Listen before recommending.
Most consultants come in with a framework. I come in with questions. The first two weeks of any engagement are spent understanding the business, the team, and the customer in detail.
How I work
A practice built around clarity, not deliverables.
Most consulting work optimises for output. This practice optimises for clarity. The deliverables come second.
Principles
Four things I try to hold to.
Write things down.
Strategy work that lives in slide decks gets forgotten. I write memos that founders can share with their team and return to a year later. Slides are for talking. Memos are for thinking.
Stay close after the recommendation.
Strategy fails in the execution. I stay involved through the first quarter of implementation, not just the diagnosis. The work isn't done when the memo lands.
Tell you when I'm not the right fit.
If your problem is better solved by a coach, an agency, or a different consultant, I will say so on the intro call. I'd rather pass on a project than take on the wrong one.
A typical engagement
How twelve weeks usually unfold.
Every engagement is different, but most follow a similar shape. Listening, then diagnosing, then recommending, then staying close while the work gets done.
Phase 01
Discovery
Weeks 1 to 2Interviews with founders, leadership, and customers. Document review. Market and competitor scan.
Phase 02
Diagnosis
Weeks 3 to 4A written memo on what we are seeing, what is working, what is not, and where the leverage is.
Phase 03
Recommendation
Weeks 5 to 6Strategic options with trade-offs. Joint workshop to pressure-test and decide on a direction.
Phase 04
Execution support
Weeks 7 to 12+Weekly check-ins through the first quarter of implementation. The work isn't done when the memo lands.
A note on pace
Slow first. Fast later.
Listening looks slow from the outside. It isn't. Strategy that compounds is strategy that is rooted in the actual texture of the business. Skipping the listening is what makes the rest of the work feel rushed and the recommendations feel generic.
Honesty about scope
What this is not.
A clear list of things outside the scope of this practice. Saying so up front saves everyone time.
- I don't write your pitch deck for you. I help you figure out what it should say.
- I don't run your marketing. I help you decide what marketing should look like.
- I don't replace your leadership team. I work alongside it.
- I don't take retainer work without a clear scope. Open-ended advisory tends to drift.
If this sounds like the kind of work you need, let's talk.
A 30-minute intro call to see if there's a fit. If there isn't, I'll suggest someone better suited.
Book an intro call