Monthly growth advisory

Who this is for

Owners who have a plan, or want one, and need help sticking to it. It suits businesses large enough to have a few managers or key staff but not large enough for a full-time marketing or growth executive.

If you haven't yet decided where growth should come from, a growth diagnosis usually comes first, and advisory follows from it.

What's included

A regular rhythm, a numbers review and, where you want it, hands-on work.

• A monthly review meeting with you and anyone else who owns a target. We look at the agreed numbers, what moved, what didn't and why.
• A one-page monthly note recording decisions, owners and dates, so nothing is lost between meetings.
• Marketing direction. Briefing and checking the work of your staff, agencies or freelancers so it matches the plan.
• Hands-on work on larger retainers: local search, website changes, campaign planning or sales follow-up design.
• Quarterly reset. Every three months we revisit the targets and drop what isn't working.

What a month looks like

Here is a typical month on a mid-sized retainer.

1. Week 1: numbers pulled from your accounting, sales and analytics tools; short written summary.
2. Week 2: review meeting, 60 to 90 minutes.
3. Weeks 2–3: agreed tasks done or briefed to your team.
4. Week 4: check-in call on progress; prep for next month.

On a smaller retainer, the hands-on work drops away and the focus is the meeting and the monthly note.

A worked example of the value

The retainer earns its keep when it stops expensive mistakes as often as when it finds new revenue. Consider a Markham professional services firm spending $6,000 a month across three marketing channels.

In month two, the numbers show one channel producing 70% of enquiries for 30% of the spend and another producing almost none. Moving that wasted spend into the working channel, without increasing the total, can lift enquiries noticeably within a quarter. On a $3,500 retainer, avoiding even $2,000 a month of wasted spend covers more than half the fee before any new revenue is counted.

Timeline

Advisory is ongoing, but we judge it every quarter. The first month is mostly set-up: agreeing targets, getting access to the numbers and setting the meeting rhythm. Months two and three show whether the rhythm works. At each quarterly reset you decide whether to continue, change the scope or stop.

How results are measured

Against the targets in your plan, reviewed monthly and reset quarterly. Typical measures include revenue in priority lines, gross margin, new customers from target towns, enquiry-to-sale rate and marketing cost per new customer.

We also track one thing owners often forget: how many hours a week you spend on work that someone else could do. Growth that only comes from more owner hours isn't sustainable.

Mistakes to avoid

• Meetings without numbers. If the monthly meeting is just a chat, the retainer is wasted. Bring data, even rough data.
• Too many advisors. If your accountant, a marketing agency and a coach all push different priorities, you'll freeze. Agree who sets direction.
• Treating the advisor as a crutch. The aim is a business that runs on a plan, not one that waits for a monthly call.
• Expecting legal or tax answers. We'll flag when a question needs a lawyer or CPA, but we won't answer it ourselves.

Next steps

If you want to see whether the rhythm suits you, start with a single paid hour. Bring last quarter's numbers and your top three goals. The pricing page lists the hourly, project and retainer ranges, and if you prefer a performance-based arrangement, our sister site Ontario.partners explains the Growth Partner Program. To start, use the contact page.