A retainer is an amount of money paid upfront to secure my services for your business. It is based on the value of having access to my knowledge, experience and expertise and allows you to call on me to assist with driving your strategy forward without specifying times or what the type of help is that you will need. It allows the maximum amount of flexibility to the support I can offer and ensures that I can focus in on your business and the strategy.

I have been a qualified coach for over 16 years, but I don’t call myself a coach anymore – most of the support I offer is advisory and so does not fall into the ‘coaching’ category. I like to say I am a consultant with a coaching methodology – so I will tell you what you need to do, but help you embed it into your own mindset and approach.  It’s a combination of theory and practical guidance.

I have clients who I have worked with for a month and others that I have worked with for over a year! It really depends on the objectives that we discuss when we begin to work together. Some of the programs such as the Back To Business Career program is for a specified amount of sessions, but these can be taken at a frequency and pace that suits your needs. The Team Strategy and Change Strategy services are typically time bound as agreed with the client, based on their own targets. The retainer service is for an initial minimum period of six months and then reviewed regularly.

Because my work is strategic and operational, I can work with any business in any sector. Typically, I work with startups who are looking to secure funding (or who have secured their initial buildout funding), or businesses who are 2-3 years old and on a path of rapid growth. Increasingly, I am asked to work with more established SMEs that are needing to adapt their strategy to remain commercially competitive.

I help most of my clients prepare for funding, by helping them prepare and review their pitch decks, their financial models and forecasts and help them develop the gravitas and credibility that they will need to demonstrate to attract investors. Because of my own experience in the financial sector, I can help navigate the processes and systems that many larger investment organisations use so that you feel comfortable leading the conversation. I also maintain relationships with several accelerators and funding organisations because they appreciate that I can help startups be ready for immediate impact from funding.

Some payments are taken immediately upon securing my services – for example the career strategy program is paid before the first session. The retainer is a regular payment taken on the same day each month. Payment for work done on team or change strategy is covered within the engagement agreement. I can take payment via Stripe or I also use a system called Iwoca Pay to provide easier ways of payment to my customers, including the ability to stagger the payments across a three month period (includes a small service fee).