Business Pain Points
Your business keeps you up at night. Whether we like to admit that or not, it does. You started a business because you wanted to solve a problem or “do the thing.” Well, starting a business created a whole host of other headaches outside that competence. You’re not just focused on the service or product you thought would be a good thing to offer and a way to take care of your family.
You’re an administrator, an executive, you’re doing logistics, and you’re networking and advertising. Add all of that to financial stress, decision fatigue, and it’s not hard to understand where the burnout and crash creeps in. Founders face a ton of burnout and it is one of the many reasons that a business fails.
It’s no small wonder that most business owners are saying things like “I don’t know that I can keep doing this” and “I don’t think I’m cut out for this.” You are capable and can do it, but you have to avoid one of the major traps for business owners – refusal to delegate.
The Delegation Conundrum
I completely get it. You started your business, it’s your baby, why would you put that baby in the hands of a stranger. Worse yet, why would you trust it to someone through referral or sourced from the general public. Your margins are thin, delegation increases costs, and business owners right now are fighting for their lives when it comes to juggling a variety of concerns – inflation, tariffs, economic uncertainty, rising employee costs, and changing regulations placing more risk on businesses.
Being in a position where every penny matters and decisions can create ripple effects that can do some damage is horrifying. The key, then, is to identify what matters and how to place your money on a smart bet.
Know what matters to you, not what’s been advertised at you
There’s no shortage in the Northern Virginia and Washington DC area of law firms that have a long-established track record and the billable structure to support it. Whether it’s major firms in Leesburg, boutique law firms in Ashburn, or the expensive offices in the District, you’re going to get a few things almost guaranteed – a ton of experience, a ton of cost, and a commensurate amount of attention. Various online outfits have cropped up around the promise to help advise you or provide consultation on certain issues but you have to deal with anonymity, vetting, trust gaps, and just how comfortable you can get with advise when you need answers.
So, there’s options but are those options really responsive to what you’re worried about or navigating?
According to J.P. Morgan, business owners are navigating volatile times, looking at how artificial intelligence is going to impact their business, standing confident in their business despite waning confidence in their industry, and are looking at oddly mixed approaches on how to handle staff growth all while needing to mind their profit and loss statements in this environment.
You, personally, need a resource who will take the time to understand and know you, your way of doing business, and what matters to you. If they can do it for a set fee so that you can set your budget; even better! Can they do it while helping you avoid taking on additional costs and aligning with your values? That’d be ideal.
I’m your ideal business partner
My value proposition remains the same – when you work with me you aren’t getting a big law firm nor are you getting an impersonal lawyer. I don’t take every client who walks through the door nor do I look at your work like it’s a law school exam. My focus is on how your business operates in your space and what’s relevant to you. Maybe you’re an online content provider and constantly asked to pretend to be Software as a Service. Congratulations, half of what’s in those agreements are things you’re either agreeing to just to move the deal forward or things that are actively harmful to you. I won’t negotiate like you’re industry default because you’re not, you’ve got a perspective, a voice, and actual views and expectations.
Earlier this month I announced my fractional general counsel services. Not only do these outcompete the cost of in-housing by leaps and bounds but it gives you an attorney on demand with a market-leading package of availability and options meant to be what I aim to deliver – practical law for practical people.
Well, let’s improve on that because practicality means value and pragmatism. So we’ll enhance that even further.
If you’re like every other business owner and are concerned about risk in bursts or have a major initiative on your docket this year – like a merger and acquisition – then I’m making a new offering available for clients – project sprints.
Project sprints are fixed price offerings meant to address specific gaps and risks in your business. What are these offerings and how do they address your concerns and needs? Well, check out the chart below.
| Sprint Package | Concerns Address | The Value Prop |
| Employment Risk | Your employee handbook, offer letters, disciplinary process, severance agreements, contract employees, and employee designations | 1 month turnaround time to provide a comprehensive review and assessment of your employee compliance and handling and, if necessary, upgrades to these documents. |
| Business Health Assessment | Corporate records, operating agreements, meeting minutes, stockholder declarations, general operations and stock ledger review | 1 month turnaround time to provide a comprehensive review and assessment of your current state of business, gaps in your records, a get-right plan (Where necessary), and feedback on best practices. |
| Mergers and Acquisition | Key clause contract documentation, corporate records and minutes review, stock ledger review and organization, employment review and risk assessment, strategic tag up meeting(s) (Up to 2) to ensure a fully stocked audit and preparation | 2-3 month turnaround time to prepare a turnkey data room for your organization and radically reduce deal time; written assessment after review with task listings to fill any gaps, creation of a contract key clause tracker |
As someone who has helped guide organizations for nearly a decade these three sprint packages address the biggest gaps in companies in the DC area. The employment risk sprint helps small and mid-sized businesses, both private and government contracting, implement consistent employee management practices to avoid some of the most common pitfalls for businesses. The Business Health Assessment ensures that small businesses seeking to grow, whether it be from bringing on investors or changing ownership, can grow both reliably and sustainably. Lastly, the mergers and acquisitions sprint turns mergers and acquisitions into a six to twelve-month ordeal into a much quicker and more controlled proposition.
Contact me to book your consult and bring on a business advisor that you can know, like, and trust.