Custom Studio Build: what $5,000+ buys, and where it stops.
This is TMN Creative's deepest engagement. It starts at $5,000, and most current scopes land under $6,000. The separate Full Site Rebuild starts at $3,750. The studio stays deliberately small: Trevor and Taylor handle the strategy, copy, design, development, and launch. Licensed imagery may be used when chosen with the firm, and its provider terms still apply. This page lists the complete working scope, the exclusions, and the kinds of firms this tier fits.
8 phases, each with a deliverable you can hold.
Every Custom Studio Build runs through the same 8 phases. The scope in the proposal names which pages, integrations, and review rounds are in, so the phases below are the engagement, not a menu.
| Phase | What you get | Who and when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery and positioning | A working session on who the firm serves, what a serious prospect needs to see before calling, what the current site fails to say, and which competitors the firm is measured against. Output is a 1-page positioning brief the copy and design are built from. | Trevor and Taylor, before kickoff |
| 2. Page architecture | A sitemap with the purpose of every page and the next step each one leads to. Typical scope is 6 to 12 pages: home, services or practice areas, who we serve, team and credentials, process, insights or resources, contact, and the legal and disclosure pages a regulated firm needs. | Taylor, week 1 |
| 3. Copy and disclosures | Full first-draft copy for every page, written from the brief and the firm's own language, prepared for the client's review. For RIAs, law firms, and healthcare practices, the disclosure and disclaimer paths are laid out at this stage so the compliance reviewer sees them early. TMN prepares the language for review and does not approve or file anything. | Taylor, week 1 to 2 |
| 4. Design and hand-coding | The site is designed and coded in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript by the founder who took the first call. No theme, no page builder, no licensed advisor platform. Typography, layout, and motion are chosen for the firm. A Custom Studio Build first review is typically ready 7 to 10 days after kickoff, and a Full Site Rebuild first draft typically targets 72 hours. | Trevor, days 7 to 10 |
| 5. Integrations | Scheduling, contact and lead capture, email notifications, and the firm's existing tools where scoped: booking links, CRM forms, client portal links, newsletter or advisor-platform embeds. Local-search and profile setup is included when scoped. | Trevor, alongside the build |
| 6. Review rounds | Revisions go directly to the person who built the page and are usually turned the same day or the next. For regulated firms, the compliance reviewer's returns are placed word for word, and the site does not launch until the firm's reviewer has cleared it. | Trevor, until approval |
| 7. Structured data, search, and launch | Schema for the organization, people, services, and FAQ so search engines and AI assistants can read the firm correctly, an industry-targeted keyword plan, sitemap and search console setup, hosting, redirects from the old site, and launch checks on desktop and mobile. | Trevor, launch day |
| 8. Handoff and ownership | After full payment, the website files and project assets created specifically for the firm transfer subject to the signed agreement. A client-owned domain stays in the client's account. Third-party software, fonts, stock assets, and other licensed materials remain under their providers' terms. Optional care from $50 per month and a Managed Publishing Portal at $150 per month are available month to month and are never required to keep the site live. | After full payment |
Timelines are typical targets, not guarantees. Final launch timing depends on content, integrations, compliance review, and approvals, and is confirmed in the project agreement. See the pricing page and terms.
What the Custom Studio Build does not include.
The price is honest because the scope is. These 5 things are outside a Custom Studio Build. TMN says so on the first call instead of pricing them in and staffing up around them.
A brand identity program
Naming, logo design, and a full visual identity system are not part of the tier. TMN builds the site from the brand the firm has, or from the work of a brand designer the firm hires. If the existing mark is weak, TMN will say so and can suggest what a designer should deliver before the site starts.
Photography and video production
The build uses the firm's photography or licensed imagery chosen with the firm. A shoot with a photographer or a video crew is arranged and paid separately. TMN will brief the photographer on what the site needs.
Dozens of pages on a compressed timeline
A 2-person studio builds a small number of sites at a time. A 40-page site needed in 3 weeks is a job for a larger team, and TMN will decline it rather than promise it. A 6 to 12 page site done properly is the tier's home ground.
Paid media and ongoing marketing
Google Ads, social advertising, and email campaigns are not included. After launch, the optional add-ons are narrow and published: site care from $50 per month, the Managed Publishing Portal at $150 per month, and AI Search Optimization at $350 per month, each month to month.
Compliance approval
TMN prepares disclosure and disclaimer language for review and places the reviewer's returns exactly as written. TMN does not approve, certify, or file anything, and nothing on this site is legal advice. The firm's compliance consultant or counsel keeps that role.
Which firms it fits, and which should hire someone else.
Read the table before booking a call. The right answer is sometimes a larger agency, and it costs nothing to find that out here first.
| Situation | Fit | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| An RIA, wealth manager, or family office with an established brand and a dated or generic site | Strong | Full Site Rebuild or Custom Studio Build depending on page count and integrations. Positioning, architecture, copy with disclosure paths, hand-coded design, integrations, launch. The Hilpan Moxie build shows the compliance path in practice. |
| A law firm, CPA firm, or architecture practice whose credentials outrun its website | Strong | Same engagement with practice-area and credential architecture. The Ramsay Law Firm and Ramon Design Group case studies show the shape. |
| A firm planning a full rebrand with a new name and identity | Partial | TMN builds the site once the identity exists. The firm hires a brand designer for the identity, or asks TMN for a referral. Sequencing the two is discussed on the first call. |
| A firm that wants a website, full brand program, original photography, and ongoing campaign strategy from 1 vendor | Partial | TMN scopes the website separately and identifies which outside specialists are needed. If the firm wants every discipline managed under 1 engagement, TMN may recommend a larger team. |
| A 40-page institutional site, multiple languages, or a custom web application | No | TMN declines and says so on the call. That is a job for a larger team, and a 2-person studio taking it would be the wrong answer for the firm. |
| A solo advisor or small practice that mainly needs a credible homepage | Different tier | The Starter Refresh from $2,250 is the honest recommendation, with a free homepage preview in 48 hours before committing. A Full Site Rebuild from $3,750 covers a small practice that needs every page redone. |
Every engagement starts with a 15-minute call and a written proposal that names scope, timeline, and price. Nothing is billed before the proposal is signed.
3 named builds you can inspect before you call.
Ask any studio for sites it has actually shipped, not concepts. These 3 are named, live, and credited to TMN in the client's own footer.
Hilpan Moxie Wealth Management
SEC-registered investment adviser in Irvine, California, serving technology professionals. The case study documents the build from first inquiry to launch, including the compliance consultant's review path and the 3 required disclosures placed word for word, with the client's dated comments. Read the case study or open hilpanmoxiewm.com.
Ramsay Law Firm
Fort Lauderdale personal injury firm. The case study includes a verification chain a buyer can run on the live site: footer credit, source inspection, and the public domain record. Read the case study.
Ramon Design Group
Phoenix-based architecture, engineering, and interior design firm. Portfolio-led structure presenting the firm's NCARB credentials, its stated 50-state licensure, and a national project record. Read the case study.
All credited client sites are listed with links on the verification center. Open any client domain and read its footer.
What buyers ask about the top tier.
What does a Custom Studio Build cost?
A Custom Studio Build starts at $5,000, and most current scopes land under $6,000. Larger scopes, such as a site with dozens of pages or several integrations, are quoted in writing before anything is signed. The separate Full Site Rebuild starts at $3,750, and the Starter Refresh is $2,250 for a homepage-led refresh.
How does TMN keep the engagement focused at this price?
The engagement is deliberately scoped around the website and handled by the 2 founders. The price covers the agreed strategy, architecture, copy, design, development, integrations, review rounds, and launch. It does not include a brand identity program, naming, photography or video production, paid media, or an ongoing strategy retainer. The exact deliverables and exclusions are written into the proposal before signing.
Is the engagement deep enough for a registered investment adviser or a multi-partner law firm?
For the website, yes. A Custom Studio Build includes discovery on positioning and client segments, page architecture, full copy prepared for the firm's review, disclosure and disclaimer paths for regulated firms, hand-coded design, integrations for scheduling and lead capture, structured data, and launch. For an RIA, the compliance reviewer's returns go into the build word for word, as documented on the Hilpan Moxie Wealth Management case study. Where TMN stops is a full rebrand: if the firm needs a new name and identity system, TMN builds the site and works from the brand a designer or the firm supplies.
How long does a Custom Studio Build take?
A Custom Studio Build first review typically targets 7 to 10 days after kickoff, and a Full Site Rebuild first draft typically targets 72 hours. Launch timing depends on content, integrations, compliance review, and approvals, and is confirmed in the project agreement. Revisions go straight to the founder who built the page and are usually turned the same day or the next. For regulated firms, the compliance review cycle is the usual long pole, so the disclosure paths are prepared early rather than at the end.
Who owns the website when it is finished?
After full payment, the client receives the website files and project assets TMN created specifically for the project, subject to the signed agreement. Third-party software, services, fonts, stock assets, and other licensed materials remain under their providers' terms. There is no proprietary CMS the firm has to keep paying to keep the site live. Optional site care starts at $50 per month, month to month, and a Managed Publishing Portal for firms that post updates is $150 per month. Neither is required to keep the site.
Can we see a comparable build before we commit?
Yes. The Hilpan Moxie Wealth Management case study documents an SEC-registered RIA build from first inquiry to launch, with the compliance review path and the client's dated comments. The Ramsay Law Firm case study includes a step-by-step verification chain a buyer can run on the live site. Both clients credit TMN in their own footers, and the verification center lists every credited site. If the firm wants to see the direction before signing, TMN produces a free homepage preview in 48 hours.
Bring the brief. Get a number in writing.
A 15-minute call with Trevor to establish fit, then a written proposal with scope, timeline, and price. If the honest answer is a different tier or a different studio, you will hear it on the call.