How engagements work
Consulting engagements fail for predictable reasons — vague scope, unclear deliverables, and analysis that arrives too late to change a decision. The process below exists to prevent all three.
01 Scope conversation
A structured conversation about where the business is, what decision is pending, and whether an engagement is the right instrument. Sometimes the honest answer is that you don't need one yet. That's said directly rather than billed around.
02 Written proposal
A defined scope, a specific deliverable, a timeline, and a fixed fee. Nothing begins until it's signed. The proposal states what is included and, just as importantly, what is not.
03 Analysis and iteration
Work proceeds against the agreed scope with interim checkpoints rather than a single reveal at the end. Findings that contradict the original premise are raised as they emerge, not buried.
04 Delivered plan
A written operating plan with the analysis behind it and, where applicable, a working financial model. Documentation is built so it remains useful after the engagement closes.
Direct assessments.
If the concept has a fatal flaw, that is the finding. Engagements are not structured to validate a predetermined conclusion.
Defensible work.
Every projection traces to a stated assumption. Every market claim traces to a source. You will be able to defend the plan to a lender, an investor, or a co-founder without relying on trust in the consultant.
Defined endings.
Engagements are scoped to conclude. Ongoing retainers exist where genuinely warranted, not as a default.