Retainer Model
Revenue is project to project. You close a $15k engagement, deliver, then start from zero again. A retainer is charging clients a fixed monthly fee for ongoing access to your services. It creates predictable revenue and deeper relationships—and it scales better than one-off projects because you're not re-selling every month.
Same expertise, different structure. A consultant who does $15k projects might do 4 a year = $60k. With a retainer—e.g. $5k/month for 2 strategy sessions + async Slack—one client is $60k/year and you're not in constant proposal mode. A coach who sells session-by-session can offer "3 sessions/month + email support—$1,200/month." Retainers smooth revenue and reduce the sell-deliver-sell cycle. They're a form of recurring revenue and work well with value pricing when you define what's included.
Fixed monthly fee. Clear scope. Predictable revenue. Less re-selling.
How to structure one
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Define what's included. "2 strategy sessions per month + async Slack" or "up to 10 hours of support, use as needed." Clarity prevents scope creep. If they want more, it's a new tier or add-on—name it and price it.
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Set the fee. It should reflect the value of ongoing access, not just hours. Often 70–80% of what they'd pay for the same work project-based, in exchange for predictability. E.g. 2 sessions at $750 each = $1,500; retainer at $1,200/month for 2 + Slack is a slight discount for commitment.
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Cap or don't. Some retainers are "2 sessions, that's it." Others are "up to 10 hours." The latter needs a clear cap or you'll get overuse. Either way, put it in writing (scope document or contract).
What breaks
Vague scope. "We'll figure it out" retainers become infinite work. Define what's in and what's out. Extra sessions, extra scope = extra fee or a higher tier.
Underpricing the retainer. If you're doing 15 hours of work for the price of 5 because "they're a retainer client," you've built a loss into your model. Price for the value and the time you'll actually give.