01
18+
Years of cross-disciplinary experience across strategy, design, and technology.
Retained Digital Consulting
Your digital challenges shift month to month, but the need for senior support is constant. You may have tried hiring for this kind of role, but the gap sits between marketing, product, and technology, and no single job title covers it. One-off projects help, but the consultant leaves and the context leaves with them.
That usually means the business needs someone who stays across the full picture and can move between strategy, execution, and enablement as priorities change. Retained consulting gives you ongoing senior digital consulting on a fixed monthly commitment, with the scope flexing to wherever the business needs attention most.
What this covers
Each month, we agree on what matters most and I focus there. The work spans all three of my service pillars.
Direction
Priority planning
Reviewing business goals and digital performance to define what needs attention each month.Vendor and partner oversight
Evaluating vendor deliverables, managing agency relationships, and reviewing third-party work.Digital direction
Setting and adjusting web strategy, product direction, or content planning based on current needs.
Delivery
Web and UX work
Hands-on involvement in web strategy, UX improvements, or site updates as they arise.Technical SEO
Ongoing technical SEO monitoring, audits, and implementation built into the monthly rhythm.Process improvement
Identifying operational bottlenecks and implementing automation or workflow changes.
Capability
Team training
Running sessions on tools, processes, or disciplines relevant to that month's priorities.Documentation and SOPs
Building and maintaining the guidelines the team needs to sustain quality independently.Cross-function alignment
Facilitating communication between marketing, product, and engineering when decisions need to be joined up.
Process
How I work
I commit 8 to 10 days per month, with weekly check-ins and fortnightly progress updates. I work embedded with the team, attend regular meetings, and stay across the context between sessions. I take a maximum of two retained clients at any time because the work requires depth. The minimum commitment is three months, with quarterly reviews to assess whether the engagement is working for both sides.
02
100%Client return rate. Every client that needed further work came back.
Who this is for
For businesses that need ongoing senior digital support without a full-time hire.
Priorities shift every quarter
Your digital needs change month to month. You need someone who can shift between strategy, execution, and training without losing context.
The gap has no job title
The role you need sits between marketing, product, and technology. You have tried to hire for it and the right candidate does not exist as a permanent position.
One-off projects are not enough
You have worked with consultants on isolated projects before. The results were good, but without ongoing involvement they were not sustained or connected to each other. Retained consulting is the right model when the work is continuous.
Growing faster than the team
The business is scaling and the digital foundations need continuous senior attention that your current team cannot provide alone.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a typical month look like in a retained engagement?
It depends on where the priorities fall. One month might focus on web strategy and technical SEO. The next might shift to vendor evaluation or team training. We set the focus at the start of each month based on what matters most, and I provide a progress update every two weeks.
Why is the minimum commitment three months?
The first month involves understanding the business, the team, and the current state of things. Real value in retained consulting comes from accumulated context. Three months is the minimum for that context to build and for the engagement to deliver meaningful results.
How is this different from hiring a fractional CTO or CDO?
I work across strategy, design, and development. Most fractional executives operate within a single discipline. Retained digital consulting means one person connects the decisions across product, UX, web strategy, technical SEO, and operations, and does the hands-on work as well.
Can the scope include work that falls under your other services?
Yes. Retained consulting is the engagement model that wraps around all my other services. If the business needs web strategy one month, technical SEO the next, and team enablement after that, the retainer covers it. The scope flexes to match what the business needs.
Not sure where to start?
If you know something needs to change but aren't sure which service fits, that's normal. Most engagements start with a conversation. Tell me what's going on and I'll tell you what I think would help.