I turn down about half the people who book an intro call. Not because their problems aren’t interesting, but because hiring an outside strategist isn’t the right answer for them. Here are the questions I ask, so you can ask them first.
1. Is there a real decision?
A good engagement starts with a question that has more than one sensible answer: raise prices or hold them, focus on one segment or two, keep a product or stop it. If what you need is a plan to carry out a decision you’ve already made, you need an operator, not a strategist.
2. Are you the person who will decide?
I work with founders and CEOs because they can make the call and live with it. If the decision sits with a board or an investor who won’t be in the room, we’ll produce a good recommendation and very little will change.
3. Will you give it the time?
Even when I do the interviews and the analysis, the founder needs an hour or two a week and a clear morning for the decision. If the next three months are already full, wait. A rushed engagement is worse than none.
4. Do you want an answer, or permission?
Some founders already know what they want to do and are looking for someone to agree. That’s fine, but say so: a two-hour working session is cheaper than a six-week sprint and gets you the same thing.
The most useful thing an outsider brings is the question nobody inside is allowed to ask.
5. Could someone inside do it?
If you have a strong head of strategy or a commercially minded COO, they may be the better choice. I’ll often suggest a short advisory arrangement to support them instead of a project that bypasses them.
If the answers are yes
Book an intro call. It’s thirty minutes, you don’t need to prepare, and I’ll tell you honestly whether I can help. If I can’t, I’ll usually know someone who can.
