Small Business Support
You can make the best sandwich in town and still struggle, because nobody taught you the business side. That's the gap this work closes. Whether you're just starting, open but stuck, or ready to grow, the first step is working out what the business needs. Then comes the doing: the plan, the numbers, pricing, sales, cash flow, and the day-to-day habits that keep a small team from drowning.
Most owners start with one of these. Some need a little of each.
The planning and paperwork a new business needs, organized so you walk into your lender's and attorney's offices ready.
For a business that's open and working hard but not where it should be. It starts with an honest look at the numbers and what's going on.
A standing check-in or a call when a big decision lands, shaped around how much support you want.
I do the work myself, and I've stood on your side of the counter. Long before I led large programs, I ran a comic book store for several years, managed shifts at a sub shop, and worked the line at a bagel shop. I know the slow afternoons, the inventory that won't move, and the pressure of making the numbers work. Since then I've started two businesses of my own.
Getting to the core of what a business needs, whether that's steadier cash flow, smarter pricing, or more people through the door, starts with the numbers and the people behind them.
More about meA free conversation about you and your business: where it is, what's working, and what isn't.
You and I set the terms, the timeline, what success looks like, and how the work will run. Everything is in writing before any work begins.
The work begins, at the pace you agreed, with regular check-ins so you always know where things stand.
The first conversation is always free. After that, every package below has a set price, so you know the total before any work starts. Prices are built from a $250 hourly rate and the hours each package takes. Not sure where to begin? Start with one of the three marked Good place to start.
| Package | What you get | Hand-built | AI-assisted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business checkupGood place to start | A basic review of where the business stands: sales, margins, cash flow, and pricing, with a short list of the changes that matter most. If you continue with a larger package within 60 days, the checkup fee is credited toward it. | $1,500 | $750 |
| Business planGood place to start | A plan a lender, partner, or investor can evaluate: the model, the market, operations, and the numbers | $3,000 | $1,500 |
| Financial projections | A three-year forecast with startup costs, cash flow, and break-even, built so you can explain every number | $1,500 | $750 |
| Loan-ready package | Business plan, projections, loan narrative, and collateral statement, organized the way lenders and SBA programs expect | $4,000 | $2,000 |
| Startup checklist | Business structure (LLC or similar), licenses, leases, and agreements organized and ready for your attorney and accountant | $1,000 | $500 |
| Pricing and cost modelGood place to start | What your product costs to make or stock, and what to charge for it | $1,000 | $500 |
| Operations playbook | Simple written procedures for the core jobs, so the business runs the same way when you're not there | $2,500 | $1,250 |
| AI tools setup | Choosing the right AI tools, setting them up, and building simple habits so they save time instead of adding work, while you keep the know-how to check what they produce | $1,500 | Same price |
| Weekly numbers dashboard | A handful of numbers that tell you how the business is doing each week | $1,000 | $500 |
| Hiring your first employees | Role descriptions, a hiring plan, and the questions to bring to your HR provider or attorney | $1,000 | $500 |
Hand-built: I do every step myself, with no AI tools. AI-assisted: the same deliverable and the same final review, with AI handling routine steps, so it takes fewer of my hours and costs less.
With your written OK, business-grade AI tools handle the routine compiling, formatting, and first-pass checks. That cuts my hours, and your price, in half. The hours I still put in go where they matter: reviewing, tailoring, and putting the work into practice with you. AI tools setup has one price, because the AI tools are the point of the work. It also covers keeping the skills to check what they produce (why that matters).
Five hours a month for check-ins on the numbers, decisions, and whatever comes up, with a three-month minimum. That works out to $200 an hour instead of $250, in exchange for the three-month commitment, and the focus can change as the business does.
Say so. Payments can be spread out or timed to your cash flow, and fees can be reduced when that's what it takes. If the business doesn't make it, I won't be the bill that makes a hard time harder. Helping owners matters more to me than collecting every dollar, and the agreement says so in writing.
Your documents stay private. If you opt in, I use business versions of AI tools whose terms don't allow your information to be used to train their models. Your files are covered by the same confidentiality terms and data security policy as every other job, and you can switch to hand-built work at any time. The full set of commitments is in How I Use AI.
Loan work: if your financing involves an SBA-guaranteed loan, my fee is disclosed to the lender on SBA Form 159, as SBA rules require, and it never depends on whether the loan is approved.
My own coaching firm, and a separate company from Vibrant Blue. I built it with the same tools and skills on this page: business structure, pricing, systems, and the infrastructure it needed to run on its own. Those same tools are what your business gets.
Visit Second Star Advisory → (opens in a new tab)No. Bring whatever you have, even if it's just the idea and a few numbers. Figuring out what's missing is part of the work.
Yes. Many owners reach out a year or two in, when sales are slower than expected or cash is tight. The first step is the same: a free conversation about where the business is and what's getting in the way.
The first conversation is free. Packages run from $1,000 to $4,000, and most are half that if you agree to let me use AI tools on the work. Ongoing advisory is $1,000 a month for five hours, with a three-month minimum, and payments can be spread out.
Say so in the first conversation. Payments can be spread out or timed to your cash flow, fees can be reduced, and if the business closes, you won't be billed for months that haven't happened. I'd rather help than walk away over money.
I don't lend money or make lending decisions. What I will do is help you build the package lenders expect to see (a financial forecast, a loan narrative, a business plan, and a collateral statement), so your application gets a serious look.
I'm not an attorney or a tax preparer. I'll organize what you need, get you ready for your attorney or accountant, and help you find one if you don't have one yet.
You and I set that in step 2, based on how much time you can commit and how much support you want. Ongoing advisory includes five hours a month, and additional time can be arranged at an agreed cost. Getting a new business started usually takes more time than supporting one that's up and running, so the arrangement can be revisited as things settle.
No. I'm based in Columbus and work with small businesses in other states too, mostly remotely.
Whether it's slow sales, a daily operational headache, or getting in front of a lender, the first conversation costs nothing. If this isn't the right kind of help, I'll tell you, and point you somewhere better whenever I can.
Book a free 30-minute callCalls are on Microsoft Teams. Prefer to write? Send a message instead.