The Ladder
How much of the crossing do you want me to own?
The services are a ladder, not a menu: four rungs of depth, from a diagnosis you can act on yourself to the whole crossing owned end to end. Every rung is fixed scope and fixed fee. Start where you are stuck, and climb only if the work earns it.
The crossing, gate by gate
Every product crosses the same six gates. The only question is whether the risk at each one gets named before the money is spent, or after.
Concept
Gate
Does this deserve to exist, and for whom?
The risk
A beautiful answer to a question nobody asked.
Formula
Gate
Does it work anywhere outside this bench?
The risk
A formula written for lab conditions, silent about the plant's conditions.
Claims & Regulatory
Gate
Can every claim on the pack be proven, in writing?
The risk
Claims born after the formula, walked back at the label or the retailer.
The Plant
Gate
Which factory can actually run this, and at what volume?
The risk
The wrong shortlist, right product in a plant built for another format.
First Run
Gate
Does the first production run hold, unit after unit?
The risk
The spec meets winter tanks and a check-weigher, and a third of the run is rejected.
The Shelf
Gate
Does it survive the buyer's questions and earn the second purchase?
The risk
Launch claims re-read as repeat claims, by people holding your file.
At every gate, the call is the same: go, fix, or stop, in writing. The ladder below is how much of that crossing you want me to own.
Transfer Readiness Review
I diagnose: a written risk list and a go, fix or stop call.
Formulation & Claims Sprint
I build: the formula and the claims route, settled first.
Scale-Up & CMO Transfer
I take it into the plant, shortlist in hand.
Concept-to-Handoff Development
I own the whole crossing, gate by gate.
Each rung stands on its own and is fixed in writing before we start. None of them obliges you to climb to the next.
Rung 1 of 4 · Start here: the diagnosis
Transfer Readiness Review
Founding-client entry offer — limited slots
Atelier Première is a new studio, so the Review runs as a founding-client offer: a short, fixed-fee review of your transfer spec and plant assumptions, before you commit to a full engagement — or to a first run that fails. It is also the fastest way to find out which rung you actually need.
Best for: you have a formula and a factory conversation ahead of you, and you want the verdict before you sign, not after the first failed run.
What I need from you
- —Your current transfer spec or formula
- —Target format, pack and volumes
- —Your plant or CMO assumptions, if one is already chosen
- —Your launch date
What you receive
- —A written risk list: what to fix before the first run, in priority order
- —A go / fix / stop recommendation on the transfer
- —The next steps, if you want help fixing what the review finds
Sample risk item, drawn from a real scale-up failure:
“Spec written at lab temperature; plant tanks run about 10°C colder in winter. Viscosity rises, fill weights drift, product is rejected at the check-weigher. Fix: re-spec against the plant's actual temperature range before the first run.”
Pricing: available on request — after a brief look at your transfer, the review's scope and fee are fixed in writing before we begin.
No obligation after the review. If I find nothing material, I'll tell you plainly and you proceed with confidence. If there are risks, you can fix them with me or take the list to your own team — the written risk list is yours either way.
IPYour formula and your IP stay yours, on every engagement.
Request the Review
Rung 2 of 4 · I build
Formulation & Claims Sprint
For: A brand at concept or early formula stage — a first formula, or one whose claims route needs settling before money is spent proving the wrong thing.
You get: A formulation built for your category, format and cost target. Claims and regulatory requirements are mapped first, so you don't spend money proving the wrong thing.
Best for: The product is still in the lab, and the formula and the claims need to be born together, so neither one has to be walked back later.
Walk away with: A CMO-ready formulation, a claims route and a requirements checklist.
IPYour formula and your IP stay yours, on every engagement.
Pricing: On request — tell me where the formula stands, and I'll fix the scope and fee in writing before any work begins.
Rung 3 of 4 · I take it into the plant
Scale-Up & CMO Transfer
For: A product that works in the lab and has not yet run in a plant — for example, a first production run or a CMO transfer date approaching.
You get: An assessment of the transfer spec, fill and pack behavior, and remaining risks. I bring the plant shortlist with me: contract manufacturers matched and audited against your format and volumes, drawn from both sides of the table. Optional: hands-on tech transfer through the first run.
Best for: The formula works on your bench, and the open question is the plant: which one, and whether it survives the first run there.
The bench covers: liquids, creams and gels, sprays, and waterless and dissolvable formats, from pilot volumes to full production runs.
Walk away with: A corrected transfer spec, a chosen partner, and first-run supervision if you take the option.
IPYour formula and your IP stay yours, on every engagement.
Pricing: Available on request — after a short review of your project, scope and fee are fixed in writing before we start.
Rung 4 of 4 · I own the whole crossing
Concept-to-Handoff Development
Scoped case by case
For: Teams with an idea and no senior R&D leader in-house.
You get: The full stage-gate process run for you: concept, formulation, claims, requirements, scale-up and CMO selection. Every gate ends with an explicit go, fix or stop decision and a written risk list.
Best for: You are starting from an idea and want one partner to own every gate, with a go, fix, or stop call in writing at each one.
Walk away with: A CMO-ready product and the decision record behind it.
IPYour formula and your IP stay yours, on every engagement.
Pricing: Quoted on request — we scope the engagement together after a short review of your project, then the fee is fixed in writing before we start.
Still not sure which rung? Try the service finder or book the call and I'll point you to the right one — including if that's “not yet.”
A good fit, and not a fit
I'd rather tell you on this page than on a call.
A good fit
- Venture studios and independent brands building a home care or personal care label
- International brands entering the US market or a new category
- Teams with a launch date and no senior R&D leader in-house
- A launch planned within the next 6 to 12 months
- Startups in waterless or new formats that need a scale-up and CMO sourcing lead
Not a fit
- Open-ended “innovation strategy” with no product to make
- Regulatory-only legal advice
- Marketing-only work
- Projects with no product and no launch date
Looking for a leadership conversation rather than a project? Message me on LinkedIn.
How an engagement starts
Step 1
A 30-minute discovery call
Pick a time that suits you — the call is 30 minutes on Google Meet. We cover product, category, format, volumes and launch date. One triage question runs the call: are you stuck at the concept, the formula, or the factory? The answer decides which rung we start on.
Step 2
A fixed-scope, fixed-fee proposal
Deliverables, stage gates, timing, and what I need from you. No open-ended hourly billing.
Step 3
The work starts
Plant-floor time is built in where it matters, and never added as an afterthought when something goes wrong.
What I need from you to start:
- —The product idea, category and format
- —Target volumes and pack
- —Your launch date
- —Any existing formula, transfer spec or CMO relationship
Questions, answered plainly
Do you sign an NDA?
Yes, before we discuss formulas, volumes or suppliers. I'll also sign yours.
Who owns the formulation?
You do. Formulations developed for you are yours. My pre-existing methods and know-how — the way I work, not your product — stay mine.
Do you work with the CMO we already chose?
Yes. I will audit the fit first and tell you plainly if the format or volume points elsewhere.
Can you work with our regulatory advisor?
Yes. I map the requirements; your advisor owns the legal opinion.
Do you travel to the plant?
Based in New Jersey, and I travel anywhere the work requires — to plants wherever they are, worldwide.
How do you price?
Fixed scope and fixed fee, agreed before work starts.
Do you take equity?
It's an option. For early-stage brands, I'm open to discussing part-equity as part of the arrangement, case by case.
How quickly will I hear back?
Within two business days of your inquiry — usually sooner.
Do you work alone or with a team?
You work with me. The studio is founder-led and I am its sole expert on every project. Where a project needs a specialist — your regulatory advisor, your CMO's engineers — I work alongside them.