Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question, you may find you were not the only one and the answer is already here.

What is assessment?

This is a series of consulting sessions, where we map out the specific scope of your project. You benefit from our 15+ years of experience building successful online businesses, as well as our dedication to staying on top of the best practices of our industry.

The entire purpose of the assessment phase is to make sure the project plan will serve the goals of your organization, be it increasing revenue, donations, email opt-ins, or creating efficiencies that save you time. We want your entire investment in the final project to be well utilized and for you to see a return.

What do I get out of the assessment sessions?

When we're done, we will have created a visual mind map of all the goals of the project, and a plan for achieving them: our proposal with pricing. You might think of this like you're hiring an architect to draw up the plans for a building. Once you have those plans and estimates, you can make a better decision on how and when to execute the project.

At the end of these sessions, you own the plans. We can then execute the plan for you, you can hire someone else to do it, or you can decide it's not a worthwhile investment to move forward. Our goal is to bring clarity to this decision, but there's no obligation on your part either way.

How much does the assessment cost?

You're hiring us on an hourly basis to do this assessment, and you pay our current hourly rate. This process usually takes anywhere from 2 to 10 hours, depending on the scale of the project. We start by billing you for 2 hours, and add additional time if necessary.

Here's the best part -- if, in the end, you choose to have us execute the project for you, this assessment fee will be applied to the balance of the project.

You can buy consultancy blocks of 5 hours to get a better rate. Of course, if for some reason you don't use the 5 hours and you don't continue with the project, we will refund any of the time you haven't spent.

If you would like to start, we can send you our next available start date, bill you for 5 hours, and then set up the first meeting!

I know what I want, why not just give me a quote

If we recommended an assessment, there is no way we can give you an accurate quote, on time or price, without knowing the full scope of the project. This way we can avoid surprises for either party.

In our experience, most clients have an idea of what they want, but don't actually know what they need to achieve the goals of their organization. You wouldn't walk into a doctor’s office and tell him what you need without letting him run some tests, assess your situation, and make a professional recommendation. We're professionals as well, so think of this as a similar relationship, only less invasive!

This process puts a value on our years of experience in building successful online businesses, and how that can positively impact the planning stages of your project.

What support services do you offer

We offer help desk support, via email or phone, support forum, and wiki. We also offer live training, online or in person, recorded webinars. Support via email is included in all our plans. Training and other forms of support are billable.

Maintenance plans may include everything from implementation of agreed procedures to copy writing, content updates and social network management.

How can I request help or services

You can request a quote; contact us directly, via email or phone; or use the form on the contact page.