Part-Time Product Engineer for MVPs & 0-1 Builds by Micah JohnsonPart-Time Product Engineer for MVPs & 0-1 Builds by Micah Johnson
Part-Time Product Engineer for MVPs & 0-1 BuildsMicah Johnson
I embed as your part-time product engineer to take your idea from concept to working software, or refine an existing product that needs sharper execution.
This is for early-stage founders and small teams who need a technical builder, not just a developer. I handle architecture decisions, stack selection, feature scoping, and shipping code. I work across full-stack and AI-enabled workflows, so if your product needs an agent, a structured-output pipeline, or an internal tool that replaces a manual process, that's squarely in my lane.
What this looks like in practice:
I take on a maximum of 3-4 engagements at a time. That means you get real attention, not a developer juggling 10 clients and context-switching through your Slack messages.
Typical engagements run 1-3 months for MVPs and proof-of-concepts, or 3-6 months for deeper product refinement and iteration cycles. We'll set a cadence that works for your stage: weekly syncs, async updates, whatever keeps momentum without wasting your time.
Who this is for:
Early-stage founders with a concept that needs its first working version
Teams with a live product that needs technical refinement, new features, or an AI layer
Organizations running manual workflows that should be software
Anyone who's been burned by agencies and wants an embedded builder who actually owns outcomes
Stack & tools I work across:
Convex, TanStack, Vercel, Python, FastAPI, Cursor, Stripe, AI agent frameworks (Instructor.py, structured outputs), and more depending on what the product needs. I pick the stack that fits the problem, not the other way around.
How engagements typically start:
We talk through what you're building and where you're stuck
I scope the first milestone (usually 2-4 weeks of work)
I start building, with regular check-ins and working demos
We iterate until the product is where it needs to be
I embed as your part-time product engineer to take your idea from concept to working software, or refine an existing product that needs sharper execution.
This is for early-stage founders and small teams who need a technical builder, not just a developer. I handle architecture decisions, stack selection, feature scoping, and shipping code. I work across full-stack and AI-enabled workflows, so if your product needs an agent, a structured-output pipeline, or an internal tool that replaces a manual process, that's squarely in my lane.
What this looks like in practice:
I take on a maximum of 3-4 engagements at a time. That means you get real attention, not a developer juggling 10 clients and context-switching through your Slack messages.
Typical engagements run 1-3 months for MVPs and proof-of-concepts, or 3-6 months for deeper product refinement and iteration cycles. We'll set a cadence that works for your stage: weekly syncs, async updates, whatever keeps momentum without wasting your time.
Who this is for:
Early-stage founders with a concept that needs its first working version
Teams with a live product that needs technical refinement, new features, or an AI layer
Organizations running manual workflows that should be software
Anyone who's been burned by agencies and wants an embedded builder who actually owns outcomes
Stack & tools I work across:
Convex, TanStack, Vercel, Python, FastAPI, Cursor, Stripe, AI agent frameworks (Instructor.py, structured outputs), and more depending on what the product needs. I pick the stack that fits the problem, not the other way around.
How engagements typically start:
We talk through what you're building and where you're stuck
I scope the first milestone (usually 2-4 weeks of work)
I start building, with regular check-ins and working demos
We iterate until the product is where it needs to be