RETAINERS
Join the Waitlist
To make sure every client gets the focus and care they deserve, I now offer a waitlist for new clients seeking a reduced hourly rate.
Existing Clients: Don’t worry! If we’ve already worked together on a project, you do not need to fill out the New Client Interest Form below. Just skip ahead to your chosen retainer. Our monthly meetings will continue to be blocked off. Our agreed upon rate will still be locked in at that rate.
New Clients: For folks I’ve never worked with, joining the waitlist ensures you’ll be the first to know when new openings become available. Current wait time to start retainers: 2-4 weeks
Are you prepared…. ? Plan ahead to get ahead.
Are you prepared…. ? Plan ahead to get ahead.
Monthly Marketing Retainers
Pre-pay and plan ahead with a monthly retainer!
For ongoing monthly support, I offer discounted retainer packages that are paid in advance and billed automatically each month via card on file:
Each retainer is designed for strategy, execution and refinement. One hour per month is reserved for your monthly meeting/reporting; the remaining hours are used for project work.
Additional hours beyond your monthly allotment will be billed at $175/hour and invoiced manually on the 15th of each month. Be sure to read the disclaimer below.
Monthly Retainer Includes:
Agendas
A brief agenda sent the day before our meeting to help us stay on track and make the most of our time. Can be adjusted as priorities shift.
Meetings
Based on the retainer you select, we can have weekly meetings.
For example a 1 Hour Retainer includes one virtual meeting per month. We tackle whatever the time allows.
If you choose 5 Hours, 10 Hours, 15 Hours, or 20 Hours a month, weekly meetings MUST be booked in advance.
Recordings
Demonstrations and walkthrough videos are available upon request. Please let me know before the meeting if you’d like it recorded.
Execution
Remaining hours (after meeting time) are dedicated to project execution — including writing, design, editing, refinements, and research.
Documentation
A shared project management document to track progress, note updates, and collaborate with your team or virtual assistant.
Reporting
A one-page analytics summary available monthly upon request if I have access to your Google, Bing, Squarespace, YouTube, and Meta accounts. Be sure to allocate time to connect these!
Does NOT Include:
Third-Party Subscriptions
Any external tools or platforms such as Canva, Calendly, Squarespace, Adobe, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads.
New Website Builds
Full website builds are not included in retainers. If you’d like to discuss a new website project, please book a time [here]. All website projects start at $3,000+.
Highly Technical Support
Services outside the scope of our written agreement are not included. I’m not a virtual assistant, photographer, videographer, cybersecurity expert, bookkeeper, accountant, attorney, operations manager, HR specialist, or PR manager — but I’m happy to recommend trusted professionals in my network.
Last-Minute Requests
To respect all clients’ time, meetings must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance. Retainers do not include last-minute or emergency “fire drill” requests.
Texting
Please refrain from sending project requests via text. Texts should only be used for time-sensitive updates (e.g., running late or needing to cancel a meeting). All project communication should be sent by email.
Monthly Retainer Terms
Each monthly retainer includes strategy, execution, and refinements.
One (1) hour is reserved each month for reporting and analytics, and any recurring meetings must be scheduled in advance.
Additional Hours
Work beyond your monthly retainer will be billed at $150/hour and manually invoiced on the 15th of each month.
Please note there are no discounts for additional hours beyond your prepaid retainer. To make the most of our time together, come prepared to scheduled meetings and select the retainer size that best fits your needs.
Example
If you have a 10-hour monthly retainer but need an additional 5 hours of work just for one month, you will have the option to increase your retainer or I can bill those hours at $150/hour ($750 total).
By purchasing a monthly retainer, you acknowledge and agree to the terms outlined above.
Let’s talk retainers!
Why Choose a Retainer?
Great question! We all have busy lives and countless responsibilities. A retainer is designed to be a mutually beneficial agreement that provides structure, clarity, and consistency for both of us.
By subscribing to a retainer, we can regularly dedicate time to align on your goals, strategy, and next steps — helping you plan for success instead of reacting to the unexpected.
I also offer project-based pricing for one-time or clearly defined projects (such as a new website build). If that’s a better fit, you can book time to discuss here.
As an entrepreneur myself, I understand that priorities shift and schedules change. Retainers help us both plan ahead while allowing flexibility when life (or business) happens. If a retainer isn’t the right fit, you can always book a one-time consultation or request hourly billing (with written approval).
After years of last-minute requests and unnecessary stress, I’ve built this process to ensure we’re both invested, aligned, and ready to get things done.
Note: “Discrete” here means a clearly defined, one-off project — not a secret one (though I do occasionally work with startups in stealth mode). If an NDA is required, please note that rates are adjusted to reflect the added scope and confidentiality. I do not offer performance-based contracts.
How do I get started?
Book an initial call on my calendar to discuss deliverables, timeline and scope of work: https://calendly.com/dodgeashley
Select the appropriate retainer for your goals: 1 Hour, 5 Hours, 10 Hours, 15 Hours, or 20 Hours
I’ll book a kickoff call where we will schedule out a cadence of meetings, walk through the project document, and discuss expectations on metrics, deliverables, timeline, and the value of the work
Note: If your budget changes, we can always adjust for the next month. Clients often need much more assistance in the early stages of starting up for the things they don’t know they needed until we chat. My goal is to help you save time and money. I don’t get paid for work I didn’t do.
Ex. If you’re looking to be on first page of Google’s Organic Search Results in a highly competitive or crowded industry, be prepared to invest hours of research, planning, and execution to make it happen. Don’t expect any overnight success or going viral on day one.
What type of work would this include?
This could be continued edits to your website, reviewing reporting from Google or Social Media platforms, creating digital or print marketing collateral, scheduling out LinkedIn posts, drafting newsletters, ghostwriting blog posts, refining a strategy, collecting testimonials, doing audience analysis or competitor research. It just depends on how you want to allocate the time we have together and what you’re after.
Doing consistent work together offers better results because there’s a lot of researching, planning, executing, and analyzing that goes into strategy. A retainer also means a discounted rate for consistency so we can continue building on our wins.
Why is this a subscription via Stripe?
I realized that not everyone wanted to use the calendar link, but it was taking a lot more back and forth to book appointments ad hoc. And I ended up doing a lot of work for free because I couldn’t find the time to invoice for emergency phone calls here and there while I’m busy trying to complete projects and win new work.
This monthly retainer reflects a commitment to be strategic about tackling your most pressing needs and staying on track with your marketing and overall business goals. I’ve also had some awkward calls where someone wanted to trade hot sauce or gift cards for work I’d already done. Stripe makes things SUPER easy for clients to budget hours and for me to budget time.
As a Marketing Director, this is how I hired out and paid for external marketing help but at a much higher rate for a whole lot less. Most agencies charge $1,000- $2,500 a month but you won’t have a revolving door of staff members as a point of contact. You’ll have me.
What if I do not use time from the retainer?
The automatic subscription model is meant to save you time remembering to pay and me the grief of tracking down payments or not getting paid. You most proved 30 days of written notice and cancel the subscription from your invoice and Stripe account. If you do not see these receipts, please contact me immediately.
If you start a retainer in January and cancel in October but we have not met since September, I cannot issue a refund beyond the most recent month.
Note: Refunds take 5–10 days to appear on a your statement. Stripe's fees for the original payment won't be returned, but there are no additional fees for the refund.
How will I measure ROI?
Before getting started, we will be sure to define tangible benefits and specific outcomes you can expect. For websites that means building a website, tracking visitor traffic, improving conversion rates, and enhanced brand visibility. For newsletters, my clients often see a 30-60% open rate and +10% click rate by using proven strategies and good design. For social proof, that could be gathering testimonials. I don’t pursue vanity metrics and want to make sure our strategies increase awareness and boost sales. My hope is to provide long-term value long after we have worked together.
No. Free. Work.
As a working parent, I have a strict NO FREE WORK policy.
That means I don’t ask friends for free work and hope friends don’t ask either.
To respect everyone’s time, please book a zero-risk 15 minute call to “pick my brain,” 45 minutes to scope out PAID work, or a consultation call as needed.
DISCLAIMER:
You’ll be charged the amount and at the frequency listed at checkout on Stripe until you cancel. Using this link locks in rates in perpetuity until you cancel in writing. By subscribing, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and you authorize Stripe to store your payment method for renewals and other third party purchases you may set up on Squarespace, Canva, Adobe, etc.
No refunds for unused hours each month. Up to 1 hour can carry over to the following month when booked in advance but expires 30 days after canceling a subscription.
For example if you have a 15 hour retainer in June and only used 14 hours, I’m happy to book one last strategy meeting in July. I will make a concerted effort to encourage booking that time but failure to respond to my outreach will result in the forfeiture of that pre-paid time.
Please contact me with any questions or concerns you have so that I can clear up any confusion in advance.
Simply cancel, pause, or update your subscription within 2 days of the automatic charge. Written notice is required. No refunds.