A long relationship, structured plainly.
A GoldenAxe retainer gives you a senior partner embedded in your product — not a vendor, not a ticket queue. Here's exactly what that includes, how the month runs, and how you leave if it ever stops being right.
What the retainer actually buys you.
A senior partner on your product
You work directly with the person building it. No account managers, no junior teams, no mid-engagement handoffs.
Ongoing development and architecture
Every month's work is shaped around where the business is heading — not a ticket queue or a fixed scope spec.
Documentation as a deliverable
Architecture maps, decision logs, and module-level notes kept up to date alongside the code. You always know how your product works — and why.
Monthly product health report
An honest read on performance, security, stability, and the risks worth knowing about. Plain language, not a status dashboard.
Direct access when something matters
A shared workspace and a number you can actually reach. If an incident happens, you're not filing a ticket.
How the month runs.
A predictable cadence that keeps the work visible without turning it into a standup ritual.
Focused development on the highest-impact items from the current roadmap. A short written update at the end — what shipped, what's queued, what changed.
A product health report, a decision log review, and a checkpoint on roadmap direction. If priorities have shifted, the plan shifts with them.
A longer review — what's working, what isn't, what we'd do differently. The goal is the relationship still earns its place after twelve months, not just six.
The parts nobody wants to ask about.
Stated plainly, up front.
Real improvement takes time. Short engagements don't produce the architectural depth that makes the work hold up.
No multi-year contracts, no penalty clauses, no paperwork. If GoldenAxe ever stops earning its place, leaving is simple.
You pay for continuity and judgment, not hours. Exact figures depend on the scope and seniority required — discussed openly on the first call.
Retainers that have run twelve months and counting.
Blueshirt and Aluvii have both been on a GoldenAxe retainer for over a year. The case studies go into what that's looked like in practice.