Consulting and Coaching
Advisory services can take the form of consulting or coaching. Consulting engagements are often focused on a discrete problem or issue, and once a solution is provided, the consultant moves on. Consulting often involves dispensing advice or telling people what they should do.

Business Coaching, on the other hand, is different from consulting. It focuses on assisting business owners to discover solutions within themselves. Moreover, business coaching is a consistent, on-going business relationship where the coach continues to work with the client to implement new skills, changes and goals.

I often work in "hybrid" mode, as a coach-consultant. This means that I offer you the best of both professions: advice and expertise when you need it, motivation and brainstorming when you're stuck, insight to build you and your business to your highest potential.

Once major issues have been resolved, many clients choose to continue the advisory relationship – to maintain the integrity of ongoing operations and to ensure that goals and priorities continue to be met. Likewise, we prefer to develop long term advisory relationships with our clients. It affords us the opportunity to become more familiar with the business owner and his/her operations, and ultimately translates into a more successful partnership.

Time Commitment
We understand that business owners are extremely busy. With time and budget constraints in mind, we like to meet with the owner on a weekly, or in some instances a bi-weekly basis for roughly four hours. Our experience has taught us that this is a manageable slice of time. It allows the business owner the time to run his/her business and spend time working on agreed upon goals between advisor meetings.

Your Very Own “Board of Directors”
Family-owned and other closely-held corporations often experience the need for independent, unbiased advice to guide the business through the ever changing business climate.

Optimal Solutions Squared can function as an alternative to the traditional board of directors. In the role of business advisor, we can:

• Act as a “sounding board”
  
• Conduct regularly scheduled “Board” meetings
  
• Help you gain clarity in prioritizing and setting goals
  
• Evaluate existing business plans (marketing, sales, strategic, financial) or assist in creating such plans
  
• Insure use of business best practices