Scope Creep: When Coaching Becomes Unpaid Consulting
Slack quick-looks, extra calls, deck reviews. Scripts and one extras clause.
“Can you just look at this deck?” is how the fee dissolves. Cancellation owns missed hours. Burnout owns after 7. Confidentiality still applies to the deck. Warm enroll clients will test this first because they feel like friends.
| In scope | Extra (bill or decline) |
|---|---|
| The paid hour | A second hour “real quick” |
| Recap of the hour | A 12-page strategy memo |
| Named experiment | “Can you rewrite my homepage?” |
| Group call they paid for | Private makeup as a default |
The Clause
“Work outside the paid hour is a separate engagement or a no. Slack is for logistics, not deliverables.”
Put it in the working agreement. Read it once. Then use the script.
The Script
“That’s a deliverable, not this hour. We can use Thursday’s session on it, or I can quote it as extra. Which?”
Do not do the look “just this once.” Once is the new scope.
Slack and Voice Notes
A voice note that needs a written strategy is a session. Say so. If you answer with a paragraph, you just sold consulting at $0.
What Most Coaches Get Wrong
They like being useful. Useful without a fee is a second job.
They also fear the client will leave. Clients who leave because you named scope were buying a contractor. Let them.
A Worked Week
Mon: deck request → Thursday session or quote. Wed: “quick hop” → next booked hour. Fri: 9pm homepage paste → portal, Monday.
Three nos. The hour stays the product.
Pricing the Extra
If they pick “quote it,” send a number the same day. A range is a stall. One number, one delivery date, yes or no. If they want it inside the hour instead, move Thursday’s contract. Do not do both.
Track extras monthly. If one client is 40% of extras, that’s a redesign or a complete.
Say the clause in session 1 while they still like you. After the first extra, it’s a fight. Before, it’s hygiene.
If you enjoy the extra work, sell a consulting add-on on purpose. Hidden consulting is how coaches lie to their own money review.
When DIY Isn’t Enough
When extras have no place to live, you will do them in chat. A portal with “request extra” is optional. The clause is not. Launch / Grow / Scale will not say the sentence for you.
Want the paid hour protected from Slack deliverables? Let’s talk.