How an Engagement Works
Five steps, one unbroken line from first conversation to a plan that stays current.
Every engagement follows the same five steps. The depth varies with the work, but the path is the same — and it starts with a conversation, not a product pitch. Below, the process is drawn the way we think about it: as a single continuous through-line, ending not at a signature but at a standing rhythm.
The Through-Line
The engagement,drawn as one line.
Step 01 · 1–2 conversations
Discovery
A conversation about the business, not a pitch. We map how the company is actually owned, review whatever agreements are already in place, and get clear on what you want to happen if an owner dies, is disabled, or decides to leave. Most owners have answered some of this in their head and none of it on paper.
↳ You receiveA written summary of your structure, the gaps we see, and the questions worth answering next.
Step 02 · 2–6 weeks
Analysis
The underlying work, so the plan rests on numbers rather than impressions: a tool-assisted estimate of value where one is needed, an honest read on where the company is concentrated, and a structural review of any existing agreement. Assumptions get written down, so you can see how a conclusion was reached — and disagree with it.
↳ You receiveA value assessment or gap analysis, with the inputs it rests on and the assumptions written down.
Step 03 · 1–2 weeks
The Plan
The recommendation in writing: the structures, the sequencing, what each professional at the table is responsible for, and where the products fit. You finish this step knowing what we advise and why — including the parts we think can wait.
↳ You receiveA written plan with recommended structures, sequencing, and an advisor coordination map.
Step 04 · 4–12 weeks
Implementation
Putting the plan into effect. We coordinate the drafting your attorney does, keep the sequence moving between the professionals involved, and make sure each piece lands with whoever is responsible for it. Work that sits with other people runs on their timelines, so this step is coordinated rather than promised.
↳ You receiveThe plan in effect — documents executed with your attorney, and each piece of the sequence with the person responsible for it.
Step 05 · Ongoing — annual or trigger-driven
Cadence
A plan written once is a plan that quietly stops being true. Value, ownership, and the people the business depends on all move, so we keep a standing rhythm with you and with your attorney and CPA — annually, and whenever something material happens. Valuation and funding levels are two of the things reviewed, not the whole agenda.
↳ You receiveA periodic review noting what changed, what it affects, and what needs to be refreshed.
Talk to a consultant
Step one has a name
The Owner's Position Review: what you're trying to solve, how the business is actually owned, and how a consultant would approach it. You leave with that in writing. Nothing to sign.
Business Consultant
Benjamin Minifie
Business consulting for owners — valuation, continuity, and reducing owner dependence
Business Consultant
Stanislav Lisovskiy
Succession and management-depth coaching — the conversations owners avoid