Will We Make A Perfect Pair?
We all know you can’t believe everything you read on the web… so I expect you’ll want some proof of my worth,
before you entrust me with your project. Fair enough too! I’d feel exactly the same.
Here’s some feedback from those who have gone before ;)
What My Clients Are Saying
Don’t just take it from me… I could sell squid jigs to calamari! I’ll let my clients do the talking…
My association with Jo Starling started in 2005 when she won the contract to design the new Northern Territory Government business and investment magazine Territory Quarterly.
As the magazine’s editor, choosing her submission was the easiest task I’d ever had. It was miles more thoughtful/creative than the others. Then, over the next seven years she went on to build and improve on the design of the magazine, with each edition outshining the last.
Our professional relationship grew as well, both listening and taking the others ideas on board.
“It looks great,” was the usual reader’s first remark. That’s because it did look great with much of the reason for that sitting in Jo’s chair.
As an editor/writer/photographer I can not imagine putting my work in steadier, more inventive hands.
I met Jo Starling at a series of Upskills workshops run by the Northern Territory Government in 2010 while in the early days of establishing my consultancy. I immediately resonated with Jo’s fresh and practical facilitating style and seized the opportunity to access the Business Enterprise Centre’s (BEC) funded three free coaching sessions with her.
Jo’s ability to help me focus my thoughts in to a structured process was enhanced by her genuine belief in my own coaching/mentoring work. Her final report with recommendations remains one of my central reference documents, now splattered with tea stains and doodles, the hard copy floats on my desk as a visual reminder from all those years ago. And for a paperless person, that’s a huge statement!
I really appreciated Jo’s use of metaphors particularly around her fishing expertise. So if you are looking for someone to guide you through uncharted waters, and land the catch of lifetime, be prepared to do the work to get the results. Jo has decades of experience and is willing to share the pitfalls and possibilities from her wise perspective.
I endorse Jo Starling for her practical professionalism and highly recommend her services.
Great one-stop shop for new and/or struggling companies. We love working with you because you produce.
The businesses that take me fishing…
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s your hourly rate?
I actually charge by the minute, to keep costs as low as possible… but that only comes into play on variations or corrections you make to material you provided yourself. For quoting purposes, hourly rates are $120/hr. Great value for money, given that I’m very quick ;)
What is your refund policy?
Your satisfaction is my greatest promotion, so the likelihood of you not liking the work we do together is pretty slim. Sadly, there’s always the possibility of things going awry, so I offer unequivocal refunds to all clients if I fail you in some way and we cannot work through the problems to get our project back on track. I do not offer a refund, however, if the cause of the project failure rests on your side. That’s not likely either, though… is it ;)
What are your payment terms?
To keep us both cashflow positive, I break our project into three progress payments. The first will be issued on your acceptance of my quote and will be equivalent to 30% of the total agreed price. Another 20% will be invoiced to you to celebrate your approval of concepts. Then, you won’t have to bother the bank again until you’ve received your first full proof of that concept applied to your project in full! At that stage, I’ll invoice you for a further 30%. The final 20% plus any variations that have become necessary through your instructions will be invoiced upon delivery of the final product. Of course, any variations in cost that come as a result of my own activities won’t be charged to you… I take responsibility for those.
My invoices are due and payable within seven days, unless otherwise negotiated in advance. Artwork is only handed over once paid in full.
Who owns the artwork?
Ownership of the artwork I create for you, along with the copyright, will transfer to you once all your invoices are paid in full, UNLESS we negotiate otherwise.
Why would you do that? Well, some projects have elements that I can reuse, especially with illustration. If our project involves such elements, we can negotiate a much cheaper rate for a one-off use agreement on elements for you, with the artwork ownership and copyright remaining with me. Naturally, not every project fits this bill, but if yours does, I’ll let you know. Of course, you have the right to decline this option and keep your artwork exclusive.
Will you archive my work for me?
In short, no. I don’t have the resources, but with cloud storage so readily available these days, you will easily be able to archive your own work for future use. I thoroughly recommend a combination of archive techniques for every project, including a CD/DVD and off-site cloud storage to protect your assets. Quality work is not cheap, after all… and you need to be able to call it up at any time to get maximum bang for your buck!
How do we get started?
So, you want to work with me? That’s very cool! It’s important that we get things right from the very beginning. We need to establish a great rapport and I need to build a strong understanding of your business, your objectives and your ideal customers… but we want to keep it simple, right? To help, I’ve built a briefing form for you to fill out in the initial stages. Please take the time to consider your answers and send them through to me. I’ll be in touch soon to discuss our timeframes.
Don't Be Shy
If I didn’t answer all of your questions, feel free to drop me a line anytime.