General Info & Logistics
Details and answers to common questions about the site, my service plans, and working with me.
Do I have to make a member account to book a session?
Yes. Because my services all require an ongoing relationship with my clients, you have to create an account and be a "member" of one of my service plans in order to book sessions. This is true for coaching and advisory services. As my practice evolves, your member account will also give you access to documents, articles, and other content to support you and your work.
Do I have to sign up for recurring payments?
Yes. As a business of one, I rely on recurring payments and autopay to make sure I can focus on my clients and their businesses without having to spend a lot of time managing my own. I appreciate the consistency this provides, and am grateful to my clients for what they do on their end to make recurring payments work.
Is the 30 minute intro call the only way to book time with you for free?
Yes, but if you would like a longer time to talk together before choosing a service plan, please send me a note through the contact form and let me know. I'll contact you to find a longer time slot for us.
Do you offer refunds?
Refunds are not available for monthly plans, however recurring payments can be cancelled at any time no later than 7 days before the next billing date. For annual retainer plans, clients can request a 50% refund of the remaining balance on their annual payment calculated from the following month.
What is the difference between Business Smarts for Hire and Coaching services?
Coaching is for any individual who wants support on the kinds of life choices and transformations I specialize in. Business Smarts for Hire is for people who need help to increase their business and leadership skills over time while receiving critical support with the ongoing operations of an existing organization. If you’re unsure which service is right for you, please book an intro call and we can talk it through together.
What happens when one of us takes time off?
I promise to be available for live calls and meetings for at least two calendar weeks of every month. I will work with you to schedule calls and key milestones around 'out of office' time (yours or mine) and will give you notice of upcoming time away as early as possible so we can reduce any impact. For Business Smarts clients, I'm often available for questions and lightweight support via Slack when I'm not open for live calls.
Can we work together in person?
For established clients in the Portland, OR area, I am open to some in-person sessions at a public venue or at your home. I am not planning to receive clients in my office at this time. If you have accommodation needs that affect your ability to get the most from online sessions, please contact me to discuss options. For Business Smarts clients, traveling to your location to do intensive work together is always an option. For example a team retreat, strategy sprint, or other focused activity for one or more days can generate big results and I am 100% here for that!
Business Smarts for Hire
Details and answers to common questions
How is this service different from other business consulting?
The clients who get the biggest value and results from working with me often started our first meeting with, “We know we should probably just hire a consultant but we can’t afford one.” Big consulting firms are generally focused on doing things FOR you. They promise specific outcomes or deliverables, put some of their folks to work on them, and charge hourly for those people’s time. I can’t tell you how often I have heard clients complain about spending huge amounts of money for consultants to come in and design a complex strategy or make big changes that the clients cannot sustain on their own. I do not want my clients to stay reliant on me, and I'm not in the business of doing things FOR anyone. I’m a coach, mentor, and educator because I love helping people learn new skills, succeed where they thought they couldn’t, and find ways to use tools and hacks to do most of the things that expensive consultants do. I promise you we can find ways for you to do things yourself without adding to your current stress and workload. And honestly, I don’t need to keep people dependent on me to stay in business. Every time a client gets confident handling something new on their own, there is always something else waiting for us to work on together. Growing businesses are like that :)
There are so many things I need to work on. How will I decide what to ask for your help with?
Every Business Smarts client comes to me with a complex and unique set of circumstances. The first thing we do together is a thorough intake so I can understand what we’re working with. You’ll tell me about your org’s history, mission, and vision, your current team, your customers, your products or services, your business model, and what current challenges and opportunities you’re focused on (or wish you could focus on). Then I will come back to you with an assessment and some recommendations, based on my own insights and what you’ve told me are the biggest problems or goals. With all that on the table,together we will make a plan for the first 6-12 months with a few solid outcomes or milestones to work towards.
Do you only work with businesses? What about non-profits?
My hot take: nonprofits are also businesses. A bookkeeper friend of mine has started exclusively using the term ‘tax exempt business’ for his nonprofit clients to help shift the idea that they shouldn’t be trying to increase their revenues and ‘normal’ business stuff doesn’t apply to them. I do work with nonprofits and have had some big wins with those clients. At the end of the day most nonprofits exist to serve a mission and make an impact, and to do that they need resources and people to do the work. A healthy, thriving, revenue-positive organization can do so much more good in the world than a struggling, stressed, under-resourced organization. I understand that founders and leaders of nonprofits are often coming from a community or public service background and may even have resistance to the idea of offering things for sale or raising the professionalism of the internal culture. I can help you find a balance that keeps your culture and values in focus while using for-profit business methods to help you achieve and grow your mission.
Coaching
Details and answers to common questions
Why does the bi-weekly coaching package cost $200 but allow me to book 3 sessions a month?
The intention for bi-weekly plans is for us to see each other every two weeks. Because some calendar months may include more than four calendar weeks, I've setup the plan to allow you to book a third session when this situation occurs. Clients on the $200 a month plan should expect to book two sessions most months.
Are all sessions online? Can I come to your office or have you come to my home for sessions?
For established clients in the Portland, OR area, I am open to discussing some in-person sessions at a public venue or at your home. I am not planning to receive clients in my office at this time. If you have accommodation needs that affect your ability to get the most from online sessions, please contact me to discuss options.
What happens if I don't use all my sessions each month?
Pre-paid sessions do not rollover and cannot be used in future months. The intention of monthly coaching plans is to encourage you to weave our sessions and the homework between them into your regular schedule and create a rhythm for the work we're doing together. This supports your accountability to yourself and your goals, and keeps me current on evolving situations so I can provide personalized coaching without spending too much time catching up at the beginning of each call. If you would like to spread your sessions out more, you may choose the 6-pack bundle as a better fit for you.
Do the 6 pack sessions have to be used within 6 months?
Yes, they expire 6 months after purchase. I’ve found that waiting too long between sessions can draw out the process of reaching or evolving your goals, and can create a situation where we spend so much time catching up at the beginning of each session that it’s hard to make real progress in the time we have together. However, with the 6 pack plan, you are welcome to schedule the sessions with whatever cadence you like. For example, we could see each other weekly for three or four weeks, take a month or two break, then repeat. If you're having a hard time choosing the right plan, please reach out for a free intro session via the button at the bottom of this page and we can discuss options.