How we work together
Every firm I work with moves through the same four pieces: clarity, reality, intent, activation. What changes is where we start, because a firm in the middle of a transition and a firm that’s quietly stalled need different first moves. Same destination either way: a growth system running on a position the market has confirmed.
The two ways in
Same method, two entry points. Both end in the same place.
Path A
For a firm at a defined inflection point — a transition, a market shift, an acquisition. You have a project with a deadline and a reason to get the position right before you spend. We run the deliberate route.
Clarity ∥ Reality → Intent → Activation
Path B
For a firm whose growth has stalled. You don’t need a research project; you need movement and evidence now. We sharpen the position just enough to sell, build the growth motion, and let live conversations tell us what’s true — then codify it.
Intent (just enough) → Build the motion → Execute & optimize
The pieces I bring
Path A is built from four engagements. Path B packages a subset of them into one advisory — it enters at Intent and builds the Activation subset, then harvests live market feedback.
| Engagement | What it does | Shape | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner’s Clarity | You, your intent for the firm, and the capacity you have to pursue it. | from $6k · 3–5 weeks | Path A input |
| Positioning Reality | Go-to-source research: buyer, client, closed-lost and churn interviews that measure the real perception gap. | from $15k · 6–10 weeks | Path A input · also a Path B accelerator |
| Positioning Intent | ICP, differentiation and message — how you want the market to see you, built on what’s already true. | from $10k · 4–6 weeks | Path A · Path B entry |
| Positioning Activation | Ecosystem map, growth model, entry offer, execution — and the Positioning Operating System (the methodology stack) that makes it repeatable. | from $35k · 12–24 weeks | Path A · Path B builds the subset |
| Relationship-Led Growth Advisory | The Path B package: position the motion, build the motion, execute and optimize on live deals. | from $20k · scoped to a growth target | Path B |
How an engagement runs
01
Either the Positioning Clarity Assessment or a short scoping call — the same gap-and-stall diagnostic I use in every engagement, to name what’s actually going on before either of us commits.
02
Whichever path you take, you get a defined arc with a price and a finish line — not an open-ended retainer you can’t see the end of.
03
The person who scopes the work delivers it — no handoff to a team you’ve never met.
04
If it isn’t a fit, I’ll tell you before we start — and point you somewhere better. Fit criteria are published, not a sales gate.
The Positioning Clarity Assessment won’t choose a path for you — it shows you where the growth gaps are and what’s likely driving the stall. It’s the same diagnostic I run inside every engagement, whichever door you came through. Roughly 8–9 minutes, sixty questions.
The four doors
01
Succession, an employee or partner buyout, or a step up to managing partner. The positioning came with the deal.
See how I can help02
AI, consolidation, new buyer expectations, and services that have to change with them.
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Whether to acquire at all, and how to integrate the firm you just bought.
See how I can help04
You’re the best-kept secret in your niche: busy, respected, and still winning work on price. Growth stalls when the market can’t see what makes you different.
See how I can help