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Monthly Retainer

It's not one thing that needs fixing. It's everything, and you're the one holding it all together.

Someone in the business with you every month, reducing the load and fixing the causes, not just the symptoms.

You've reached the point where the business is running through you and you already know that isn't sustainable. You've thought about a VA, or you've thought about an OBM, but neither of those is quite the shape of what you need. You don't just want someone to manage what's already there. You need someone who can see what needs to change, and then build it.

That's what the monthly retainer is. An operations retainer for service-based founders, with me as your strategic operations partner sitting between an OBM and a fractional COO. Each month I advise on what needs to change, then implement it myself: the systems, automations and AI workflows that make it stick.

The point isn't to keep the wheels turning. It's to fix why the wheels needed you turning them in the first place.

Advice plus implementation, in one partner. A VA handles tasks. An OBM coordinates projects and team. A consultant tells you what to fix and leaves. I sit between an OBM and a fractional COO. I advise on what needs to change, then I do the work alongside you. Two hires worth of value, in one engagement.

I'm Steph Redi. Ten years in corporate operations at some of Australia's largest financial services firms, then five as the operational right hand to a senior executive, advising on what needed to change and staying in the room to build it. That combination of strategic thinking and hands-on implementation is exactly what the retainer is built on.

How it works

01 Book a free discovery call Thirty minutes, no obligation. We talk through where the business is sitting, what's costing you the most, and whether working together makes sense.
02 Receive your proposal Within 24 to 48 hours of the call, you'll have a proposal that confirms scope, the hours I recommend and the rhythm of how we'll work together.
03 Sign and start Once the agreement is signed, we book a kick-off call. The first 90 days are usually the most active: I get under the bonnet of how everything runs, surface the structural issues and we build the first round of systems.
04 Monthly rhythm After the first 90 days the work shifts. Less reactive, more building. Each month we agree priorities, I do the work, you review, we refine. Less and less of the business sits in your head as we go.

What's included

Investment

From $1,500/month.

All prices AUD, ex-GST. GST not currently applied.

Hours and rate are scoped to what the business actually needs, not a fixed package. We work out the right starting point together on your discovery call, and adjust it as the work evolves.

3-month minimum commitment, then month-to-month. Either party can pause or end after the minimum term with 30 days written notice. Unused hours do not roll over.

This is for you if

✓Your business is running through you and you need someone to help carry the load.
✓You need someone who can see the structural problems and build the systems that fix them.
✓You want ongoing support, not a one-off fix.
✓You're growing and want an operations partner who builds systems as you go.

How to know if it's the right starting point

If you already know exactly what you want built and you don't need ongoing support, a Project Build is a better fit. If you're not sure yet which one fits, book a free discovery call and I'll point you in the right direction.

Book my free discovery call Thirty minutes, no obligation. We'll work out whether the retainer is the right fit.

What happens after we start

The first 90 days

The most active phase. I get under the bonnet of how everything actually runs, surface the structural issues and we build the first round of systems. By the end of the first 90 days, the business is already less dependent on you than it was.

Ongoing months

The mix shifts. Less reactive admin, more proactive building and improving. Each month we agree priorities, I do the work, you review and we refine.

As things settle

The goal isn't to be in the business forever. It's to build something that runs without me and largely without you. As that happens, founders often reduce their hours, or move to project work as needed.

Monthly Retainer questions

The retainer is an ongoing strategic operations partnership. I advise on what needs to change, then implement it myself: systems, automations and AI workflows that make it stick. Advice plus implementation in one engagement, not two different hires. It's not just task management. It's having an experienced operations partner in your corner each month who sees the structural problems and builds the systems that fix them.
The retainer works best for founders who need ongoing support rather than a one-off build. If the business is running through you, the day-to-day is piling up and you need someone to come in and help carry the load while also improving how things run, the retainer is the right fit. It's also well-suited to founders who are growing and want an operations partner who builds systems as the business evolves, rather than a one-time fix.
It varies depending on the business and what's most pressing, but most retainer clients use their hours across a combination of strategic operations work, one or two system builds or automation updates and ad-hoc execution support where it makes sense. As things stabilise and systems are built, the mix shifts. Less reactive, more proactive building and improving. That's the goal.
Retainer pricing starts from $1,500/month. Scope is tailored to what the business actually needs, not a fixed package. All prices AUD, ex-GST. GST not currently applied. We work out the right scope together on your discovery call, and adjust as the work evolves.
Yes. The retainer is open to new leads coming in via discovery call, and to past project build clients who want ongoing support after a build wraps up. There's no requirement to have worked together before.
Three months from the start date. After the minimum term, the retainer continues month-to-month and either party can pause or end with 30 days written notice. The three-month minimum is there because real structural change takes time to see and build, and a one-month engagement doesn't allow either of us to do that properly.
No. Unused hours in a given month are forfeited at month end. The retainer is priced for a consistent monthly rhythm, not for stockpiling time. If you're consistently not using your hours, that's a conversation about adjusting them for next month, not a rollover one.
Any single request estimated at over 3 hours triggers a quick scope conversation before I start, so we're aligned on how much of the month it'll take. If the month as a whole is heading over your agreed hours, I'll flag it before we go over and we'll either roll the extra work into the next month or increase your hours going forward. Nothing goes over silently and you'll never get a surprise invoice.
Email is the default channel for all communication and approvals. That keeps everything in writing and easy to find later. Standard response time is 24 hours within business days (Monday to Friday).
A pause isn't a contractual right, but it's something I can usually accommodate. If you need to pause, we agree the dates and the resumption point in writing before it starts. A pause doesn't reduce the fee for the affected month if it falls inside the three-month minimum, and the resumption point counts towards your minimum term.

Ready to stop carrying it all yourself?

Book a free discovery call and we'll work out whether the retainer is the right type of support for where you are now.

Book my free discovery call
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