Why Retainer
Hourly billing mostly rewards time on the clock. The work I care about is judgment, pattern matching, and getting ahead of decisions that compound... the kind of work that does not meter cleanly.
A retainer allows for consistent access (before something is on fire, not only after) and keeps cost predictable enough to budget without everyone watching a timer.
- Room to think through second-order effects, not only the ticket in front of you
- Enough runway to disagree productively and still land somewhere defensible
- Predictable cost without the hourly invoice theater