---
title: "Take over and fix a store that underperforms"
description: "Inherited a site nobody can safely touch? We take over the code, make it faster and cheaper to run, and keep it going, so a vendor-locked black box becomes a stack you own."
url: "https://www.novatori.us/solutions/fix-a-store/"
source: "Markdown twin of https://www.novatori.us/solutions/fix-a-store/ — generated for AI agents."
---
Fix a store that underperforms

# Inherited a store nobody can safely *touch*?

A store built by a vendor who is gone. Code nobody can see into. Hosting that costs a fortune and a site you are afraid to change. We take over the whole thing, make it faster and cheaper to run, and keep it going, so what was a liability becomes a stack you own and trust.

[Talk through your situation](https://www.novatori.us/contact) [How we start](https://www.novatori.us/audit)

From black box to owned

- Code decomposed into something you can change safely
- Hosting cost cut, often dramatically
- Monitored and maintained after launch
- Infrastructure and accounts that are yours

The problem

## A store you can’t see into is a store you can’t trust.

A vendor-locked black box

### A liability you inherited

- Custom code trapped in a theme only the old vendor understood
- Slow, heavy pages eating server resources and money
- A hosting bill far above what the traffic should cost
- Afraid to touch the part that takes the orders

A stack you own

### Taken over and made yours

- Code decomposed into clear, maintainable pieces you can change safely
- Optimized so pages are fast and resources aren’t wasted
- Hosting moved to infrastructure you own and we monitor
- One accountable team to fix what breaks and add what you need

VS

What we build

## What we do

### Take over the code

We decompose an inherited theme and its plugins into clear, maintainable code, moving business logic out of the black box and into something we can change safely.

### Optimize cost and speed

Cut the dead weight: fewer database queries, less RAM, lower bandwidth, and a hosting bill that matches the traffic instead of dwarfing it.

### Run it, or hand it back

We monitor and maintain it, or hand it over documented and clean. Either way, the infrastructure and accounts are yours.

Proof

## A five-site black box turned into a stack they own

MBS Communications had inherited a five-site WooCommerce stack from a previous agency, including a custom plugin nobody could see into, on hosting that had climbed to about $2,900 a month.

We took ownership of the code, cut homepage queries from 2,532 to 326 and RAM use about 84%, and moved all five sites to hosting they own and we monitor, dropping the bill to about $80 a month.

 [Read the MBS story →](https://www.novatori.us/work/mbs)

Outcomes

## What changed for MBS

$2,900 → $80/mo

Hosting cost

Moved off WP Engine to infrastructure the client owns.

~84%

Less RAM

From re-architecting and optimizing the inherited code.

5 sites

Owned, not rented

A black box turned into a documented stack they control.

How we deliver it

## How we do it

Taking the store off your plate is the outcome. Here is the work underneath it.

[### Takeover & operations

Take over the code, optimize it, and run it.

 Learn more →](https://www.novatori.us/ecommerce/operations)[### Migrations

Move off a platform or host that no longer fits.

 Learn more →](https://www.novatori.us/migrations)[### Care plans

Keep it monitored and maintained after the handover.

 Learn more →](https://www.novatori.us/care-plans)

Questions

## Common questions

The original developer is gone. Can you still take it over?

Yes. That is the usual situation. We decompose the inherited code until we understand it, document it, and turn it into something that can be changed safely.

 Will you move us off our expensive hosting?

Where it makes sense, yes. For MBS we moved five sites to infrastructure they own and we monitor, and the bill went from about $2,900 a month to about $80.

 Do we have to keep you on retainer afterward?

No. We can run it for you, or hand it over documented and clean so it keeps working whether or not you keep us. Either way, you own it.

Start here

## Hand off the store that’s become a liability.

Tell us what you inherited and what scares you about touching it. We will tell you what it would take to take it over, make it cheaper to run, and keep it going. The first working session is free, with no obligation.

[Talk through your situation](https://www.novatori.us/contact) [See all Solutions](https://www.novatori.us/solutions)