How an engagement runs.
Three engagement shapes, what each costs, how we communicate, what you keep when we're done. Written out so you can decide before we talk.
From first contact to first call
You fill in the intake form — a few questions about your business and what you're trying to fix. We read it within 48 hours and reply with a 45-minute call slot.
On that call you talk for most of it. We're listening for whether what you're describing is work we can be useful for. If it's not, we'll say so on the call and usually point at someone who could help. No vanishing for a polite week.
Three engagement shapes
Most work fits one of these. Real engagements sometimes blur. Pick the one that sounds closest and we'll calibrate from there.
1. Defined sprint
A few weeks. A specific job with a specific output. The most common shape. Things people hire us for as sprints:
- CRM builds with data migration from older tools.
- Process documentation for an existing team or before a new hire.
- Hiring pipelines — designing the role, the screen, the onboarding.
- Entity-structure mapping across jurisdictions.
Fixed scope, fixed timeline, fixed price. You get the output, then we leave.
2. Fractional COO retainer
Monthly. A standing weekly call plus async availability between. The call agenda is whatever's hardest that week: a board prep, a difficult hire, an email that's been sitting in drafts for a fortnight, the operating questions that don't fit anyone else's role. For founders who want someone in the room who's done this before, without committing to a full-time hire.
Three-month minimum so there's time to actually be useful.
3. Embedded transition
A few months. Inside your team during an inflection — a merger, a leadership change, a pivot, a turnaround. We run the operational integration, sequence the decisions, hold the calendar accountable while you handle the human side.
Block fee, scoped after the first call. The most involved kind of work we take on.
How fees work
After the first call we send a written proposal: shape, timeline, fee. You know the total before you sign anything. Fixed for sprints, monthly for retainers, block for transitions.
If there's a budget reality that won't fit, mention it on the call. We'll either find a smaller shape that does, or recommend someone else.
Communication while we're working
- Async-first. Slack, email, Loom, shared documents. Calls when they're the right tool, not by default.
- One workspace. We pick one shared place and live in it. Not split across five tools.
- Same-day on weekdays. Email replies within the working day. Urgent things handled urgently; in practice very little actually is.
- Weekends off unless we've explicitly agreed otherwise. Sustainable pace works better for the work and for both sides.
When the engagement ends
You keep everything. CRM configs, documentation, automations, decision logs — all in your accounts, your tools, owned by you. No vendor lock-in, no maintenance dependency.
We stay available for ad-hoc questions afterwards. Sometimes a former client emails six months later with a one-off question and we'll answer it for free. Most ongoing work we take on comes from re-hires, not first-time enquiries.
Confidentiality
We treat the substance of engagements as confidential by default. NDAs are standard and signed before any meaningful detail is shared. The case studies on this site are anonymised; specifics about any actual client don't appear anywhere without permission.