What is Extraordinary? (And why is everyone grinning?)

Extraordinary builds software, websites, and apps for founder-led companies. you own every account, asset, and line of code. We are builders with 20+ years of experience across 500+ companies. Five engines run under the hood: brand, media, growth, comms, and incentives.

What does Extraordinary actually build, besides awkward small talk?

Extraordinary builds five connected engines. Brand sharpens the story. Media publishes it. Growth turns attention into pipeline. Comms aligns external messaging with internal culture. Incentives reward the behaviors that move the business forward.

What does the Comms Engine include?

Extraordinary's Comms Engine connects external messaging and internal culture. It includes customer, investor, partner, and press messaging; newsletters and launches; leadership updates; team rituals; onboarding communication; and change or crisis playbooks, all in one voice and cadence.

What does the Incentives Engine include? (Other than paying us.)

Extraordinary's Incentives Engine aligns rewards with the result the company wants. It includes compensation and bonus design, referral and partner programs, customer loyalty, team scorecards, recognition rituals, and incentive modeling so leaders can see the likely behavior and payout before launch.

Is the comedy thing real, or is that a bit?

Yes. Extraordinary produces Arizona After Dark, a live variety comedy show in Tempe, Arizona hosted by Aaron Bare and Forbes Shannon. It also produces the Extraordinary Stories podcast and hosts Extraordinary Friends, a weekly online meetup. Extraordinary runs its own engines before selling them.

Do I really get improv training? What's the catch?

Every Extraordinary client gets improv training as part of the engagement. Founders and teams learn to think on their feet, say 'yes, and,' and communicate under pressure, the same skills Extraordinary uses on stage at Arizona After Dark. There is no catch; funny is a strategy.

What is Extraordinary Friends? (It's not a cult. Probably.)

Extraordinary Friends is a free weekly online meetup hosted by Extraordinary. Attendees are introduced to people worth knowing and bring one real problem, which the room solves live. Clients and future clients are both welcome. Sign up from the Extraordinary home page.

How long does an engagement take? Six months or six years?

Neither. Timelines are set by product, not by calendar padding. Websites ship in 30 to 60 days, software in 60 to 90 days, apps in about 90 days. Scope is fixed per product and the price is fixed too, quoted after the free 100-point audit so nobody is guessing. At handover you own every account, asset, and line of code. If you want us to keep going after that, we can, as an ongoing partnership, not a retainer you forget you are paying.

Who is Extraordinary for? (Be honest with yourself.)

Founder-led companies with existing revenue, a real product, and a founder with something to say. It fits leaders willing to be on camera and on the page who would rather own one engine than rent five.

Who runs Extraordinary? Three people walk into a bar...

Extraordinary is led by Aaron Bare, who runs strategy, innovation, and AI implementation; Forbes Shannon, who runs production, narrative, and storytelling; and Christine Butler, Editor in Chief. They lead a specialist bench that builds every strategy into working infrastructure.

Does the client own the work, or do you hold it hostage?

Yes. Every asset, account, automation, and dashboard is built in the client's own accounts and owned by the client. Extraordinary does not hold logins, audiences, or data hostage, and the system keeps running after the engagement ends.

Do I have to keep paying after the work is delivered?

No. You buy a product with a fixed scope and a fixed price, quoted after the free 100-point audit: a website, software, or an app. It ships on the timeline for that product, ownership transfers at handover, and you can walk away owning all of it. Plenty of clients keep us on afterward as an ongoing partnership. That is a choice you make once you have the thing, not a subscription we sneak in first.

How does someone start working with Extraordinary?

Book a thirty-minute call with Aaron Bare and Forbes Shannon at joinextraordinary.com/contact. The call covers what the company sells and what it wants next. There is no pitch deck, and the output is a short list of the one thing to focus on.

What kind of clients has Extraordinary worked with? (Name-drop away.)

Work spans large brands and public agencies through to founder-led companies, including Coca-Cola, Walgreens, NFL Alumni, and Arizona Department of Public Safety. Case studies and video testimonials are published at joinextraordinary.com/proof.

What is Extraordinary Stories?

Extraordinary Stories is Extraordinary's podcast and research engine. Roughly 500 conversations with founders and leaders shaped Extraordinary's point of view: fund one priority, build a weekly media habit, and keep one partner accountable for the number.