A senior sounding board, by the hour or by the month

Who uses them

Owners of established firms who are past the start-up stage and short on senior peers. In a business of five to forty people, the owner is often the only one who sees the whole picture, which makes big decisions lonely.

Typical clients include a Langford trades owner deciding whether to hire a second estimator, a downtown retailer reviewing a lease renewal, an Oak Bay clinic owner choosing between two marketing proposals, or partners in a James Bay restaurant who disagree about opening for lunch.

Two ways to buy time

Pay by the hour for one-off questions, or by the month for ongoing support.

There is no lock-in on retainers. If the work is no longer useful, you stop. Full details are on the pricing page.

How a session runs

Each session follows the same four steps, so none of the hour is wasted.

1. Before: you send the question and any documents at least one business day ahead.
2. Opening ten minutes: we confirm the decision, the deadline and what a good outcome looks like.
3. Working time: we test options against your numbers, capacity and risk. If arithmetic helps, we do it live.
4. After: usually within one business day, you get a short note with the decision, the reasons, the risks and the next three actions.

Sessions run in person, by video call or by phone, whichever suits your week.

Questions owners commonly bring

Most questions fall into five groups.

• Pricing: Should we raise rates this spring? How do we quote a job we have never done?
• People: Is it time for an office manager? How do we pay a lead hand fairly?
• Marketing: Is this agency proposal reasonable? What should we ask before signing?
• Growth: Should we take the contract that would double our volume with one customer?
• Operations: How do I stop being the bottleneck on every quote?

For questions about tax, law, financing or employment standards, we tell you which professional to involve and help you prepare the right questions for them.

A worked example

One hour spent on a large quote can protect a year's profit. Imagine a Saanich commercial cleaning firm invited to bid on a contract worth $240,000 a year, which would make up 45% of its revenue.

In a single session we would test the margin at the proposed rate, the cost of hiring and training extra staff, the cash needed before the first payment, and what happens if the contract ends after twelve months. The note might recommend bidding with a minimum term, a price review clause and a hiring plan staged over three months, or declining politely.

How we judge whether sessions help

The test is whether decisions get made and followed through. For retainer clients we keep a running decision log. At each session we review what was agreed last time and whether it happened. If the same issue keeps returning, that is a signal that a defined project, such as a growth plan or an operations review, would serve you better.

Mistakes to avoid

• Bringing five topics to one hour. Pick the one with the nearest deadline.
• Skipping the follow-up. The written note matters more than the call.
• Using sessions to avoid a decision. Sometimes the advice is simply to decide by Friday.
• Keeping a retainer out of habit. If it stops paying for itself, end it.

To get started, see the contact page for what to include in your first message.