Advisory for small and growing businesses
Small-business advisory is executive-level counsel scoped for owner-led businesses. Method & Matter offers fixed-scope, fixed-fee packages for owner-operated companies in Maine and New England, from solo operators already in market to small teams ready for the next stage. Each one a complete engagement with a defined deliverable and a price you know before we begin.
Who we work with
Owner-led businesses in Maine and New England that are already serving customers. Launch is for owners whose craft is strong but brand, site, and print do not match it yet. Grow is for owners and small teams who need a clear decision, a written strategy, or a shipped priority. Idea-stage founders are not a fit. Growing and mid-size companies with heavier operating complexity usually start in Operations or Advisory.
Two paths
Same firm. Same standards. Different starting point, depending on whether you need presence that matches the work, or decisions and builds that move the next stage forward.
Launch
For owner-led businesses that need brand, site, and print matched to their size.
Brand system, guidelines, website, and core print. Core for solos, Complete for small teams, Complex when the rollout is larger. Every first impression matches the quality of the work you already deliver.
Grow
For owners and small teams ready to decide, diagnose, or keep counsel close.
A working session for one decision, an audit when you need the full picture, and a retainer when you want counsel on call. After diagnosis, Focus Builds and Growth Sprints deliver the next priorities — priced when you are ready, not as a second menu of options.
Where to start
Fixed fees published so you can see whether the work is in range before we talk. Diagnose paths (Audit or Owner Go-to-Market) sit at the same fee — pick the one that matches the decision in front of you. What comes after diagnosis is scoped to your priorities.
Launch
Brand Launch
from $12,500Fixed fee by tier
For owners already doing the work who need brand, site, and print that match the standard of their craft, priced to the size of the business.
A fixed-scope launch system: brand identity and written guidelines, business card design, and a focused multi-page website with a clear offer and booking path. Principal-led, not a template mill. Core $12,500 for solo operators · Complete $16,500 for small teams · Complex quoted for multi-location or multi-brand work.
- Brand system and written brand guidelines
- Business card design ready for print
- Focused multi-page website with clear offer and booking path
- Tier matched to solo, small-team, or complex rollout
- Comprehensive launch guide you can run without us
Grow
Decide
Working Session
$1,500Fixed fee
For one decision that needs to get made well. Pricing, positioning, expansion, a big hire.
A focused half-day session built around a single question facing your business. We prepare in advance, work the problem together, and you leave with a decision and a concrete path to act on it.
- Pre-session review of your materials
- Structured half-day working session
- Written summary of decisions and next steps
Diagnose
Business & Brand Audit
$3,900Fixed fee
For owners who want a clear, honest picture of where the business stands and what to do next.
A full outside-in review of your business: fundamentals, offer and pricing, brand and positioning, digital presence, market, and competitors. You receive a written assessment, a prioritized growth path, and a priced set of next-step options for the top priorities.
- Comprehensive written audit across business, brand, and market
- Prioritized growth path with clear first moves
- Readout session to walk through findings and answer questions
- Priced next-step options for your top priorities
Owner Go-to-Market Strategy
$3,900Fixed fee
For owners who know the work is strong and need a clear plan to find and win the right customers.
A written go-to-market plan sized to an owner-led business: who to serve, how to reach them, which channels earn the hours you have, and what to stop doing. Same fee as the Business & Brand Audit; choose the diagnose path that matches the decision in front of you.
- Positioning and ICP clarity for the next stage
- Channel plan matched to realistic owner hours
- Offer sequence and pipeline hygiene
- Ninety-day calendar and success metrics
- Readout session to lock decisions
Counsel
Advisory Retainer
$2,200/mo3-month minimum
For owners who want a trusted advisor on call as the business grows.
Ongoing strategic counsel: two working sessions each month plus asynchronous access for the questions that come up in between. A steady outside perspective from someone who knows your business and has no stake but your success. Delivery work is scoped separately when you need it.
- Two working sessions per month
- Asynchronous questions between sessions
- Quarterly review of priorities and progress
After diagnosis
The audit (or Owner Go-to-Market Strategy) ends with a prioritized path and clear fees for what comes next. You choose one move at a time — or several — when cash and bandwidth allow. Nothing is sold as open-ended hourly work.
From first call to finished work
01
Talk
A short call about your business and the decision in front of you. No charge, no pitch. If a package fits, we say which one and why. If none does, we say that too.
02
Scope
You receive the scope in writing: what is included, what is not, the timeline, and the fixed fee.
03
Work
We do the work as scoped. Sessions prepared, deliverables written, findings walked through with you.
04
Launch
Every package ends with something you can run without us: a decision made, a prioritized path, a build in place, a checklist in motion.
Common questions
Why fixed fees instead of hourly?
You are buying an outcome, not our time. The fee is agreed before work begins and does not change unless the scope does.
Do you only work with Maine businesses?
Maine and New England are home, and we work in person where we can. Sessions, audits, and Focus Builds also run well remotely.
Which package should we start with?
- Brand Launch when craft is strong but brand, site, and print do not match it yet. Core for solos, Complete for small teams, Complex for larger rollouts.
- A Working Session when one decision needs to get made well.
- A Business & Brand Audit when you need to know what to fix first — or Owner Go-to-Market Strategy, at the same fee, when the question is how to find and win the right customers.
- After diagnosis, most clients take Focus Builds one priority at a time. Growth Sprint is for owners ready to fund several moves in one stretch.
How is Brand Launch priced?
By the size and surface area of the business, not by the hour.
- Core is $12,500 for a solo operator.
- Complete is $16,500 for a small team or more customer touchpoints.
- Multi-location, multi-brand, or heavy physical rollout is quoted after a short scoping call.
The tier is named in writing before work begins.
What comes after the audit?
A prioritized path and a priced set of next steps — Focus Builds for one recommendation at a time, or a Growth Sprint when you want several moves in one stretch. Fees are confirmed at the readout, not sold as a second public menu.
What is a Focus Build?
One recommendation from your audit or Owner Go-to-Market Strategy, delivered as a fixed-fee project you can run without us. Tiers run Light $2,200, Standard $3,900, and Heavy $6,500. Examples include a messaging guide, content system, listing pack, or campaign set.
Do I need an audit before a Focus Build?
Yes. You need a Business & Brand Audit, an Owner Go-to-Market Strategy, or an equivalent written priority list from us first. Diagnosis tells us which recommendations matter and in what order.
How does the audit credit work?
Book a Focus Build within 90 days of finishing a Business & Brand Audit or Owner Go-to-Market Strategy and $750 of that diagnosis fee credits toward the first build.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Owner-led businesses already in market: Launch when presence needs to catch up to the craft, Grow when the next decision or priority needs to move. We do not take idea-stage founders. Growing and mid-size companies with heavier operating complexity usually belong in Operations or Advisory.
Is there support for businesses that can't afford this?
We reserve a fixed amount of pro bono capacity each year for community businesses and organizations. If budget is the only barrier, ask. The worst case is a waitlist.