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TheTechMargin

Senior engineering, done with you

Professional intuition earned through experience, at your side —
not “vibe” coding or contractor-level work.

  • Fulbright Specialist

    U.S. Department of State

  • 15 years

    in industry

  • 4 years

    as a founder

Single Sessions

Focused working time where we solve one real problem together. Every session begins with a short questionnaire and ends with a written, actionable artifact you own and can act on the same day.

The Strategy Hour

$250

One 60-minute working session

Request The Strategy Hour

The Power Pair

$400

Two separate 60-minute sessions — discovery + follow-up. Effectively $200/hr, save $100 vs. two single hours.

Request The Power Pair

Each session includes a pre-call questionnaire, a full transcript, and a written artifact you own.

Sessions are booked and paid in advance. Book a monthly retainer within two weeks of a session and that session is free.

How a Session Works

  1. 1

    Questionnaire first

    A short questionnaire, returned at least 24 hours ahead, so we skip the warm-up and spend the call on the real work.

  2. 2

    We meet

    A focused, recorded working session. We solve the actual problem together — never a sales call.

  3. 3

    You keep the artifact

    A full transcript and a written, actionable plan you own and can act on the same day.

Monthly Retainers

Four tiers of reserved weekly build capacity, paired with strategy time. The effective rate eases as you commit more.

Starter

$3,500/mo

Dev time / week5 hrs
Dev hours / month~20 hrs
Effective dev rate$175/hr
Strategy call / mo1 hr (or 2×30-min)
Transcriptions + artifacts

Medium

$6,200/mo

Dev time / week10 hrs
Dev hours / month~40 hrs
Effective dev rate$155/hr
Strategy call / mo1.5 hrs
Transcriptions + artifacts

Large

$10,800/mo

Dev time / week20 hrs
Dev hours / month~80 hrs
Effective dev rate$135/hr
Strategy call / mo3 hrs (max 1hr/call)
Transcriptions + artifacts

XL

Exclusive

$14,400/mo

Dev time / week30 hrs
Dev hours / month~120 hrs
Effective dev rate$120/hr
Strategy call / mo4 hrs (max 1hr/call)
Transcriptions + artifacts

One XL client at a time.

Request XL

Dev hours estimated on a 4-week basis. Transcripts and written artifacts are included at every tier.

Take this page with you

Download a PDF snapshot for your RFP — a point-in-time copy stamped with today's date. This live page remains the source of truth for current pricing.

Download PDF snapshot

What Your Dev Hours Cover

Full-Stack Build

Features shipped end to end — frontend, backend, data, and infrastructure.

AI / LLM Integration

Models, agents, and tooling woven into your product, done with care.

Architecture & Code Review

Design decisions and reviews that keep the codebase healthy as it grows.

Ship to Production

CI/CD, deploys, and the quiet, essential work of going live.

Engagement Terms

  • Questionnaire first — every engagement opens with context before we meet.
  • Weekly reserved build time, with milestone tracking and a regular demo.
  • Billed monthly in advance; one month's notice to pause or close.
  • XL is exclusive — I take on one XL client at a time.

Academic & Institutional Clients

I accept Institutional Purchase Orders (POs) or standard Net-30/Net-60 university payment terms.

Specializations

  • Digital Humanities
  • Academic Portals
  • Digital Scholarship
  • WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance
  • IIIF Compliance
  • Cambridge MA Freelancer

What Clients Say

Your style of engagement and inquiry should be very helpful to people, executives or otherwise, who are grappling with the impacts of technology on the human condition. […] Truly impressive and helpful. Thank you Sonia for your many gifts.
Eric Best · Writer and Strategist
Your willingness to share your journey will undoubtedly be helpful to others experiencing their own version! Your stories are authentic and inspiring!
Dana Morris-Jones · Consultant and Strategist
Sonia's emails are one of the few I actually look forward to reading. I love her creative spark and can feel her passion when reading her emails. She always comes up with interesting ideas, new perspectives, and a lovely design. I even shared some of her posts with my friends and used her ideas to advance my own career. Her newsletter has always been worth reading and enjoyable.
Tobias Blüder · Consultant
It's really rare when you find someone with such a large range of skills with great personality to boot. Sonia is one of the most talented developers that I've worked with. Her knowledge of Salesforce, as well as front and back end code, is really a tremendous asset. She is always willing to lend a helping hand and share knowledge. Sonia is also someone that you can really talk with and collaborate on different projects and ideas. I love the fact that she is not just looking to “do things the way that they've always been done” but to go beyond, see the bigger picture, and continue to evolve and grow wherever she is. She is really big on team and wants to be part of a bigger vision.
Ben Kim · Manager - Salesforce
Sonia is a highly skilled technical communicator and facilitator. She has a unique ability to explain complex technical concepts in a way that is easy for all audiences to understand. She can simplify complex ideas without losing the core meaning and context. She has a deep understanding of her field of expertise and is able to explain it in an engaging and interactive way. Sonia is a natural facilitator — she excels in leading panel discussions and group conversations and creates a positive atmosphere. She's able to keep the discussion on track and make sure everyone's voice is heard. I highly recommend Sonia for any role that requires technical communication or facilitation skills.
Sandy · Technical Writer - Heroku
TheTechMargin's content is like a rejuvenating therapy session for high-tech enthusiasts; reading the newsletters helps one take a step back from the ‘high pressure cooker’ that is our demanding corporate and personal duties, while re-aligning our thinking to our core values. Just as therapy nourishes the mind, TheTechMargin's content nurtures my tech-savvy soul. Keep the content coming!
Danny A. · Technical Consultant

A Note on Availability

I keep my client list deliberately small, so reserved time goes to active clients first. The surest path to priority is to begin now and move up a tier as your needs grow.

Ready to Start?

  1. 1. Reach out and tell me what you're working on — I'll be honest about whether it's a fit.
  2. 2. Return the short questionnaire at least 24 hours before our call.
  3. 3. We set the first call on the calendar and begin.