice will be to find a good one.
Can you help with both Shopify Plus and Magento?
Yes. Over a decade of hands-on experience with both platforms means the advice is grounded in real knowledge of how each performs in practice, not positioning material from the platform providers. That includes Hyvä on Magento, composable approaches, and the decision points where one platform becomes a better choice than the other.
Practicalities
How quickly can an engagement start?
Typically within a few weeks of an initial conversation. The timeline depends on the nature and scope of the engagement, but there is no lengthy procurement process.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, where requested. Confidentiality is standard practice for this kind of advisory work.
How do pricing and fees work?
Fees are discussed and agreed at the outset based on the scope and structure of the engagement. There are no hidden costs or scope creep. If the nature of the work changes, the commercial arrangement is updated to reflect that before work continues.
Work With Me
Still have questions? Let's talk.
Every engagement starts with a conversation. No obligation, no sales pitch, just an honest discussion about whether I'm the right fit.