These are the questions owners and directors most often ask before they start. If yours isn't here, a short text or a call is the quickest way to get an answer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does strategic planning cost?
Hourly consulting is $175 to $350, defined projects such as a three-year plan are $3,500 to $25,000, and retainers for quarterly reviews are $2,500 to $12,000 a month. All amounts are Canadian dollars; GST/HST is added at your province's rate, or GST and QST for Quebec clients.
Do we have to sign a long contract?
No. There is no lock-in. Projects have a fixed scope and milestone payments, and the terms of any retainer, including notice, are written into your proposal.
How long does a three-year plan take?
Usually six to ten weeks from the first interviews to an approved plan. The pace depends mainly on how quickly your leadership team can meet.
How much of our time will it take?
Each leader gives about an hour for an interview, a short survey, one or two days at the offsite and two review meetings. The owner spends a few extra hours on drafts.
We hired a consultant before and the plan sat on a shelf. Why would this be different?
Plans sit on shelves when they have too many priorities, no budget and no review dates. We limit the plan to three to five priorities, build the budget from it and book four quarterly reviews before the plan is approved.
Who owns the plan and the files?
You do. The plan document, one-page strategy, budget model, scorecard and every working file belong to your company, and your team can maintain them without us.
Do you work with boards?
Yes. We prepare board versions of plans and quarterly packs, and facilitate board strategy sessions. We don't advise on directors' legal duties or governance compliance; those belong with your lawyer.
Do you give legal, accounting or tax advice?
No. We are strategy and planning consultants. When a question touches law, accounting or tax, we flag it and you take it to your professional advisors.
How do we know if the plan is working?
Through the scorecard and the quarterly review. Within two quarters you should see each priority owned and measured, a budget that reflects the plan, at least one activity stopped and reviews held on schedule.
What reporting do we receive?
A written summary after every session, a monthly scorecard if we maintain it, and a review pack before each quarterly review. Boards can receive their own version of the pack.
Can we meet in person?
Yes. We meet online by video call and in person, and we travel for offsites. Phone, text and email are available throughout.
Can we start by text?
Yes. (604) 632-4959 receives texts, and a short message describing your company and your planning question is a good way to begin. We take it from there.
What size of company do you work with?
Owner-led companies where the owner can't hold every decision personally, usually with a leadership group of three or more. We don't publish a revenue cut-off; the free consultation is where we check fit honestly.
Can you promise a particular result?
No. Nobody honest can promise a plan's outcome. What we commit to is a clear process, decisions in writing and a review routine that shows quickly whether the plan is working.
Cost and contracts
Fees follow our group's published consulting rates, and you choose the format that suits the work. Most first engagements are projects with fixed scopes and milestone payments; quarterly reviews usually run on a monthly retainer. There are no discounts, and there is no lock-in.
The pricing page shows how each service maps to a format and works through sales tax by province with a $12,000 example. Every proposal sets out the scope, fee, timeline and terms in writing before you commit.
Time, timing and calendar
A three-year plan typically takes six to ten weeks, and the year-one budget usually follows directly. If the plan is meant to shape next year's budget, start about ten weeks before your fiscal year begins.
The time commitment for leaders is modest but real: an interview, a survey, the offsite and two review meetings. Owners who protect that time get better plans.
Boards and advisory boards
We work with formal boards and with advisory boards. For both, we prepare a version of the plan sized for directors, a consistent quarterly pack and, where useful, facilitation of the annual strategy session.
What we don't do is advise on governance obligations, directors' duties or how resolutions are recorded. Those questions belong with your lawyer and, for financial reporting, your accountant. Our quarterly strategy review page explains how the board pack fits the cycle.
When the last plan didn't work
The most common reason a previous plan failed is that it was disconnected from the budget and never reviewed. That is fixable, and it is usually where we start.
If you already have a plan, we don't throw it away. We check whether it makes clear choices, attach a scorecard, and begin quarterly reviews. If the plan turns out to need rewriting, the first review makes that obvious.
Ownership of the work
Everything we produce for you is yours: the plan document, the one-page strategy, the budget model, the scorecard and the review packs. You can share them with your lender, your accountant or a future buyer without asking us.
We build the tools in formats your team already uses, usually spreadsheets and plain documents, so nothing stops working when an engagement ends. If you later choose another advisor, or decide to run the cycle internally, the files and the routine go with you. Our annual operating plan page describes the budget model in more detail.
Meetings, travel and how the work is delivered
Most engagements mix formats. Interviews and quarterly reviews often happen online by video, while the main planning offsite is usually held in person at a venue you choose, and we travel to you for it. Phone, text and email cover the questions that come up between sessions.
A typical first year looks like this: six to ten weeks to build the plan, a few weeks for the budget, then four reviews spaced through the year. In practice, that means intensive work for about two months and then a steady half-day each quarter. The quarterly rhythm is the part worth protecting most, because it forces a pause to look at the whole company rather than this week's problems.
If you are not sure you need a full plan
Many companies don't need a full three-year plan in their first engagement. A scorecard and one facilitated review often show whether the existing direction is sound, and they cost a fraction of a complete plan. We would rather recommend the smaller step and earn the larger one later.
Working with us
You work directly with Ali Sedighi, MBA, who leads every engagement. We are part of the Sedighi.ca and SAZ.ca group, based in Vancouver, and we work with companies across Canada online by video and in person. Learn more on the about page, or see how to get in touch.