Frequently asked questions

A virtual assistant takes on the recurring operational work of running a business, remotely. In practice that means inboxes, calendars, data entry, research, customer replies, order processing, invoicing admin — the work that must happen but doesn’t need the founder to do it.

Clerkly goes further than most: alongside the admin I build and maintain websites, wire up automations and handle technical tasks that a typical assistant would need to outsource.

A simple test: for one week, note every task you do that someone else could do with clear instructions. If that list runs to more than five hours, you have a case. If it’s mostly decisions and relationships, you probably don’t need an assistant yet — and I’ll tell you so on the call.

Typically within a week of agreeing scope, and sometimes within 48 hours if a slot is open. Onboarding itself takes about two days: access sharing, a priority list, and the first batch of tasks queued up.

Yes. Most cautious clients start with a five-hour hourly block on real work — not a made-up test task. If it goes well we move to a retainer; if it doesn’t, you’ve spent a small amount and still got the work done.

• Hourly: $35/hour, five-hour minimum, for irregular work.
• Starter retainer: $600/month for 20 hours ($30/hr effective).
• Growth retainer: $1,400/month for 50 hours ($28/hr effective).
• Scale retainer: $2,600/month for 100 hours ($26/hr effective).
• Fixed-price projects: from $950, quoted per scope.

Full detail is on the services page. Prices are in U.S. dollars and exclude any taxes that may apply in your jurisdiction.

Retainers are invoiced in advance on the first working day of each month. Hourly work is invoiced at month end. Projects are 50% up front and 50% on delivery. Invoices are payable within 7 days by bank transfer, card or PayPal.

Unused hours roll over once, into the following month only. They aren’t refundable and don’t accumulate indefinitely — the retainer reserves capacity in my schedule, which has a real cost whether or not it’s used.

If you consistently under-use your plan, I’ll suggest moving you down a tier. That conversation comes from me, not from you having to ask.

I flag it as we approach the limit — never after the fact. You then choose: pause non-urgent work, approve extra hours at your plan’s effective rate, or move up a tier. Nothing over the agreed amount is ever billed without written approval.

No. The only additional costs are third-party expenses you approve in advance — software licences, hosting, domains, stock imagery, ad spend. These are passed through at cost with the receipt attached.

Wednesday to Sunday, 8:00–14:00 Pacific Time (11:00–17:00 Eastern) as standard, with flexibility around your team’s core hours. Monday and Tuesday cover can be arranged in advance for launches and busy periods. I don’t offer 24/7 coverage — one person can’t do that well, and anyone claiming otherwise is stretching.

Whatever you already use: Slack, email, WhatsApp, Teams or a shared task board in Notion, ClickUp or Asana. My default is asynchronous — written updates rather than standing meetings — with a scheduled call whenever a decision needs a conversation.

Every Friday you get a written summary: what shipped, what stalled, where the hours went, and what I need from you next week.

Within four business hours as a rule, and usually much faster. Anything you mark urgent gets picked up first. Outside working hours, expect a reply the next business morning.

Retainers run month to month with 14 days’ written notice to cancel — no exit fee, no interrogation. Fixed-price projects run to completion of the agreed deliverable. Full detail is in the Terms of Service.

On the way out you keep everything: files, documentation, SOPs and account access. Nothing is held back.

Me. Clerkly is deliberately a one-person business, which is why I take on a limited number of clients. If a project genuinely needs a specialist — a designer, an accountant — I’ll say so and help you find one rather than quietly subcontract it.

You get at least two weeks’ notice of planned leave, with urgent work brought forward and a written handover of anything time-sensitive. Because every recurring process is documented, your team can cover the essentials without guessing.

Through a password manager — 1Password, Bitwarden or similar — never over email or chat. Where a platform supports delegated access (Google Workspace, Shopify staff accounts, Meta Business Manager), I use that instead of shared credentials.

• Two-factor authentication enabled everywhere it’s offered
• Least-privilege permissions — only what a task requires
• A work device with disk encryption and an up-to-date OS
• All access revoked and confirmed in writing at offboarding

Yes to both. Send your own NDA or use mine. If you process personal data under GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA or similar rules, I’ll sign a data processing agreement setting out how I handle it as your processor.

Within 30 days of an engagement ending I return or hand over your files, remove my access from your systems, and delete local copies of your data except where I’m legally required to keep records (invoices, for instance). You get written confirmation when it’s done. See the Privacy Policy for the detail.

I won’t take on a direct competitor in the same niche and market while we’re working together, and I’ll tell you if a potential conflict comes up. Client information is never shared between engagements, full stop.

Front-end and platform work: landing pages, marketing sites, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow and Squarespace builds, custom HTML/CSS/JavaScript, form and analytics wiring, integrations and automations.

What I don’t take on: large custom applications, native mobile apps, or anything needing a dedicated engineering team. I’d rather refer you out than get in over my head with your money.

You do, once the final invoice is paid. Code, content, accounts, domain and hosting are all in your name from the start — I don’t hold your domain hostage or lock you into my hosting.

Yes, and it’s a good chunk of my work. I’ll start with an audit so we both know what state things are in, then quote for either a clean-up or an ongoing maintenance plan from $225/month.

Two full rounds are included in every fixed-price project, plus small tweaks at launch. Beyond that, further changes are billed hourly — and I’ll always tell you before the meter starts.