Founders & small teams
You need infrastructure, security, or AI-workflow sanity but aren't ready to hire a full-time engineer for it.
Work with me
Let's build the thing — properly.
I'm Brandon Donaly — Pakkit. I help people turn messy systems and weirder ideas into things that actually work: software, infrastructure, cybersecurity, AI workflows, automation, and the occasional creative-tech experiment. No agency theater, no buzzword soup — just honest, buildable collaboration.
Below are the most common ways that tends to happen. None of them are rigid packages — they're starting points. The real shape of the work comes from your actual problem.
Best fit
Who tends to reach out
If one of these sounds like you, we'll probably get along. If you're not sure, reach out anyway — worst case I point you somewhere better.
Teams adopting AI tooling
You're moving fast with Claude, Kiro, or Cursor and want to keep your architecture reviewable instead of melting into spaghetti.
Creators & small businesses
You want a fast, owned, genuinely-yours web presence — not a templated rental you can't edit or trust.
People with a weird idea
You have a half-formed concept and need someone who can scope it into something small, real, and buildable.
Specifically a creator or small business after a clean, owned web presence? There's a dedicated Web Development path for that — start with the intake, which also covers the selective free-site opportunity when it's a good fit.
Common starting points
Where work usually begins
A few of the most common ways people start. These aren't rigid packages — they're entry points. For the full menu with detailed write-ups, see the services page.
Infra
Infrastructure sanity pass
A focused look at the systems quietly holding everything up — and the gaps you only notice at 2am.
- Networks
- Servers
- Access patterns
- Documentation
- Observability
- Deploy paths
AI
AI workflow architecture
Use AI coding tools to move faster without losing architecture, reviewability, validation, or security along the way.
- Claude / Kiro / Cursor
- Architecture
- Reviewability
- Validation loops
- Security
Automation
Automation sprint
Take a repetitive, error-prone manual workflow and turn it into a reliable, auditable tool you can trust.
- Scripting
- Reliable
- Auditable
- Reviewable
- Tooling
Web
Static site / portfolio build
Fast, typed Astro/TypeScript sites for personal brands, creators, technical founders, DJs, and weird internet projects.
- Astro
- TypeScript
- Personal brands
- Creators
- Small business
Security
Security-minded architecture review
A defense-minded read of how your system is put together, before an attacker or an outage does the review for you.
- Secrets
- Trust boundaries
- Least privilege
- Deploy flows
- Auditability
Build
Weird idea to real system
Bring the ambiguous, slightly-too-big idea. We scope it into small, buildable, validated slices that actually ship.
- Scoping
- Small slices
- Validation
- Prototyping
Want the detailed version of each? Browse the full service menu.
How I work
The operating principles
However the engagement is shaped, the way the work runs stays the same.
- 01
Small slices
Thin, vertical pieces that each do something real — not a six-month rewrite you have to trust on faith.
- 02
Clear constraints
We agree on scope, boundaries, and what 'done' means up front, so nothing quietly balloons.
- 03
Validation before polish
Prove the thing works — checks, builds, real behavior — before sanding the edges smooth.
- 04
Security from the start
Secrets, trust boundaries, and least privilege are part of the design, not a bolt-on at the end.
- 05
Docs as a deliverable
If it isn't written down, it isn't finished. You keep something maintainable, not just something that runs.
Curious how I think about security and trust specifically? Read my engineering trust principles →
Project intake
Want to build something? Send me the useful context.
No formal brief, no forms to wrestle with. Answer a few of these in your own words — the messy version is genuinely fine — and the first reply will actually be useful.
What are you trying to build or fix?
The one-sentence version is fine — we'll sharpen it together.
Who is it for?
You, a team, customers, a community, or future-you at 2am?
What already exists?
Repos, servers, spreadsheets, a napkin sketch — anything counts.
What's broken, slow, risky, or annoying?
The thing that actually sent you looking for help.
What tools or platforms are involved?
Stack, hosting, APIs, the SaaS you're stuck with.
What does success look like?
How you'll know it worked — even roughly.
Any hard constraints?
Budget, deadline, security, access, compliance, hosting — whatever's non-negotiable.
Quick sanity check, planning session, or build sprint?
Tells me how to show up. There's no wrong answer.
Next step
Got something worth building?
Tell me what you're working on — the messy version is fine. A short note about the problem is the fastest way to find out if we're a good fit.