Getting to Know Each Other

Before we make a choice about whether or not to work together on an ongoing basis, I want to take an opportunity to get to know you and your business a bit, and for you to get to know me. For a good advising relationship we need to have both a good working relationship and a useful overlap in your key needs and my experiences and capabilities.

In order to have a productive conversation, I need a bit of background on your company. To make this a bit easier for you to create I put together this Google form with a few basic questions that can help me understand your business and needs. Once you send that to me, I’ll respond and we can set up a time to talk live. This generally means 1-2 live calls and a handful of emails where I can get to better understand your business (and you personally) and you can get to know me and how I might be able to add value to your company.

Ongoing Engagements

If we both feel like it’s worth setting up a more ongoing relationship after we get to know each other, this is how I try to structure my relationship with the companies I work with. None of this is set in stone, but I think it’s helpful to have some general guidelines for how we can work together and what I can help with. I also believe it’s useful for everyone to understand this before we get to spend time getting to know each other so we are all clear on expectations.

Cadence

• Monthly meetings with founder or team

• Quarterly review (longer discussion, possibly in-person)

• Email back and forth. A few a week.

• Bat phone. Call any time with urgent questions or issues.

Topics / Projects

While the exact topics or assistance obviously varies based on the needs of each company, I generally help out in these areas:

• Strategic advice on product development, model development, go-to-market, market positioning, growth

• Review key materials like business/financial plans, product plans, pitch decks, marketing materials

• Coach/Mentor founders and key execs