Confirm receipt of the signed agreement and set expectations for the next 48 hours: who they'll hear from, when the kickoff call is, what to send back.

Deliver the welcome PDF: team intros, communication norms, project portal URL, billing process, escalation path.

Send the deposit invoice with payment instructions. Confirm payment before kickoff call when contractually required.

Invite client to project portal, shared drive, Slack/Teams channel, time tracking, and any tool-specific seats they need.

Confirm attendees on both sides, send the agenda 24 hours before, and share the meeting recording / notes after.

Brand guidelines, asset library access, stakeholder list, decision-maker map, success metrics, and known blockers.

Walk through the SOW together, confirm scope and acceptance criteria, agree on first milestone, and lock the working schedule.

Co-author the first 30-day target so success has a number, not a feeling. Add it to the project plan and the status template.

Whatever the first concrete deliverable is — audit, draft, prototype — get it in front of the client within 2-3 weeks to build trust early.

Same format every Friday: what shipped, what's next, blockers, decisions needed. Three bullets per section, no surprises.

Step back from the work and look at trajectory: progress vs goals, scope changes, satisfaction check, renewal/expansion signals.

A short structured survey at 90 days. Catches the issues clients won't raise on a status call. Feeds directly into the renewal conversation.