Building Products Founders Can Believe In

I have always had a strong need to think independently.

I do my best work when I have the freedom to question assumptions, explore better solutions, and take responsibility for the decisions I make. Working within rigid structures or following rules simply because they already exist has never suited me.

But independence was only part of the reason I started Phico.

More than anything, I wanted to do work that had a visible impact. I wanted to work closely with founders who care deeply about what they are building, understand how their businesses work, and help them reach opportunities they may not have seen yet.

Earlier in my career, that kind of involvement was usually reserved for the most senior roles, if it was allowed at all. I had the instinct from the beginning to look beyond the task in front of me and understand the wider business behind it.

Eventually, I reached a point where I knew enough to do that on my own.

Phico became the way for me to combine product thinking, business judgment, and software development without separating them into different roles.

Most software agencies begin once the client has already decided what should be built.

The client provides a scope. The agency formalizes it, estimates it, and executes it.

I work differently.

Creating the right scope is part of the work.

Clients often come to me with an idea, a problem, or a list of features they believe they need. My first responsibility is not to agree. It is to understand what sits underneath the request.

I look at how the business creates value, how customers behave, where the current experience is failing, and what would genuinely move the company forward.

Sometimes that means expanding the original idea. Sometimes it means reducing it. Sometimes it means objecting to something the client was convinced they wanted.

I am critical because I care about the result.

I do not want to build something simply because it was requested. I want to build something that deserves to exist.

Clients often come to me for software development, but that is rarely the only reason they stay.

They value the way I think.

I have a very pragmatic approach, but I can also place myself fully in the position of the business, the founder, and the end user. That combination helps me see opportunities, risks, and product decisions that are not always obvious at the beginning.

I work quickly, communicate directly, and take ownership of the outcome. Clients know that when I recommend something, it is because I believe it is the right decision for the business, not because it creates more work.

That trust becomes one of the most important parts of the relationship.

The strongest projects are the ones where the founder feels confident enough to let me challenge the original idea, shape the product with them, and take responsibility for turning it into something real.

When you work with Phico, you work directly with me.

I remain responsible for the product thinking, software development, engineering, architecture, and technical decisions throughout the project. The person who learns how the business works is the same person making the decisions about how the product should be built.

That continuity matters.

It means the reasoning developed during the early business conversations does not disappear during implementation. The context stays connected to the product.

For larger design-led projects, I collaborate closely with a highly renowned UI and UX designer responsible for the Soho House and The Ned apps. Together, we can create products with an exceptional level of polish, while I remain fully responsible for the technical product and its delivery.

The team may change depending on the needs of the project. The standard does not.

I am most drawn to founders who have a real story behind what they have built.

They have fought for the business, made difficult decisions, and developed a clear sense of where they want it to go. They are ambitious, but not detached from reality. They care about the details because the company means something to them.

Those founders usually understand the way I work.

The communication is direct. Trust develops quickly. There is less friction, which means we can spend more energy making progress.

I do not see the best client relationships as short transactions. The product evolves, the business changes, and new opportunities appear. Some clients return after months or years because the original solution has done its job and the company is ready for the next stage.

That is the kind of relationship I want Phico to create.

Phico is not defined by how many people are on the team.

It is defined by a way of working.

Understand the business deeply. Think independently. Challenge what does not make sense. Move quickly when the direction is clear. Take responsibility for the decisions. Build something the founder is proud to put in front of their audience.

Phico is my way of helping ambitious companies aim higher and turn that ambition into a product people can actually use.