Frequently Asked
Straight answers to the questions we get most.
If you don't see your question here, write us, mark@greatbreadsny.com.
How we work.
- What is Great Breads Studio?
- Great Breads is a New York software studio that builds the one system contractors and service businesses run their business on: bids, purchase orders, submittals, invoices and reports in one system of record. Started in Harlem in 2006 by Mark Riley (the LLC was formed in 2016), itself an NMSDC Certified MBE, it operates across New York, Atlanta, and Medellín and is SAM.gov registered (CAGE 1Z8P1, UEI J2JXA434NS13). Brand, web and public-sector design ship from the same house in service of that system.
- Where is Great Breads Studio based?
- The studio is headquartered at 2031 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, Suite 2A, New York, NY 10027 (Harlem) with operating presence in Atlanta and Medellín. We serve clients across the United States and ship work from all three cities.
- What is the studio's typical engagement length?
- The free Read is a 20-minute call. The Buyer-Ready Kit, one live desk, takes three weeks. The Build runs by the milestone: 4 for the Core System, 8 to 10 for the Full Contractor OS, and each milestone goes live and is paid before the next starts. Studio Care runs on a 12-month term after launch.
- How does Great Breads work with new clients?
- Every engagement begins with the free read and a phone call within one business day. We read your site and your public record the way a buyer would and tell you the one thing a contracting officer would flag and the one process still tracked by hand. From there the price is on the ladder, in writing, and a written quote is honoured at the price it was written.
What things cost.
- How much does the system cost?
- The ladder has four rungs and the numbers are the same everywhere: the Read is free, 20 minutes; the Buyer-Ready Kit is $7,500, three weeks, fixed, credited in full toward a Build signed within 90 days; the Build is $16,500 per milestone, paid as each goes live, never in advance: the Core System is 4 milestones, $66,000, and the Full Contractor OS is 8 to 10 milestones, $132,000 to $165,000; Studio Care is $4,500 a month up to $15M in annual construction volume and $6,500 a month from $15M to $30M, on a 12-month term. See the pricing page.
- Do I pay before I see anything working?
- No. The read is free, and the Kit is one real desk built on your own forms and numbers before any build is quoted. The build itself is paid by milestone, and a milestone that is not live is not billed.
- What does Studio Care cost?
- Studio Care is priced by annual construction volume on a 12-month term: $4,500 a month up to $15M, $6,500 a month from $15M to $30M, and above $30M it is priced on the Read. One named person runs your system. It keeps the system accurate as the business changes: new forms, new buyers, new people who need a login. Adding a person to something already built is never charged.
- Why one ladder instead of custom quotes?
- Because four different entry prices on one website is how owners stop trusting any of them. The number on the page is the number in the proposal, and a written quote is honoured at the price it was written.
What we actually build.
- What is the system, exactly?
- Thirteen desks under one login, in the order a job runs: pursuits, estimating, invitations to bid, buyout, purchasing, change orders, cost, compliance, submittals and RFIs, billing, WIP, field and closeout. It was built first for Integral Construction of NY, a certified MBE general contractor, where purchasing and e-signature run on live jobs. AsBuilt is that system productised for contractors; the same desks fit a security firm, an electrical sub or a home-health agency with the nouns changed.
- Who is it for?
- Owner-run, certified contractors (MBE, WBE, VOB, DBE) selling to agencies, institutions and general contractors, where POs, certifications and billing decide whether you get paid: general contractors, electrical and mechanical subs, security guard firms, home-health agencies, printers, movers. If you already run on a system you trust, we will tell you so on the read and not sell you a second one.
- What does a brand strategy actually include?
- Brand strategy at Great Breads delivers four documented assets: positioning (who the brand serves and what changes for them), audience definition, the line of argument the brand sits on, and a messaging framework. It is the foundation everything else stands on, identity, voice, website, and launch architecture all derive from it. The strategy phase is typically weeks 1 to 2 of a ninety-day engagement.
- Custom Shopify vs. a template, which makes sense?
- A custom Shopify build is right when the brand needs to read as a category leader, editorial design, custom interactions, premium register, performance hardened. A template is right when launch speed and budget are the constraint and the brand's visual register is genuinely standard for the category. Most of Great Breads' work is custom.
- Does Great Breads offer founder advisory?
- Yes. Founder advisory at Great Breads is structured strategic counsel for founders building brands meant to last, positioning, systems, and growth. We deliver twelve-month engagements covering business model development, market positioning, launch strategy, customer acquisition, and operational growth, with particular focus on veteran self-employment under the VA Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) program.
For procurement officers.
- Is Great Breads registered for government and public-sector work?
- Yes. Great Breads Studio is an NMSDC Certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), SAM.gov registered and active (UEI J2JXA434NS13, CAGE 1Z8P1), and registered as a vendor with the New York State Comptroller. We operate as a Single-Member LLC under Great Breads Clothing, LLC, d/b/a Great Breads Studio. Designation: Minority-Owned Small Business (Black-Owned). NYC M/WBE certification is in progress with NYC SBS; NYS MWBE is not yet filed. All public-sector work is delivered as Great Breads Studio, a design firm, not a commodity-procurement supplier.
- What is the studio's primary NAICS code?
- Primary NAICS is 541511 (Custom Computer Programming Services). Secondary NAICS include 541613, 541611 (Management Consulting), 541810 (Advertising), 541430 (Graphic Design), 541511 (Web), and 541890. PSC codes: R701 (Advertising/PR), R408 (Program Management Support), and D-series (IT/Web Services).
- What does Great Breads do for government and institutional clients?
- Design-led services: comprehensive plans, reports, and public communications; brand and web systems; and Section 508 / WCAG-compliant document production. We work with state, local, and agency clients and with prime contractors, all delivered by Great Breads Studio.
- Where can I get the Capability Statement?
- The Great Breads Capability Statement is available as a downloadable PDF directly from the Capability Statement page. It mirrors the official one-pager, company data, core competencies, differentiators, NAICS, PSC codes, target buyers, and past performance.
Who runs the studio.
- Who is the founder of Great Breads?
- Mark Riley is the founder and principal of Great Breads Studio. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Morehouse College, with senior thesis work applying R and RStudio to political datasets. His professional path includes Goldman Sachs Global Surveillance (compliance, SQL-based monitoring), the Fulton County District Attorney's Office (paralegal on high-profile felony cases), and Asbury Automotive Group's Nalley Lexus and BMW dealerships (Top 3 producer, twice Salesperson of the Month). The studio's operating system is built on the sales discipline, institutional documentation, and regulatory rigor accumulated across those roles.
- Why does the studio operate from three cities?
- The trio, New York, Atlanta, Medellín, is deliberate. New York is the studio's HQ and public-sector registration. Atlanta is where the founder lives now and where the studio serves agency clients building publicly. Medellín is where a portion of the studio's craft work is produced, the founder spent six months on Spanish immersion sabbatical there, and the dual-market footprint provides cost-competitive craft capacity at scale.
About the free report.
- What is the Business Intelligence Report?
- The Business Intelligence Report is a free, AI-generated analysis the studio runs on any business, public at /pages/audit-evidence. You enter your website and our system builds an evidence-based report on your brand, your site, your market, and the growth opportunities in front of you. No questionnaire and no guesswork. You get the findings in about a minute and the full write-up by email.
- Is the report really free?
- Yes. Free, no credit card, no required upsell. The report is part of the studio's intelligence practice. We capture your name, email, and website, deliver the report, and offer a call only if you want one.
Still have questions?