One deep read of how your company actually runs - and a ranked plan of what to fix now and what to build for later. I map where effort and money are leaking and what will break as you grow, then hand you short-term fixes and a long-term direction, each sized to the people, systems, and budget you already have. It is called a baseline because everything after it is measured against it - and because once I know your business, you have someone on call with no ramp.
Also known as the Scale Readiness Assessment. Under roughly 40 people, one Baseline covers the organization; above that it splits into focused baselines by area - delivery, product, support, data, operations - run when you need them rather than all at once.
Why pay for an assessment now? Read the 10x Rule - every risk you don't catch now costs 10x more at the next scale.
Structured interviews with leadership and key team members. I listen, map, and start identifying where things break - across people, processes, and technology.
Process and system mapping. Leak/bottleneck/risk identification. Cross-checking findings with the team to validate what's real and what's noise.
Written report with prioritized findings and a recommendation - what to fix first, in what order, with what resources. Action plan your team can execute starting day 43.
Most of the plan is built to run with the team and tools you already have - no retainer, no new hire. When it genuinely helps, you can bring me in for a follow-on (AI Transformation, Fractional / Interim Executive, Product & Project Management), or I'll point you to a verified provider that fits your budget. The choice stays yours.
Standard engagements include in-person observation sessions. Fully remote option available with 10% discount (interviews and document review only, no on-site sessions). International on-site work: travel and per-diem fees quoted per engagement.
Structured conversations with your leadership and key team members. I listen, map, and identify where things break.
Mapping of your core workflows, decision flows, and communication patterns. Where friction lives, where time is lost.
Review of your tech stack, tooling, and data infrastructure. What supports scale - and what will break under pressure.
Hidden dependencies, knowledge silos, governance gaps. The things nobody talks about but everyone feels.
A focused written report with findings, priorities, and specific recommendations. Not 100 pages - just what matters.
Prioritized next steps with clear ownership and timelines, built to run with the team and tools you already have. Ready for your team to execute - no translation needed.
Every repetitive, rule-based task I observe goes into a ranked automation backlog: the hours it consumes, the tool that automates it (preferring the systems you already pay for), build effort, and a payback date. Each item is tagged on a simple ladder - simplify it, automate it, or apply AI - so you always get the cheapest fix that works. Want the top items built? A bounded 2-4 week Automation Sprint implements them, documents everything, and trains one person on your team to own it - then I step out.
Every engagement starts with a signed mutual NDA and a written scope before any work begins, and the confidentiality obligations continue after the engagement ends. Access is limited to the systems and documents the specific job requires. Nothing from one client is carried into another, and no client work becomes a case study, named or unnamed, without written permission.
Beyond the paperwork, the model is built to move knowledge into the company rather than out of it. Every engagement ends with a written handover: the root cause, the process change, and what your team now runs on its own. An agency or a retainer consultant has a structural reason to keep that knowledge on their side, because it is what makes the next invoice necessary. Here the handover is the deliverable.
Founders and leaders of growing organizations (10-150 people) who sense things are starting to strain - handoffs breaking, decisions slowing, the team feeling overloaded. Also established teams preparing for a major transition (AI adoption, restructuring, new market).
Six weeks from kickoff to delivered recommendation. Weeks 1-2: discovery (interviews with leadership and key team members). Weeks 3-4: diagnosis (process and system mapping, leak/bottleneck/risk identification, validation with the team). Weeks 5-6: the written report and prioritized action plan.
Both - your choice. The standard engagement combines in-person observation sessions (watching how work actually flows) with remote interviews and document review. A fully remote option is available at a 10% discount - interviews and document review only, no on-site sessions. For international clients requiring on-site work, travel and per-diem fees are quoted per engagement.
Typically 5-8 people across leadership, team leads, and a few individual contributors. We agree on the list together at the start - the goal is cross-functional coverage, not volume.
An NDA is part of the engagement. Individual interviews are confidential - findings are aggregated so nobody is "named." This is what makes the interviews honest.
Two reasons.
1. The AI era is rewriting consulting economics. Companies are running leaner - more solo founders and small teams. Processes are faster. Information is easier to gather and synthesize. I believe consulting should reflect that reality - more accessible to the organizations that need it most, not gated by McKinsey-era price tags.
2. I'm currently working at discounted rates while building my portfolio and refining my method for fast, sharp, spot-on diagnosis and recommendations. In exchange, I ask for a testimonial and permission to reference the engagement (anonymized if needed).
Lower price doesn't mean lower quality - it means fair pricing for where the market is heading.
Yes. Two installments - half to start, half at delivery. Details discussed on the intro call.
You own the report. Your team can execute the plan independently. If you want ongoing support (implementation help, workshops, coaching) - we can discuss that separately. No pressure, no upsell.
Yes - free 30-minute call. We make sure it's the right fit before you commit. If it's not the right time, I'll tell you that too.
Start with a free 30-minute call. No pitch, no pressure - just a conversation about your organization.