Didion Milling — Website Support & Scope Expansion
Overview
As of the December 2025 staffing meeting, Didion Milling is 90 days past due on payment. Separately, Didion has been requesting ad-hoc website help (spam issues, plugin troubleshooting) that falls outside the current engagement scope. This creates both a collections urgency and a potential upsell opportunity to formalize website management as a billable service.
Melissa is the primary point of contact and owner of both the collections follow-up and any scope expansion conversation.
Payment Status
- Status: 90 days overdue
- Didion's contact indicated payment was "in process," but no funds have been received
- Melissa has gone without pay as a result — escalation is warranted
- Action: Melissa to send a direct follow-up email requesting a concrete payment timeline and confirmation that the invoice is approved, not just "in process"
"She said, oh, I'm going to process it, whatever that means... Didion's 90 days late." — Mark Hope
Website Support Gap
During a recent client meeting, Didion raised several website issues:
- Spam influx — client asked for help diagnosing plugin configuration
- General site updates — client is asking "what about this and this and this?"
- No current agency — Didion's internal web team was laid off; no external agency is in place
Melissa clarified to the client that the current engagement does not include website management, but provided informal guidance. The client's receptiveness suggests an opening to expand scope.
Known constraint: Eshock has flagged that Didion's site is built on Divi (WordPress page builder), which he finds difficult to work in. Any formal website management agreement should account for this friction — either by scoping work carefully or pricing in the overhead.
"Eshock has said how horrible it is to work on there because it's Divi and he doesn't like Divi." — Melissa Cusumano
Expansion Opportunity
| Potential Add-On | Notes |
|---|---|
| Website hosting/management retainer | Client has no agency; clear need exists |
| Spam & security remediation | Immediate pain point; easy entry |
| Plugin updates & maintenance | Ongoing, recurring work |
| Full site management | Longer-term; Divi friction is a risk factor |
The recommended approach is to secure payment first, then open a separate conversation about formalizing website support as an add-on to the existing engagement.
Key Decisions
- Melissa will not offer free website help going forward without a formal agreement in place
- Any website scope expansion must be priced to account for Divi complexity
- Collections and upsell conversations should be handled as separate tracks — do not let the expansion discussion delay payment resolution
Action Items
- [ ] Melissa — Email Didion contact: request specific payment date and confirmation invoice is approved (not just "in process") (@Melissa Cusumano)
- [ ] Melissa — Once payment is confirmed, open conversation about formalizing website management scope (@Melissa Cusumano)
- [ ] Melissa / Mark — If website management moves forward, assess whether Eshock's Divi concerns affect pricing or staffing (@Melissa Cusumano, @Mark Hope)
Related
- [1]
- [2]
- [3]
- [4]