Product Pass: A Fixed‑Price Blueprint for Turning Ideas into Working Prototypes

This week founders are talking about *Vibe coding* and why it’s stirring up controversy. The conversation is captured in the article What Is Vibe Coding And Why Does It Get So Much Hate? – a reminder that the way we build software matters as much as the product itself.

In that spirit, I built the Product Pass at Even Ground. It’s a fixed‑price, 21‑day sprint that delivers a full product blueprint: a vision document, a detailed PRD, database and network architecture, a sprint timeline, a working Next.js prototype, a private hand‑off portal, and Slack access for async collaboration. All of this for a flat $3,500.

Why a Fixed‑Price Blueprint Matters

When you pitch an idea to a traditional agency, you often get a vague estimate that balloons once the scope expands. That uncertainty stalls fundraising, delays go‑to‑market plans, and burns cash. A Product Pass removes the guesswork:

• Predictable cost – $3,500 covers the entire scope, no hidden fees.
• Predictable timeline – 21 calendar days from kickoff to hand‑off.
• Predictable output – a concrete set of artefacts that can be handed to an engineering team or used to attract investors.

The fixed price also forces us to be ruthless about scope. We focus on the core hypothesis that will prove or invalidate the business idea, rather than polishing every edge.

What’s Inside the Pass

Everything is delivered in a private portal that lives beyond the 21‑day window, so you can revisit the docs whenever you need.

The Async‑First Workflow

Even Ground runs on an async‑first model. We avoid endless video calls by:

1. Kickoff questionnaire – you fill it out before day 1, giving us the context we need.
2. Daily stand‑up notes – posted in Slack, summarising progress and blockers.
3. Mid‑sprint review (Day 10) – a short 15‑minute video (optional) to align on any pivots.
4. Final hand‑off (Day 21) – a walkthrough of the portal, followed by a Q&A thread.

This approach respects founders’ busy schedules and keeps the focus on tangible output.

Payment Structure

• 50 % deposit – $1,750 due on signing the agreement.
• 50 % on Day 15 – after the mid‑sprint review, once you’re happy with the direction.

If you need a quick intro, I’m happy to schedule a 15‑minute call to walk through the process. No sales pressure, just a chance to see if the Product Pass fits your needs.

When to Use a Product Pass

• You have a clear problem statement but need validation before building the full product.
• You need a hand‑off package for an external dev team that can’t start from a blank slate.
• You’re fundraising and need a polished PRD and prototype to show investors.
• You’re experimenting with a new market and want to iterate fast without committing to a long‑term retainer.

A Mini‑Case Study (Anonymised)

A fintech founder approached me with a concept for a micro‑lending app aimed at gig workers. The idea was solid, but the team had no technical spec and no budget for a full‑scale build.

• Day 1‑3: Vision doc clarified the user persona (gig worker), pain point (cash‑flow gaps), and the unique proposition (instant micro‑loans).
• Day 4‑7: PRD defined three core flows – sign‑up, loan request, and repayment – each with acceptance criteria.
• Day 8‑12: Architecture sketched a PostgreSQL database, a Node.js API, and a Next.js front‑end.
• Day 13‑20: Prototype delivered a functional loan request form with mock approval logic.
• Day 21: All artefacts uploaded to the portal; the founder used the PRD to secure a $150k seed round.

The fixed price meant the founder could budget the entire discovery phase without surprise expenses, and the prototype gave investors something concrete to evaluate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is scope defined for a fixed price?

We lock scope after the kickoff questionnaire and a brief alignment call. Anything beyond the agreed core features is treated as an out‑of‑scope change and quoted separately.

What if I need more than a prototype?

The Product Pass is a launchpad. If you decide to continue building, we can transition to a development contract with the same team, leveraging the architecture and PRD we already created.

Can I request changes mid‑sprint?

Minor tweaks are fine; major pivots trigger a scope review and may adjust the Day 15 payment.

Do you handle UI design?

The prototype includes basic UI based on your brand guidelines. For a polished design system, we recommend a separate design sprint.

What tools do you use for hand‑off?

All artefacts are stored in a secure portal built on Notion‑like pages, with downloadable PDFs, CSVs for schemas, and a GitHub repo for the prototype code.

Next Steps

If the idea of a fixed‑price, 21‑day blueprint resonates, you can learn more on the Even Ground homepage, check the schedule details, or jump straight into the process by clicking Start your Product Pass below.

Start your Product Pass