Now offering monthly retainers
Dedicated support from the person who already knows your business.
A set number of hours every month, reserved for you, from the person who already knows your business inside and out. For owners who have more on the list than they have hands for, and who want it handled by someone who already gets it.
Here's how it works:
At the start of each month we get on a quick call, I bring what I think we should do, you tell me what you think, and then I go do it. The goal is to handle as much as I can on my own so it isn't sitting on your plate. You've got a business to run, and your time is always going to be the ceiling. I'm here to raise it.
What's actually different here
01
You never have to re-explain your business.
We built the site together, so I already know your offers, your tools, your customers, and what you're reaching for next. When something comes up, you send it over and I'm on it. Next month, I pick up right where we left off.
02
You get a plan, so you're not guessing.
What's worth doing next, what can wait, and what we should stop doing altogether. Honestly, sometimes we won't know until we try something, but when we try it we put a number on it, so we can see what's working and let go of what isn't. You get a framework to work inside of instead of a pile of ideas.
03
It gets done, and it doesn't come back to you as a to-do list.
Visionaries rarely get stuck at the idea. They get stuck in the middle: knowing exactly what they want, and not having the right person to build it with them. I’ve spent my career in that middle, working alongside founders to map their ideas into steps, and then doing the steps myself instead of handing them back.
04
Your site and your tools keep up with you.
I'm in Squarespace, Shopify, and the email, booking, and CRM tools around them every day, so I know what's newly possible and what's about to break. When something's worth using on your site, you get it early. When two of your tools stop talking to each other, I notice before you do.
“Having Ciera on retainer is like having an in-house developer who knows our brand, our team, and our vision, and is ready to help us grow. She is so aligned with our aesthetic, voice, and values that she feels like a true member of the team. … We are a lean start-up and cannot yet afford a full-time developer, but every minute we have with Ciera is value added and worth every penny.”
Sarah Weihman
Founder and CEO, Paradis Sport
Three sizes. Same access.
Pick the number of hours that matches how much you've got going on. Everything else is the same at every size: you're working with me directly, your work goes to the front of my week, and when I spot something worth doing in your business, you hear about it from me first.
Where the hours go looks a little different for every client. For some people it's mostly the site and the systems around it. For others it's email, launches, ads, and a calendar that keeps all of it on track. For most it's some of each. We'll map it together on our first call, and we'll keep adjusting as your business changes.
You want someone thinking about the business between requests, bringing ideas, and getting the next thing out the door.
You want the marketing and the moving parts around it owned, start to finish, without hiring for it yet.
There's a lot running at once, and you want one person on it every week who keeps all of it moving.
Outside a retainer, my rate is $175 an hour.
What comes with the hours, whichever size you choose.
- PriorityRetainer work goes to the front of my week. Same-day acknowledgment, a timeline within 24 hours.
- Me, directlyNo handoffs, no account manager, no junior dev. The person who built your site is the person doing the work.
- Ideas, unpromptedI'm in these platforms every day. When something becomes worth doing on your site or in your tools, you hear about it from me first.
- 3-month cyclesReal strategic work needs runway. Retainers renew automatically, with 30 days notice to make changes.
- Auto-charge on the 1stOne predictable line item on your statement. No invoices to chase.
- 30-day graceIf retainer doesn't feel right in the first month, we move back to a la carte. No penalty.
FAQ
Questions you might have.
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That depends on your business, which is the honest answer. For some clients it's keeping the site current and the systems behind it running: new pages, updates, SEO, the tools wired together. For others it reaches further: email, lead magnets, launches, ads and ad creative, a blogging schedule that actually gets kept, and tracking on all of it so we can see what's working. Most people land somewhere in between, and it shifts over the year.
On our first call we'll look at what's coming up for you over the next few months and map the hours to it. Then we adjust as we go.
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That's my job to prevent, not yours to worry about. On every tier I'm keeping an eye out for things worth doing, and on the bigger tiers I'm bringing you the plan, so the hours have somewhere to go before the month even starts.
Hours don't roll over, because the point is to use them well, not stack them up for later. If we're consistently under, that's a sign we should talk about whether you're on the right tier, and I'll be the one to bring it up.
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Most requests get touched the same week you send them, and often the same day. Work happens through a shared doc, so you can drop something in whenever it crosses your mind and I'll pick it up next time I'm in.
Retainer clients go to the front of the line. In practice, that means you hear back from me the same day, with a clear timeline within 24 hours.
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Of course. Tier changes happen at the start of each 3-month cycle. If you want to step down, just let me know 30 days before your current cycle ends and we'll adjust at renewal.
Upgrades are easier. If you're growing into more, you can move up anytime, and I'll prorate the difference for the rest of your current cycle.
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Big projects get scoped and quoted on their own. Retainer hours are for the ongoing work of running your business online and keeping everything in step. A full redesign or a platform move is its own conversation, with its own timeline and fee.
We can absolutely do both at once, and your retainer keeps running for everything else in the meantime.
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It renews into another 3-month cycle automatically. If you want to cancel, switch tiers, or pause for a slow season, let me know 30 days before your current cycle ends and we'll make it happen.
The 3-month structure exists because this kind of work needs a little runway. Booking month to month would keep us in setup mode, and you deserve better than that.would mean we'd always be in setup mode, never in flow.
Next step
Tell me what's coming up.
Send me a note with what's on deck for your business over the next few months. I'll get back to you within one business day with a tier recommendation. And if it doesn't feel like the right time, that's okay too. It's here when you need it.