Fusionbox’s “Senior Python + Sprint Model” Playbook for Long-Term Clients
Behind the Agency Podcast with Ivy Hastings, CEO of Fusionbox
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Prefer the highlights? Key takeaways and summary below.
TL;DR – Key Takeaways
Fusionbox was born the hard way: Ivy and her husband came back from a vacation to find their startup shut down overnight.
Early growth came from a simple move that still works: DIY SEO + link building, until the phone started ringing.
Fusionbox “niched down” into Python/Django almost by accident—engineers wanted it, clients didn’t care, and it became a magnet for both talent and buyers.
Their sales approach is unusual (and smart): engineers join sales calls so trust starts immediately.
Ivy uses SPIN selling (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need) to keep sales human and high-trust.
Client relations runs on a restaurant-style rule: Acknowledge, Apologize, Act (the “3 A’s”).
Engagement model: time & materials + 2-week sprints so clients can “try before they commit.”
“Small rescue fix” projects often turn into multi-year partnerships (one client is ~8 years in).
Niche + senior-only team + stable relationships = happier clients, happier team, and better profitability.
Meet the Guest
Ivy Hastings is the CEO of Fusionbox, a custom software agency founded in 2002 that specializes in senior, US-based Python/Django development, with UI/UX support as needed.
Fusionbox is known for:
long-term client relationships (10+ years)
long-tenured staff (18 years for one team member)
“project rescue” work where clients lost a dev team or need to get something over the finish line
Episode Summary
1. The origin story: from a $30M startup to locked doors
Fusionbox started because Ivy and her husband got blindsided.
They were working at a startup during the first internet boom. Big funding. Big project. Everything looked fine.
They went to Mexico for four days.
They came back… and the office was literally shut down. Doors locked. No notice.
That kind of moment forces a decision: panic, or build something you control.
Her husband saw a market gap. Back then there was no Squarespace, no Wix, no WordPress… and not many shops doing custom design + dev.
So he started Fusionbox.
2. Early days: one big-name client, but still scary
Their first client was Intuit / QuickBooks.
Sounds amazing (and it is), but it didn’t immediately make things “safe.” Ivy described it as still not paying the bills.
She eventually quit a miserable corporate job (she was coming home crying) and joined the business full time.
Then came the painful part agency owners will recognize: sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring.
3. The growth lever that changed everything: SEO
Ivy didn’t sugarcoat it: she started learning SEO, did link building, and pushed their site.
And then it flipped.
They started ranking #1 for their keywords and got flooded with leads.
No fancy brand campaign. No “thought leadership strategy.” Just: get found when people are searching.
4. The niche happened “backwards” — and that’s what makes it interesting
Fusionbox didn’t niche down because Ivy did a market analysis and picked a category.
They niched down because their engineers basically said:
“We want to write Python.”
Ivy was nervous. She thought clients would be scared off.
But clients didn’t care what language the code was written in.
What did happen:
passionate Python engineers created better work
it attracted more Python enthusiasts (both clients and talent)
it naturally turned into a clear differentiator
And since this was ~15 years ago, there were fewer competitors doing Python/Django, so they cornered that demand.
Misconception worth challenging:
A lot of agency folks think “niching” always has to mean picking an industry. Fusionbox proves you can niche by technical lane and still win — especially when it improves hiring and delivery quality.
5. Sales approach: engineers on the call
Fusionbox brings engineers into sales calls, even when the client isn’t technical.
Why? Because clients get to meet the people they’ll actually work with.
When an engineer asks sharp questions and starts problem-solving on the first call, the client feels like:
“Oh… they’re already helping me.”
That creates trust faster than the usual “discovery call → handoff → hope it goes well” model.
6. Framework, method, or mental model
A) SPIN selling (Ivy’s favorite)
Situation: Why are we talking today?
Problem: What’s broken / stuck / missing?
Implication: What happens if this doesn’t get fixed? (often high stakes)
Need: What do you actually need from a partner?
For Fusionbox, a lot of work is “project rescue” — which Ivy framed as a vulnerable situation for clients (lost a dev, can’t ship, software is at risk).
SPIN helps them make the client feel heard, not interrogated.
She mentioned a ~30% close rate when they get good-fit conversations.
B) The “3 A’s” for client issues (restaurant rule)
When something goes wrong:
Acknowledge
Apologize
Act
She said it diffuses conflict fast and actually builds trust.
7. Their engagement model: 2-week sprints as a “tryout”
Fusionbox moved away from rigid scopes and fixed bids because software changes as you learn.
So they use:
time and materials
2-week sprint blocks
Clients can buy a sprint, see how it feels, and continue (or stop) without a big contract trap.
And here’s the punchline:
A “small fix” rescue job can turn into years of work. One example: a client came in for a quick finish-line push… now it’s 8 years and many sprints later.
It’s basically a relationship flywheel:
solve a painful problem fast
earn trust
expand the work over time
8. What’s next: stay in the sweet spot
Ivy wasn’t chasing massive growth for the sake of it.
She said they used to be ~30 people doing “everything” and it was miserable: lower quality, unhappy team, unhappy leadership.
After niching down:
profitability improved
team happiness improved
client happiness improved
So the plan is simple: keep great clients, keep delivering, keep people happy.
Notable Quotes
“We always include our engineers in sales calls.”
“Sales isn’t done when they hire us and send a check. It continues.”
“Acknowledge, apologize, act.”
“Clients didn’t care what we were writing in. It made our engineers happy.”
Learn More / Get in Touch
Email → ihastings@fusionbox.com
LinkedIn → Ivy Hastings
Website → Fusionbox
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