how I work.
I’m an advocate of transparency, clarity and value. Many organizations are wary of working with consultants because expectations aren’t aligned and the value of the relationship is often unclear. If we choose to work together, I want to be certain I understand your expectations so I can deliver on them. I also want you to know exactly what you’re paying for and to feel that you are getting exceptional value.
My contracts are managed through the specialty consulting firm I founded in 2019, Break of Day, LLC. In addition to my own expertise and services, I may recommend that you work with one of the consultants on my team or that we take a team approach on your project.
structure
Duration. I’m at my best when each day or week is different, allowing me to bring fresh energy and focus every day and pushing me to be organized and efficient. I enjoy short-term (1 to 2 month) and one-off projects as well as long-term (3 to 12+ month) retainer relationships that allow me to fully integrate into a team or organization.
Communication. Throughout the course of our engagement, I’ll check in with you often to be sure we are both feeling good about progress. I’ll give you regular updates so you know how things are going and will give you plenty of notice if it looks like I’ll need more time than originally planned.
Location: I am based in Door County, Wisconsin and work mostly from my home office, although most projects will require time onsite at your location. Depending on the project, it might make sense to have several onsite meetings/sessions throughout our engagement or just initial/final meetings. This is completely flexible. I enjoy traveling for work and can generally book this into my schedule without issues.
rates
Initial consultations are free. During this 30-45 minute conversation, we’ll talk more about your needs and determine if we are a good match. If we decide to move forward, my rates and those of my firm’s co-consultants are hourly (actual time, not 15 or 30-minute increments) or project based depending on the scenario.
Work will begin once we have a signed contract in place.
A monthly retainer may be more cost-effective for longer-term (3+ months) or more intensive (50+ hours/month) projects. Ongoing or recurring engagements will be discounted. Nonprofit clients always receive a 25% discount on hourly rates.
I don’t publish my rates here on the site because, honestly, they are a guide and I often adjust them based on the project. It’s one of the reasons I chose the flexibility of this work. Additionally, I often partner with co-consultants with particular areas of expertise on projects and customize a proposal based on our collaborative efforts.
That said, I’m happy to email my rate sheet to you on request, just email me.
fine print
Our engagement agreement will cover these details and more, but here are a few things I’d like to highlight before we get started.
50% of estimated project cost/engagement fee is due upon contract signing.
Once all contract deliverables have been satisfied, I will send an invoice and payment is due within 14 business days.
There is never a charge for brief emails or phone calls that require no additional research, work or follow-up. Please don’t hesitate to call or email because you think you’ll be charged with every interaction!
Additional expenses that may be required (e.g. materials, printing, nonstandard
software or licenses, shipping, etc.) will be billed on an actual cost
basis.My invoices will include detailed line item billing with descriptive time sheets.
Rates are higher for holidays, overtime and rush requests.
Travel outside of Wisconsin will be billed in the following manner:
Airfare (main cabin) and hotel at cost
Meals + incidentals at current US Government Per Diem Rate
Local transportation and parking at cost
Personal vehicle transportation at the current US Government Mileage
Rate