Startup Advisory

Hands-on support for founders and growing businesses

Advisory goes beyond conversation. It's working alongside you on the practical challenges of building, selling, and scaling. Strategic input with operational understanding.

Advisory Positioning

The difference between mentoring and advisory

Mentoring is about your development as a founder

Advisory is about building and scaling the business

Both can work together, but the focus is different

As a startup advisor, I work with you on specific business challenges. This might mean helping with go-to-market strategy, pricing, sales processes, or operational structure. It's practical, hands-on support.

Hands-on support

Advisory means rolling up sleeves. Reviewing your pitch deck. Workshopping your pricing. Mapping your sales process. Working on the actual challenges, not just talking about them.

  • Strategic guidance with practical application
  • Ongoing support, not one-off advice
  • Flexible engagement to suit your needs
Areas of Support

Where advisory can help

Go-to-market

Defining your market approach, positioning, and path to first revenue or growth.

Revenue systems

Building repeatable processes for sales, pricing, and customer acquisition.

Operations & structure

Creating systems that scale without adding unnecessary complexity.

Hiring & scaling

Building the right team at the right time, and setting up for growth.

Who This Is For

Founders and teams ready to grow

Early-stage startups

Finding product-market fit and building initial traction.

Scaling SMEs

Growing beyond founder-led sales and building sustainable operations.

First-time founders

Navigating the early challenges with experienced support.

Advisory Structure

Performance levels and compensation

Flexible advisory structures based on your stage and needs

Standard Performance Level

Monthly CommitmentServicesCompensation**
  • Time: Commit 5 hours
  • Meetings: Attend quarterly strategy meetings and scheduled Advisory Board meetings
  • Responsiveness: Provide reasonable response to email requests by the Company

Promotion: On top of the regular advice and insights, Advisor agrees to actively promote and make introductions on behalf of the Company through Advisor's overall network of business contacts, including forwarding the Company's business plan and other materials as requested by the Company.

  • Idea Stage:0.25%
  • Startup Stage:0.20%
  • Growth Stage:0.15%

Strategic Performance Level

Monthly CommitmentServicesCompensation**
  • Time: Commit 10 hours
  • Meetings: Attend monthly strategy meetings, scheduled Advisory Board meetings and at least one meeting with a potential customer, investor, strategic partner, vendor or employee
  • Responsiveness: Provide quick responses to email requests from the Company and from others associated with the Company

Standard Performance plus:

Recruiting: Advisor agrees to assist Company in finding additional, potential founding team members and employees through the Advisor's overall network of business contacts.

  • Idea Stage:0.50%
  • Startup Stage:0.40%
  • Growth Stage:0.30%

Stage Definitions

StageCharacteristics
Idea
  • Team: The team consists of only part-time founder(s).
  • Customers: The company is in discussions with potential customers to determine demand in the market. The pricing/revenue structure has been developed, but needs market validation.
  • Revenue: The company has no revenue.
  • Investors: At least one group consisting of the founder(s), their friends or family has invested.
  • Product: The specifications for a minimum viable product including wireframes and system designs are complete.
Startup
  • Team: The team consists of full-time founder(s) and is in the process of hiring initial employees as needed.
  • Customers: The company has received letters of intent or customer commitments and the market need has been validated.
  • Revenue: The company may be collecting revenue.
  • Investors: Investment may have been raised via friends/family or professional investors (angel, venture capital, etc.).
  • Product: The launch of the minimum viable product is imminent.
Growth
  • Team: The team consists of full time founder(s) and is in the process of hiring employees as needed.
  • Customers: The company has achieved significant traction and user-based growth.
  • Revenue: The company is collecting revenue.
  • Investors: Prior investment may have been raised and the founders are prepared to pitch to professional investors if additional capital is needed.
  • Product: The product has been launched and is periodically refined based on customer feedback.

Ready to explore advisory support?

Let's have a conversation about where you are and where you want to go.