The retainer
from $2,000/mo
Vol. VI · MMXXVI
A standing operations and systems partner, with the build included.
Ongoing leadership that keeps the backend sound as the business grows, instead of fixing it once and watching it drift.
§ 01 · what it is
The ongoing form of the partnership.
The retainer is month-to-month operational and systems leadership at a scope set by your diagnostic. It is for operators who are done fixing the backend in one-off bursts and want one partner who keeps it current as the business changes.
§ 02 · what you get
Included every month.
One partner for both halves: the operations kept sound, and the build that most partnerships hand off.
Custom development and AI automation, included.
One active build priority at a time, sized to your scope. No “you’ll need a developer for that” ceiling.
Operational and systems oversight.
Kept at the scope your diagnostic set, and adjusted as the business changes.
SOPs written and kept current.
So the work stops living in your head, and stays current instead of going stale.
Studio hours.
A standing access window, with one monthly strategy session by default and more for complex engagements.
§ 03 · how it starts
Every retainer starts with a diagnostic.
The audit sets both the scope and the monthly fee against your real complexity, so the partnership is priced on what the business actually needs, not a guess.
Net-new platforms and major rebuilds are scoped separately as custom development projects that run alongside it. The retainer is the Maintain phase of how we work, made ongoing.
§ 04 · the facts
The terms, plainly.
- Investment
- From $2,000/mo
- Final fee set in your diagnostic proposal, against your real complexity.
- Terms
- 6-month minimum
- Then month to month, with 45 days’ notice.
- Included every month
- The build
- Custom development and AI automation, as standard scope.
§ 05 · begin
The backend, handled, month after month.
The diagnostic is how I scope it: the audit sets the scope and the fee against your real complexity, then the partnership begins from there.
Let me know your thoughts and we can go from there.