The retainer
from $2,000/mo
Vol. VI · MMXXVI

A standing operations and systems partner, with the build included.

Ongoing operational and systems partnership for founders whose backend needs steady leadership, systems oversight, and bounded build work, instead of fixing it once and watching it drift.

Start with an Operational Clarity Session

§ 01 · what it is

The ongoing form of the partnership.

The retainer is ongoing operational and systems leadership at a scope set through your Operational Clarity Session and refined during Operational Onboarding. 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.

Custom development and AI automation are included as standard scope, one active priority at a time. That is the structural difference between this and a generic OBM retainer.

§ 02 · how a retainer starts

Every retainer starts with an Operational Clarity Session.

The sales call confirms fit. The session scopes and prices the partnership before you sign.

  • Every retainer starts with an Operational Clarity Session.

    The sales call confirms mutual fit. The Operational Clarity Session then provides the depth needed to quote a six-month relationship responsibly.

  • The session produces scope, fee, and direction.

    The written follow-up brief includes the recommended scope, the proposed monthly fee, and an initial 90-day direction.

  • The proposal follows the session.

    If mutual fit is clear, the proposal follows, sometimes with a short video walkthrough in my voice.

  • The session fee does not credit back.

    The session is paid because the session happens. It does not credit back to the retainer or custom development.

See the Operational Clarity Session →

§ 03 · the six-month structure

A full operating cycle, not a padded 90-day plan.

The six-month minimum exists because the work needs time to move through onboarding, implementation, and stabilization. Shorter engagements only chase quick fixes.

Month 1

Operational Onboarding

  • Access review
  • Workflow review
  • Tool review
  • Context gathering
  • Communication and cadence setup
  • Immediate risk scan
  • Scope confirmation
  • Refinement of the first 90-day operating focus

The audit framework is used internally here. You are not buying a separate public diagnostic.

Months 2 to 4

First 90-Day Operating Cycle

  • One primary operational priority
  • One active custom development or AI automation priority at a time
  • Workflow refinement
  • Documentation as the work changes
  • Operational reporting and summaries

Months 5 to 6

Stabilization and Next Layer

  • Refine what was built or changed
  • Stabilize workflows
  • Clean up handoffs
  • Update documentation
  • Review what is working
  • Define the next operating cycle

§ 04 · what it includes

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 or automation priority at a time, sized to your scope. No ceiling where the work stops and you have to go hire a developer.

  • Ongoing operational oversight.

    Steady stewardship as the business runs: catching issues before they compound and surfacing operational risks to you.

  • Systems and process design.

    Mapping workflows, finding bottlenecks, and building the operational architecture the business needs to scale without breaking.

  • Workflow stewardship and refinement.

    Lead-to-onboarding, client delivery, offboarding and renewal flows, improved over time rather than built once and left.

  • Project coordination and delivery.

    Defining goals, planning the work, delegating, and closing projects cleanly inside the retainer.

  • Team and contractor coordination.

    The operational hub that keeps work moving across your people, without HR-style management.

  • Launch coordination, with boundaries.

    Timeline planning, sequencing, internal project management, and operational oversight of launch tech. Not launch copy, asset design, or marketing execution.

  • SOP documentation and maintenance.

    When workflows change or new ones get built, the SOPs get written or updated, so the work does not live only in your head.

  • Operational metrics and reporting.

    Tracking the operational numbers that matter and surfacing them in regular reporting so you can decide with the facts.

  • Async support during business hours.

    Asynchronous communication on your designated platform, with responses within 24 to 48 hours.

  • Studio hours.

    A standing access window, with one monthly strategy session by default and more for complex engagements.

  • Regular written summaries.

    Work completed, decisions made, and next steps, sent on a regular cadence.

§ 05 · what it does not include

Bounded, on purpose.

The boundaries are what keep the relationship sustainable, and what keep the retainer from quietly becoming an unlimited build queue.

  • Major standalone build projects. Anything that would take weeks of focused build is a custom development project, quoted separately and run alongside the retainer.
  • Net-new platforms or applications. Building a new platform from scratch is custom development work, not retainer scope.
  • After-hours availability. All work happens during business hours. No texts, no weekend emergencies. The relationship is bounded for everyone's sustainability.
  • HR-style team management. Hiring, firing, performance reviews, and payroll stay with you or an internal operator. This is operational leadership, not HR.
  • Revenue, marketing, or client acquisition promises. The retainer promises the quality of the operational work, not outcomes that depend on your own delivery, marketing, and sales.

§ 06 · pricing and commitment

The terms, plainly.

Starting at
$2,000/mo
Final fee set in the proposal that follows your Operational Clarity Session, against your real complexity.
Most engagements
$2,500 to $3,000
Higher-complexity engagements range up to $4,000 a month.
Commitment
6 months
Then month to month, with 45 days written notice after the initial term.

Six-month minimum, then month to month · 45 days written notice · no pause clause

§ 07 · begin

The backend, handled, month after month.

Every retainer starts with an Operational Clarity Session: paid strategic scoping that sets the scope and the fee against your real complexity, then the partnership begins from there.

Start with an Operational Clarity Session

Let me know your thoughts and we can go from there.