Small business consultant for owners who need decisions, not a deck
You know the business better than anyone. What's missing is a second senior head, and time set aside to decide what changes first: pricing, the offer, a hire, a customer you should stop serving. That's what this is. Twice a month on a call, and in writing in between.
Sounding Board · $1,650/month · month-to-month
Book a free discovery call
Where the plan actually lives
Most strategy work ends up as a deck. It gets presented once, everyone nods, and it goes into a folder. I write a one-page priorities note each month instead. It holds a few decisions, a name against each and a date, and we check it on every call.
In a deck
- “Optimize pricing strategy”
- “Improve sales effectiveness”
- “Explore capacity options”
In a priorities note
| Priority | Owner | By |
|---|---|---|
| Drop the two lowest-margin service packages from the price sheet | You | the 15th |
| Rewrite the quote template and add a follow-up on day 3 | Office manager | the 22nd |
| Decide: hire a second installer, or subcontract spring work | You + operations lead | month-end |
Example priorities note. Illustrative, not from a client.
Next month's note starts with these three: done, moved, or dropped and why.
What's in the Sounding Board
- Month one: a situation read. That's a 2–3 page diagnostic of where the business is, and the top five priorities in order.
- Two 60-minute calls a month, booked ahead so they don't slip.
- A one-page priorities note every month, as shown above.
- Written feedback on up to 3 items a month, such as an ad, a landing page, a proposal, a deck or a price sheet.
- Email questions between calls, answered within 2 business days.
- An hours log with each monthly report. Up to 8 hours are included.
What it costs
Sounding Board
$1,650/month
Up to 8 hours · 2 × 60-min calls · reply within 2 business days · month-to-month, 30 days' notice
Pricing & offer review
$1,900 fixed
2 weeks. A margin check, a scan of up to 8 competitors' prices, a packaging recommendation, a draft of the new price sheet and a 60-minute walkthrough. You can buy it on its own or alongside the retainer.
Strategy session
$325
One 90-minute paid working session, with a written memo of notes and next steps within 2 business days. Paid in full when you book.
Prices in CAD, before applicable taxes.
See full pricing and terms →Questions about business strategy
How is this different from a full marketing plan?
This looks at the whole business: pricing, the offer, capacity, hiring and where the margin leaks. Marketing is one line in it. If month one shows that marketing is the real problem, the Marketing strategy service is built for that, and I'll tell you.
We haven't made any revenue yet. Is this for us?
It can be, but most pre-revenue founders get more from the Go-to-market launch plan, because it answers the question that comes first: who you sell to, and how you reach them. We'll work out which on the discovery call.
What's the difference between a priorities note and a strategy deck?
A deck explains a direction. A priorities note records decisions: what gets done this month, who does it and by when. It's one page, you can check it on a Tuesday, and next month's note has to answer for this month's.
Can this turn into a Fractional CMO engagement later?
Yes. Ask before the 25th and the new tier applies from the next billing month, with no fee. Starting at Sounding Board and moving up once the work outgrows 8 hours a month is a normal way to use the tiers.
I only need help with pricing. Do I have to take the retainer?
No. The Pricing & offer review is a fixed-price sprint: $1,900 over 2 weeks, 50% to book and 50% on delivery. It ends with a new price sheet draft and a walkthrough, and after that, nothing renews.
Often next to this
What's the decision you keep putting off?
Bring it to the call. We'll talk it through, and if a monthly sounding board makes sense, the proposal will say so in writing.
Book a free discovery call