Learn
How the lab works.
The methods behind our research and our web design, written down in plain terms. Take the checklist with you. It works on anyone's pitch, including ours.
The method
How our research works
The lab's research runs on one rule: the credibility is the product. A conclusion is only worth what the evidence under it is worth, so the method is fixed and public:
1 Evidence first
We pull the primary record: documents, listings, terms, prices, in that order. What the seller claims goes in a separate pile from what the record shows.
2 Analysis second
The record is read against a standard, not against a feeling. Pros, cons, and the gaps between them get written down, including the gaps we can't close.
3 Conclusion last
Only then a call, and it comes in exactly two forms: BUY: this one earns its price. MOOSED: walk away, and here's why. No hedge words, no "on the other hand."
4 Missing data means no call
If the evidence isn't there, the verdict waits. We would rather publish nothing than publish a guess dressed as a finding.
Why so strict?
Because the whole business runs on people trusting the call. One confident verdict on missing data spends that trust. The method above is the same one our research division uses internally, and the checklist below is the same discipline, sized for a kitchen table.
Take it with you
Before you commit: a universal checklist
Whatever you're evaluating (a product, a service, a subscription, a contractor), the same discipline applies. Run any pitch through these five questions before money changes hands:
- Identity: who is actually selling this?A real name, a real place, a way to reach a human. If the seller can't be identified, the rest of the list doesn't matter.
- Evidence: what can they show, not say?Finished work, live examples, documents. Claims are free; proof costs effort, and that's exactly why it counts.
- Terms: what does it cost, all in, over time?The headline price is the start. Renewal, add-ons, cancellation, what happens if you leave. Get it in writing.
- Exits: how do you get out?A seller who makes leaving easy is telling you something. A seller who makes it hard is telling you something louder.
- Support: who answers when it breaks?Ask before you need it. The answer (response time, a named channel, a real person) is part of the product.
Two habits make the checklist bite. Write down what's missing: missing specs, missing terms, missing answers. Omissions are information. And check a second source: reviews, records, references, from people who aren't the seller. One source is a claim; two are a start.
Web design
Demo-first: see it before you pay for it
Most web design asks for money up front and shows you the result later. Our Got Moosed line runs it the other way, because a website is exactly the kind of purchase the checklist above was made for:
1 Order
Tell us about the business. One simple offer, the same for everyone: $10/mo, first month free, hosting included. Rebuild as often as you like before launch. Edits are done in a day or less.
2 Demo
We build your actual site as a working demo. Not a mockup, not a template screenshot: your business, on a page, live for you to click through.
3 Approve
You review it in your client portal. Changes go back and forth until it's right. Your site goes live after you finalize your design.
4 Launch
Once you finalize your design, the site goes live on your domain. Hosting is included in the $10 a month, and after launch edits are done in a day or less, as large as you want. No packages, no slots, no limits.
The point
Evidence before payment. It's the lab's research method pointed at our own product, so the call can be checked, not just believed.