Office Hours

I am generally available in my office during standard business hours. Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. PST. There will be occasions I may be out of the office.

Communication

I believe that communication is the key to building any solid relationship, especially in the digital world. The quickest and preferred method to reach me is via email. Telephone and Skype calls are always planned in advance to avoid possible interferences.

Whichever way you contact me, all messages and emails will be returned within 48 hours during business days, Monday through Friday.

Meetings

I invite each retainer client to a complimentary 30 minute Skype or telephone call on a bi-weekly basis.  During these calls, the client’s priorities, objectives and potential ideas for upcoming projects are discussed.

Programs/Software

On a regular basis, I work with Asana (project management), Dropbox and Google Drive  (cloud storage),  17hats (time-tracking and invoicing), Zoom and Skype (video conferencing) and LastPass (password management). Most of these programs are suitable for sharing and collaborating and clients. Clients will never be charged for my use of any of the programs I choose to work with. Using a program of the client’s choice is always possible, provided that the client will cover any fees.

Time-Tracking / Billable hours

Time will be tracked in increments of 10 minutes. I currently use 17hats for accurate time-tracking.

Along with all tasks agreed upon; calls, emails, and scheduled meetings are considered billable hours, (with the exception of a retainer client’s scheduled bi-weekly meeting).

Invoicing & Payment

Retainer client invoices are sent on the 1st of the month and due by the 14th of the month, these hours are charged monthly in advance.

Hourly rate client invoices will be sent out on the 1st and 15th of the month, and due by the 14th and last day of the month respectively. No work will continue until payment has been made in full.

Please note, invoices that are outstanding for more than 15 days are subject to a $50 late fee, and subsequent $50 late fees for each additional 15 days late.  After 90 days of non-payment (please don’t let it get to this), your account will be sent to a collections agency as well as to credit bureaus.

Payment Methods

Payments can be made via credit card or echeck in your client portal. Payment processing occurs through Stripe.

Contractual Agreements

Prior to the start of any work, an agreement will be written up between us that will describe the scope of work planned to be delegated. The agreement will outline payment terms, deadlines, rights, ownership of materials, NDAs, etc. Until the agreement is confirmed and signed by both of us, no work will begin.

Rush Jobs

Occasionally, things pop up and you need help immediately.  For rush jobs, you will be charged at a rate of 1.5 times the standard hourly rate.

Holidays & Absence

I am not available on the following holidays:

  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Thanksgiving
  • Christmas – New Year’s

If I will be absent due to holidays or traveling, clients will receive a notice at least 30 days in advance. Of course, as a client, it is also possible that you will be absent for a period of time.  I kindly request you to inform me about your absence at least 14 days in advance. In exceptional circumstances (such as illness or death in the family), I understand that it’s clearly not possible to communicate this well in advance.

Privacy & Confidentiality

I attach great importance to your privacy. Your information will never be disclosed, loaned, leased, rented or sold to third parties, or made public without your permission, unless I am legally obliged to do so. Personal data and information that I receive, e.g. contact form messages via the websites, newsletter subscriptions and any information from and about clients, is kept confidential. I strive to help my clients and anyone interested in my services as effectively and efficiently as possible. The data and information I receive will therefore only be used to optimize and/or improve the services that I offer. Some non-personal data about my website visitors is collected automatically; e.g. name of the Internet service provider and web browser, which pages are visited and length of time spent on each page. The identity of visitors remains anonymous, unless they manually submit information on the website. All passwords are encrypted and I work with Internet security and virus protection.

Policy & Price Changes

I reserve the right to change this policy and the prices of my services. I may occasionally update this policy and will timely notify my clients if there are significant changes. In the case of a change in price, clients will receive a notice 30 days before any changes become effective.

Agreement & Termination

Either of us is free to terminate the work relationship. I kindly request all clients with a monthly retainer package to send a notice of termination at least 30 days in advance if they wish to terminate the partnership. Please note that there will be no refunds without a 30-day advanced termination notice.

 

updated 12/19/2017