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On - Site Consulting Services
Whenever
possible, we schedule on site small business consulting
services one week or more in advance to allow purchase
of the least costly airline tickets. Before arriving
at the job site, the business coach may send preliminary
recommendations or procedures to get the project started
and save time (and expense) when the on site small business
consulting project begins. To provide the best "value"
of help received, our business coaches work 10 hour
days and schedule around vacations, trade shows, and
other prior commitments that will remove management
from the job site during the small business consulting
project.
Billing
includes weekend round-trip travel by the business coach
to his or her home during the small business consulting
project. Typically, our business coach will stay at
a medium-priced motel and rent a mid-range automobile
at the airport for duration of the small business consulting
project. Sometimes, the client provides a vehicle and/
or lodging for the business coach which is acceptable
to us providing the lodging and vehicle are comparable
to what we normally rent.
At the job site, we ask that a comfortable workspace
be provided for the business coach preferably near the
President's or owner's office for convenient conferencing
and teaching during the small business consulting project.
Our business coach will use a notebook computer and
portable printer and will need access to an electric
outlet for a power strip. Required office supplies are
minimal and include copy paper (same as used in your
copier and plain paper fax), printer ink cartridges
(usually one or two at about $7 each), 3-Ring Notebook,
and dividers.
Each small business consulting assignment is unique,
but we typically start with a brief meeting with the
employees to explain the objectives of the small business
consulting project, assure them again that their input
will be used but not against them, introduce the business
coach, and ask for their active participation in the
project. As the business coach moves through the project
plan, specific recommendations and operating procedures
will be developed. These changes will be thoroughly
discussed before they are written and approved for implementation.
A copy of the recommendation or procedure is placed
in your reference notebook, but our emphasis is in teaching
the management change to your employees and in implementation
of the change before the business coach leaves.
We ask each business coach to make recommendations from
the standpoint of "what would I do if this were
may company?" In other words, our business coaches
are expected to think and act like company owners which
many of them were before joining Management Uplink.
We will give you the underlying theory for our recommendations,
but our emphasis is implementation and making major
improvements in how your company is managed.
Completion of small business consulting projects is,
by far, most effective if done from beginning to end,
without interruption, as originally scheduled. However,
sometimes the owner does not anticipate the full impact
of the small business consulting service on operations
and elects to implement the recommendations in stages.
Sometimes anticipated cash flow does not occur in the
near term or for whatever reason the owner may "recess"
the small business consulting project and resume at
a later time. We ask for at least one day notice to
prior to recess so that the business coach can "wrap
up" current work for your use until the small business
consulting project is resumed.
In our work, there are many instances when continuing,
periodic small business consulting help is crucial or
beneficial to the success of the recommended change
(e.g., quarterly reviews of operating plans and budgets).
In these instances, you may want to take advantage of
our no charge telephone/ email follow up service or
our prepaid retainer program that will allow you to
obtain periodic future small business consulting service
at a reduced rate.
Our hourly rate for on site consulting service is $110
per hour plus reimbursement for travel, lodging, and
meal costs (typically 20% to 30% of the hourly fees).
Follow up service is billed at 10% off standard hourly
rate plus expenses.
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