Pricing
A clear number before anything starts.
I don't publish rates, and I want to be upfront about why. The work is different every time. A two-week project and a six-month engagement aren't the same thing, and neither is a business with everything documented versus one where it all lives in someone's head.
What I can tell you is how engagements are shaped, what moves the number, and how to make the first conversation useful. You'll have a clear cost before any work begins.
How engagements are shaped
Most work falls into one of three shapes.
One Project, Start to Finish
Something specific that needs to happen: a launch, an event, a system that needs rebuilding, a website. I scope it, run it, and hand it back finished. Usually a flat project fee..
A Few Hours A Month
Ongoing support for the things that keep slipping. Good if you don't need a full-time person but do need someone paying attention between the big pushes. Usually a monthly retainer.
Embedded for a Stretch
Deeper involvement for a busy season, a big transition, or while you're short-staffed. I work like part of your team for a defined period.
What Moves the Number
A few things make the same kind of work cost more or less.
Scope. How much of it is mine. Running a project end to end is different from stepping in for the last stretch.
Timeline. A comfortable runway costs less than a compressed one, because compressed timelines mean more hours in less time and fewer options when something goes wrong.
What already exists. If your processes are documented and your files are organized, we start further along. If nothing's written down, the first part of the work is finding out how things actually run.
How many people are involved. Coordinating with one person is not the same as coordinating across a team and four vendors.
None of these are surprises once we've talked. They're just what I'm thinking about when I put a number together.
Before We Talk
The first conversation doesn't commit you to anything. It's about thirty minutes to figure out whether I can help and what that would look like. A few things make it more useful.
Come with the problem, not the solution
You don't need a scope or a plan. Bring what's not working, what's eating your time, or what you've been putting off. Working out what the actual job is comes next.
Bring Your Budget
I know that isn't how this usually goes, but I'd rather know early. If what you need costs more than you have, I'll tell you, and we'll talk about what a smaller version looks like. If there's more room than the job requires, I'll tell you that too, and where else it might be worth spending. Neither of us benefits from finding that out three conversations in.
Keep the first call small
Two or three people who know the situation beats a full team meeting. Once we know what we're dealing with, we can bring in whoever else needs to be involved.
Nothing Is Locked In
Afterward you'll get a written scope and a number: what's included, what isn't, and what it costs. You can take it, change it, or leave it. If the scope shifts once we're working, we talk about it first. No surprise invoices.
What are you working on?
Tell me what you need and I'll tell you what it takes. If I'm not the right person, I'll say so and try to point you somewhere better.