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Terms of Service

The Short Version

We provide AI consulting services. You pay for the work we agree on. We deliver quality work. We both act professionally. Simple.

1. Who's Who

"Shoman," "we," "us": The consultancy operated by Nicanor Korir, headquartered in Berlin, Germany with offices in Nairobi, Kenya.

"Client," "you": The person or company hiring us for consulting services.

2. Our Services

We provide:

  • AI and machine learning consulting
  • Custom software development
  • Technical strategy and advisory
  • Training and workshops

Specific deliverables, timelines, and costs are defined in individual project proposals or statements of work (SOW).

3. How Projects Work

Discovery Call

We start with a free call to understand your needs. No commitment, no pressure.

Proposal

If there's a fit, we send a proposal with scope, timeline, and pricing. You review and approve before we start.

Execution

We work on the project with regular updates. You get access to progress and can provide feedback throughout.

Delivery

We deliver the agreed work, provide documentation, and offer 30 days of support for questions and minor adjustments.

4. Demo-First Culture

We believe in showing, not just telling. Here's how we work:

Regular demos

You'll see working software throughout the project, not just at the end. We demo progress weekly or bi-weekly depending on project size.

Approval before deployment

Nothing goes to production without your explicit approval. You'll always have a chance to review, test, and sign off before we deploy.

Staging environments

We set up staging/preview environments where you can test features in a production-like setting before they go live.

Feedback loops

Demos aren't just show-and-tell. We actively want your feedback, questions, and concerns. It's easier to adjust course early than fix things after deployment.

5. Payment Terms

  • Deposits: We typically require 50% upfront for new clients.
  • Milestones: Larger projects are billed at agreed milestones.
  • Payment terms: Invoices are due within 14 days unless otherwise agreed.
  • Late payments: We reserve the right to pause work if payments are more than 14 days overdue.
  • Currency: We invoice in USD unless otherwise agreed.

6. Intellectual Property

Your stuff stays yours

Any data, content, or materials you provide remain your property.

Work we create for you

Upon full payment, you own all custom code, designs, and deliverables we create specifically for your project.

Our tools and methods

We retain rights to our general tools, frameworks, and methodologies (like AI-Think) that we use across multiple clients. You get a license to use them in your project.

Open source

If we use open-source components, they remain under their original licenses. We'll document any open-source dependencies.

7. Confidentiality

We treat all client information as confidential. We won't share your business information, project details, or data with third parties without your permission.

Portfolio usage: We may mention that we worked with you (company name only) unless you request otherwise. We won't share project details without approval.

NDA: If you require a formal NDA, we're happy to sign one before discussing sensitive details.

8. What We Need From You

For projects to succeed, we need:

  • Timely responses to questions and feedback requests
  • Access to necessary systems, data, or resources
  • A designated point of contact for decisions
  • Payment according to agreed terms

Delays on your end may affect project timelines. We'll communicate proactively if this happens.

9. Changes and Scope Creep

Scope changes happen. Here's how we handle them:

  • Small tweaks: Included, no extra charge.
  • Significant changes: We'll discuss impact on timeline and cost before proceeding.
  • New features: Treated as new work with a separate quote.

We'll always communicate before doing work that affects the budget.

10. Warranties and Liability

What we guarantee

  • We'll deliver work as described in the agreed scope
  • Our work will be original and not infringe on others' IP
  • We'll fix bugs in our code for 30 days after delivery

What we can't guarantee

  • Specific business outcomes (revenue, users, etc.)
  • Performance of third-party services or APIs
  • Results dependent on your data quality

Liability cap

Our liability is limited to the amount you paid us for the specific project in question. We're not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.

11. Ending a Project

By you

You can end a project anytime with 7 days written notice. You pay for work completed up to that point.

By us

We can end a project if: payment is overdue by 30+ days, or the project scope changes significantly from what was agreed. We'll give 14 days notice and deliver any completed work.

Refunds

Deposits for unstarted work are refundable. Work already completed is not refundable but will be delivered to you.

12. Disputes

If we disagree on something, let's talk first. Most issues can be resolved with a conversation.

If we can't resolve it directly, we agree to attempt mediation before any legal action. These terms are governed by the laws of Germany.

13. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms. Changes don't apply to projects already under contract, those continue under the terms agreed at the start.

Questions?

If anything is unclear, just ask: hello@nicanor.xyz