How We Work

We work with entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives on an ongoing basis as a retained advisor.   We quickly come to understand the client’s business and become a member of the team. We serve as an advisor  and a resource who helps  across a broad range of business issues.

We advise in areas ranging from the mundane – when was the insurance coverage last reviewed and are we diligent about backing up the computer system – to the existential – how much capital do we need to achieve our goals and is it time to sell the business.  Since we work as  a retained advisor, our clients  have the luxury of turning to us for help  with virtually every question that they want  input on.  We don’t track hours, so we never worry about “too much” client contact. Our clients never have to worry about the clock ticking when they are working with us

We often attend meetings with our clients – internal operations, planning, marketing, and strategy meetings; meetings with their clients, customers, partners, and investors; and in many cases, their board meetings.  In addition we help CEOs and their teams prepare for these meetings, setting the agendas, prioritizing the issues to be covered, and identifying the company’s real goals for the meetings.  

We communicate with our clients face-to-face, by email, and over the phone – checking in to make sure that the important decisions are being considered and the important work is getting done.  And we are always tracking the financial performance of our clients.  We identify the critical quantitative measures of success and make sure that our clients are managing them properly.

Starting with a New Client

There is a great deal of excitement working with a new client.  The first months and the first meetings are highly productive.  We like to immerse ourselves in the business – visiting operations, reading business summaries, reviewing sales and financial reports, and asking lots of questions.  Then we quickly move to discussing practical strategies to advance the business.  For start-ups that is usually a road map to launch; and for going concerns it is often a few immediate changes that will positively impact the business and a plan for identifying longer term strategies.

After three months we revisit the retainer to make sure it accurately reflects the volume of work and the value to the client.  Invoices usually are sent out early in the month and are due upon receipt.