Frequently Asked Questions

We work best with:

• Small businesses (5-20 people) that have outgrown informal systems
• Service-based businesses (consulting, creative, wellness, fitness, professional services)
• Founders who are the bottleneck and want to build a business that runs without them
• Teams that care about culture and want sustainable growth, not chaos

Most of our clients are in Santa Cruz County, but we work remotely with businesses anywhere.

Three big differences:

1. We implement, not just advise. Most consultants give you a deck and leave. We stay until it's working.

2. We design for how you actually work. No corporate frameworks that don't fit small businesses. Everything is tailored to your size and style.

3. We focus on flow, not just efficiency. We care about whether people can do their best work, not just whether they're "productive."

Both. For Santa Cruz County clients, we can do in-person kickoffs and workshops. For everyone else (or if you prefer), we work entirely remotely via Zoom, Loom, and asynchronous collaboration.

Most of our work happens asynchronously anyway-we observe your workflows, interview your team, and design systems that work for you. We don't need to be in your office every day to do that well.

Yes. For packages over $5,000, we can split payments into milestones. For example:

50% upfront, 50% at midpoint or completion.

We're a small business too. We get it. Let's talk about what works for your cash flow.

Everything you need to implement and sustain the changes. That typically includes:

• Initial discovery and audit
• Process design and documentation
• Team training and coaching
• Implementation support
• Templates, frameworks, and tools
• Follow-up check-ins

No surprise fees. No hourly billing creep. Fixed scope, fixed price.

No. We only do project-based or retainer work.

Hourly billing creates bad incentives. We'd rather agree on outcomes upfront and work as efficiently as possible to get you there.

If your needs don't fit a package, we can design a custom project scope with a fixed price.

Book a 20-minute intro call. We'll discuss:

1. What's not working in your operations
2. What you've already tried
3. Whether we're a good fit
4. Which package or service makes sense

No pressure, no sales pitch. If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you and point you in a better direction.

Schedule intro call →

Less than you think. Most work happens asynchronously:

• Discovery: 30-60 min interviews with key people
• Feedback rounds: Review our recommendations (asynchronous)
• Implementation: Training sessions (1-2 hours total)
• Check-ins: Weekly 15-30 min syncs

We're designed for busy teams. You won't be stuck in endless workshops.

You keep everything we built: documentation, templates, systems, training materials. It's all yours.

Most clients continue with:

• Ongoing support: Monthly retainer for coaching and optimization
• Implementation help: We stay until it sticks
• Quarterly check-ins: Make sure things are still working

But there's no obligation. If you're set, you're set.

No. We help you use existing tools better (or choose the right ones).

Most small businesses don't need custom software. They need:

• Clear processes
• Better tool adoption
• Integration between systems they already have

If you truly need custom software, we'll tell you-and refer you to someone who can build it.

Not directly. We're not recruiters or HR consultants.

But we can help with:

• Defining roles clearly (so you hire the right people)
• Building onboarding systems (so new hires get productive faster)
• Designing team structures that don't rely on heroic effort

If you have HR or legal questions, we'll refer you to specialists.

We hear this a lot. Usually the issue is one of three things:

1. The consultant gave you a plan but didn't help implement it. Plans are useless if they sit in a drawer. We stay until it's working.

2. The solution didn't fit your culture or size. Cookie-cutter frameworks from big-company consulting don't work for 10-person teams. We design for you.

3. There was no follow-through. Change requires coaching, feedback loops, and accountability. We build that in.

If you've been burned before, let's talk about what went wrong. We'll be honest about whether we can do better.