If you’re looking to scale your startup faster and more efficiently, hiring a startup consultant is one of the most effective ways to achieve success.
My name is David Craig White, and I am an experienced startup consultant, executive coach, and passionate entrepreneur.
During the past 15 years, I have helped some of the fastest-growing startups in the world, such as Trustpilot, Siteimprove, and Falcon.io (Brandwatch), increase revenue and scale internationally.
“David is a very skilled and experienced SaaS sales leader with profound knowledge of all aspects of GTM for a tech company. I strongly recommend him as a very powerful sales leader that can create an impact where it matters.”
Michael Heiberg – Founder & CEO at Ocean.io
I have also helped multiple individuals and small business owners learn how to start a business, attract customers, and increase revenue.
During this time, I have also founded, grown, sold and binned multiple startups within advertising, digital marketing, sales recruitment, and other industries.
My core strength and experience are scaling high-performing commercial teams and aligning sales, marketing and customer success teams to achieve success.
I have a raw passion for helping early-stage startups go from launch to securing Series A funding and beyond, and I’d love to help yours.
Book a free consultation to learn more about how startup consulting can help scale your business today.
Common Questions About Startup Consulting
Below you will find my answers to the most commonly asked questions people have about hiring a startup consultant.
Click any of the following questions to jump to the answer:
- What is a Startup Consultant?
- What are My Startup Consultancy Services?
- What are the Benefits of Hiring a Startup Consultant?
- What Stages is a Startup Consultant Most Valuable?
- How Does Startup Consulting Work?
- What is the Difference Between a Startup Consultant & Executive Coach?
- Much Much Does a Startup Consultant Cost?
If you have any further questions about startup consulting, you can either book a free consultation or use the contact form to submit your question.
What is a Startup Consultant?
A business startup consultant is a professional who provides support and advice to entrepreneurs and startups.
A startup consultant can typically offer advisory in multiple areas, including but not limited to some of the following:
- Creating a Business Plan
- Validating a Business Idea
- Getting Funding
- Go-to-Market Strategy
- Sales Consultancy
- Website & Marketing Strategy
- Recruitment
- Financial Planning
A startup consultant will typically work as an external consultant, although some are hired as employees on short-term contracts.
Ultimately, the role of a startup consultant is to provide objective support and advice to help you overcome challenges and achieve success.
Book a free consultation to learn more about how startup consulting can help scale your business today.
My Startup Consultancy Services
Having spent many years as a commercial leader, my core area of expertise is helping startups go to market, increase revenue and scale.
However, having founded multiple startups, I have also developed many technical skills covering a broad range of areas.
Some of the most common startup consultancy services I can help you with include the following:
- Creating a Business Plan
- Website Design
- Go-to-Marketing Strategy
- Product-Market Fit & Pricing
- SEO Strategy
- Commercial Recruitment
- Sales Compensation Plans
- Building Commercial Teams
- Team Training & Coaching
- Leadership Development
- Building Healthy Cultures
- CRM Consultancy
There are many layers to each area, so ask if the area you need help isn’t listed.
“After several years of working together, David still managed to exceed my expectations when hired as a consultant. His experience with sales and all processes involved, combined with his technical knowledge on leading platforms like Marketo and Salesforce, has made David our prime choice for keeping our sales processes lean and effective.”
Martin André Jønck – Co-Founder & CEO at eMagCreator
I am a hands-on startup consultant that likes to get my hands dirty, making me a perfect fit for ambitious early-stage startups with limited resources.
Book a free consultation to learn more about how startup consulting can help scale your business today.
What are the Benefits of Hiring a Startup Consultant?
A business startup consultant can have a huge impact on the success of your startup for many reasons.
Ultimately, hiring a startup consultant will enable you to grow faster and more efficiently and increase your chances of success.
Below, I have listed some of the main benefits of how:
Avoiding Painful Mistakes
It is no hidden fact that most startups fail, and many of them do so because they make costly errors in the early stages.
The most valuable benefit of hiring a startup is that it can help you avoid the painful mistakes made by others.
Most startup consultants have witnessed founders and other key employees make the same common mistakes time and time again.
Avoiding some of these mistakes can help you scale faster and ultimately save your startup from failure.
Getting Sh#t Done, Faster
Startup consultants bring a wealth of experience to the table and often have a toolkit full of templates and playbooks ready to execute.
This means you can avoid the slow, time-consuming process of trial and error and get complex tasks executed immediately.
Access to Connections & Resources
Many consultants have a broad network of connections and access to resources from past roles, clients and projects.
Personally, I happily share my network and resources with all of my clients, and you will find most other consultants will do the same.
Accessing a consultant’s trusted connections and resources is a great way to gain new customers, increase your knowledge and save money.
Getting an Objective Birds-Eye View
As the founder or employee of a startup, you fast become blinkered and unable to spot the flaws in your startup.
A consultant can offer a refreshingly honest, objective and valuable insight into what outsiders see but are not always brave enough to say.
Personally, I believe it is my duty to be 100% transparent and honest and tell you what you might not necessarily want to hear.
Sometimes this is hard to swallow, but not as painful as finding out months down the line when the damage has been done.
Saving Time & Reducing Stress
As a founder or entrepreneur, your list of to-do’s is never ending, often causing stress and long working hours.
A startup consultant can help take many tasks off your hands, freeing you up to spend time on other crucial tasks.
I have advanced experience coaching executives, where I often work with founders on time management, prioritisation and reducing stress.
As the captain of the ship, your well-being is crucial to the success of your startup.
“David is a strong sales-driven leader with fantastic empathy and a great personality who develops people, teams and leaders by investing time in understanding where they are, what their potential is and empowering them to take full advantage of their talent – aligned with the company objectives and a no BS attitude.”
Jesper Lindhardt – President & COO at Ocean.io
Book a free consultation to learn more about how startup consulting can help scale your business today.
What Stage is a Startup Consultant Most Valuable?
A startup consultant can be valuable at different stages of a startup’s journey but are often most valuable in the earlier stages.
However, this will depend on your experience as a founder, as you may already have valuable knowledge in some areas.
Some of the most important stages in a startups journey where startup consulting can be crucial include:
- Idea Validation: A consultant can help validate your idea and provide advice and resources on market research. They can also provide honest feedback on whether there is a potential market for it.
- Funding: Startup consultants can often advise on the types of funding available and which is best for you at different stages of your growth, such as Seed Funding or a Series Round.
- Sales Strategy: Consultants can also help you plan and execute the right sales strategy for your business model, including finding a product-market fit or planning a go-to-market strategy.
- Marketing & Branding: Consultants can often help with advising on the best practices and pitfalls of raising awareness of your business. This might include advice on the best channels to advertise your solution.
- Recruitment: Some consultants can help you get started with recruitment and help you find the right employees. This might include helping with interview techniques or even screening candidates with you.
- Leadership: Building a strong culture and developing skills are key to your success as a founder, and some consultants can offer advice on how to develop your leadership skills and build a great culture.
There are many other steps and stages where a startup consultant can provide value to your business, but these are just a few.
Every consultant will have a specific background, expertise and passion for helping startups at different stages.
As already mentioned, my passion is helping early-stage startups until they are well established and start to form a C-Suite.
Book a free consultation to learn more about how startup consulting can help scale your business today.
How Does Startup Consulting Work?
Startup consulting typically involves a business relationship between a startup founder or senior executive and a startup consultant.
This relationship may last for just a few hours or could last for a number of years, depending on the needs of the client.
It is also not uncommon for some startup consultants to embed themselves into your team like an employee for a set number of hours per week.
This often results in the consultant becoming more familiar with your startup’s culture, products and daily challenges.
Working closely with your consultant to develop a plan and implement recommendations to help your startup succeed is crucial.
“It has been a privilege to work with David over the past years. David is highly skilled and motivating and helped me take my career to the next level. I cannot say enough good things, and I highly recommend his consulting and training services to anyone with the opportunity.”
Donna Zasman – Co-Founder at ZOOMcatalog
The Common Stages of Startup Consulting
A startup consultant will normally have a preferred way of working, but the common stages of consulting typically include the following:
Stage One: The Analysis
The consultant will thoroughly analyse the current challenges and goals of the startup to better understand the current status.
This analysis might include interviewing the founder, their employees and customers to get feedback on the product, industry, value delivered, competitors and much more.
Stage Two: Recommendations and Approval
Once the consultant has completed their analysis, they will present their findings and recommended solutions.
This is then discussed and evaluated with the founder and other key stakeholders and hopefully approved after a few amendments.
Stage Three: Trial Implementation
Depending on the complexity of the tasks to be completed, the next stage might typically involve a trial implementation.
This allows for a short trial period to evaluate and adjust the implementation after receiving feedback from the involved parties.
Stage Four: Full Implementation
Upon successful completion of the trial implementation and positive feedback from the team, you will move on to full implementation.
Stage Five: Evaluation
Once your new processes have been in place for a while, it’s important to sit with your team to evaluate the feedback and results.
During this stage, it is common to get feedback and ideas on how the processes can be improved further and make adjustments accordingly.
As mentioned, every consultant will have their preferred ways of working but will often build a custom plan to suit each client and project.
Book a free consultation to learn more about how startup consulting can help scale your business today.
What is the Difference Between a Startup Consultant and an Executive Coach?
A startup consultant and executive coach are similar in many ways but fundamentally different in others.
As the founder of a startup, you can get value from both executive coaching and startup consulting, depending on your needs.
Consulting is an instructional service where your consultant provides expert advice and instructions designed to help grow your business.
Coaching, on the other hand, is a slower process designed to develop the personal and professional skills of an individual.
However, one of the most fundamental differences between a coach and a consultant is the level of required expertise.
A good professional coach can help you without knowing too much about your role or industry.
Consultants are masters of their trade that come with advanced knowledge and expertise, which is critical if they are to help you succeed.
How Much Does a Startup Consultant Cost?
It’s difficult to estimate the cost of any startup consultancy project without having a chat and doing some analysis.
The average cost for hiring a startup consultant range from £100 to £500 per hour, depending on the consultant’s experience and the format and duration of the consulting package.
I normally recommend my startup consultant plan for new clients, which includes 10 hours of consulting for just £1,800, giving us enough time to evaluate working together and make some progress.
To find out more about my startup consultancy services, book a free consultation call with me today using the form below.
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