Because of my wide and varied industry experience, I receive frequent requests from consulting firms asking me to provide transactional advisory services to their clients. I am happy to provide this type of service. Please read this page thoroughly to understand my rules of engagement on calls like this.
I handle these types of transactional calls through my consulting business, Gentoo Studios LLC.
Rate and payment
My rate for these calls is $800/hour, paid in advance by wire transfer or cashier\’s check. Calls are billed in half-hour increments with a minimum call length of one hour. Payment must clear in full before a call can be scheduled. This fee is not negotiable.
Initial calls and prep work
If you are going to spend your client\’s money on a phone call with me, you want to make sure that I am the right person to talk to. That is fair. For these types of requests, I am willing to do a 10 minute call.
Prior to our call, I advise you to thoroughly review my LinkedIn profile and have questions prepared. During our initial call, you may ask questions about my background, the types of clients I have worked with or the types of industries/projects I have worked on. Do not expect to receive free consulting during this call; I won\’t answer substantive questions about industry, processes or technology.
Do not ask me to prepare slides or other information for your client. If you want to present me to your client, you should be able to find all of the information you need on LinkedIn or during our 10 minute call.
Finally, be on time. Don\’t expect to be able to reschedule your 10 minute introductory call.
Client call
Scheduling – Client calls may be scheduled between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., U.S.-Central time, during a mutually agreeable time. Typically, client calls need to be scheduled at least a week in advance. Client calls outside of those times or scheduled on shorter notice may be charged an additional fee. No refund/proration is provided for unused time. Client calls end promptly at the scheduled time. If additional discussion is required, we can schedule another call.
Rescheduling – When you schedule a call with me, I am blocking off time and giving up the opportunity to do other work during the day. But I understand that calls sometimes need to be rescheduled and I am willing to accommodate a paying client. Here are the rules of engagement for rescheduling calls:
- Calls may be rescheduled once, more than a week in advance for free.
- Calls rescheduled more than once or within one week will be charged 50% of the fee.
- Calls rescheduled within 24 hours or on which you/the client is a no-show requires payment of a 100% fee.
Indemnification – By scheduling a call with me, you and your organization agree to indemnify and hold harmless Gentoo Studios LLC and all of its directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all third-party claims, demands and liabilities relating to or arising from the call.