For startup advisors
Founders need you urgently, then not at all, then three times in a week. An hour when they need it, a monthly slot when they keep needing it, and free office hours with your terms in front of them.
Questions startup advisors ask
Should a startup advisor take equity or cash?
Cash for advice now, equity for a long commitment to one company. Equity alone is a bet on a company you don’t run, so don’t let it pay for hours you’d otherwise bill.
What should a startup advisor agreement say?
How much time you give each month, for how long, what you’re paid in, and that the company’s decisions are its own. If equity is involved, the company’s lawyer writes that part.
How do I keep free calls from taking over my week?
Make the free call short, ask what it’s about before somebody can book, and end it by sending the paid hour’s link.
When should a startup advisor charge a monthly fee?
When a founder has called you more than once a month for three months. A monthly slot costs them less than booking each hour and holds your time for them.
Can a founder pay an advisor with a company card?
Yes. Payment is by card through Stripe, and a company card works like any other.
How should an advisor say no to a founder?
Quickly, with a reason they can use: the stage they’re at, the help they need instead, or who’s better placed. A no on the first call saves you both a month.
Your page on the first day
This is the consulting setup, and it’s what your page starts with. Change any of it where it appears.
- Clients can book from tomorrow onward.
- Moving or canceling is free up to 24 hours before.
- There are 15 minutes clear after every session.
- Before booking, your page asks: “What should I read before we talk?”
Your engagement letter opens with this: Advice is given in good faith on the information you share; decisions and outcomes stay yours.
What’s different for startup advisors
An hour, or a slot each month
A founder books a single hour when they need one, or buys a monthly slot held for them. Both sit on the same page.
Free office hours with terms
A session can be free and still have your notice and cancellation window in front of it, and a question your founder answers before booking.
What gets in the way
Founders want an hour this week and nothing next month, then three calls in a row.
You’re asked whether you take equity or cash before anyone has said what they need.
Office hours you’d happily give away fill your week with people who’ll never become clients.
What it doesn’t do for you
There’s no cap table, equity tracking or investor reporting. The page sells your time, and any equity arrangement is the company’s paperwork.
Others who start from the same setup
Independent consultants · Fractional executives · Marketing consultants · HR consultants · Speakers · Bookkeepers · Grant writers · IT consultants · Workshop facilitators · SEO consultants · Corporate trainers · Management consultants · Accountants · Data consultants · Sustainability consultants · Independent recruiters · Strategy consultants · Cybersecurity consultants · Restaurant consultants · Privacy consultants · AI consultants · E-commerce consultants · Change management consultants · Pricing consultants · Procurement consultants · Customer success consultants · Export consultants · Fundraising consultants · Operations consultants