Nobody rings because things are fine. These are the five calls that keep coming, each with the question behind it, and what you're left holding when the project ends.
01 · The raise
The round that has to land.
"We need the money by Q2 and the story isn't working in the room."
The narrative, the numbers behind it, the deck that survives a partner meeting, the target list, and the process run properly: sequencing, momentum, the hard conversations. I've raised from the funds you're pitching and sat on the other side of the table.
You're left withA deck and model you can defend line by line, a run investor process, and the terms you actually understand.
02 · The burn
The cost base nobody wants to touch.
"The board wants a lean plan. Everyone in the building has a reason their line is untouchable."
A line-by-line read of cost and runway from someone who has cut a fintech to survive a downturn and come out the other side with the business intact. What to remove, what to protect, and the order to do it in, with the numbers to show the board.
You're left withA runway you believe, a cost plan with names and dates against it, and a board pack that ends the argument.
03 · The move upmarket
Enterprise wants you. Your website says otherwise.
"We're pitching Fortune 500 buyers with a site and a story built for indie developers."
Who the buyer really is, what they need to see, and the messaging, website and sales motion that gets you taken seriously at the size you're now selling to. I've sold to the biggest brands in the market and know what their procurement, security and finance teams look for.
You're left withA named ICP, a rebuilt site and narrative, and a sales motion your team can run without me.
04 · The launch
The thing that won't go live.
"We've been 'two weeks away' for five months."
Product, site, go-live plumbing, first customers, unblocked in the right order by someone who has shipped production software and taken a stranger's money with it, recently, solo. Verified, not vibed.
You're left withA live product a stranger can buy, the instrumentation to read what's happening, and a build discipline that outlasts the project.
05 · The second opinion
The board-level read.
"Before we commit, I want someone who's done this to tell me what we're missing."
A structured, written view from someone who has founded, scaled, sold, and sat on both sides of the board table: on the plan, the team, the market, the risks nobody has written down. Delivered as a document you can circulate, not a conversation you half remember.
You're left withA ranked list of what's actually wrong, what it costs to fix, and what to do first.
Anything else
Something that doesn't fit a job description.
Most special projects start as one of the five and turn out to be two of them. If the problem is real, has a deadline, and you've run out of people who can hold all of it at once, describe it. The answer within a day is either "yes, and here's how" or a name of someone better placed.
Not taken onAnything I can't do properly in the time, anything I'd have to learn on your money, and anything that conflicts with existing commitments.
