What the First 90 Days
Looks Like

Most consultants treat scope as fuzzy because explicit scope creates uncomfortable conversations early. The conversations happen anyway, just later, and at higher cost. Explicit scope on day one means the Series A founder, the head of marketing, and the VC partner who recommended me all know what I do and what I do not do. No surprises in week 6.

The technical work alone (schema, llms.txt, robots.txt) is necessary but not sufficient. Without structural changes to the commercial pages (H2s as buyer questions, answer blocks, FAQ schema, comparison language), the technical work has nothing to amplify. If editorial control over the commercial pages is not on the table, two paths still work: a one-time technical Build that improves Layer 1 and Layer 2 without touching content (capped citation gains, but a real foundation), or I work alongside your content team and they implement my structural recommendations directly. Either path can produce results. Full editorial control just produces them faster.

Yes, and it is often the best outcome. Most SEO agencies are strong on Layer 1 (technical) and Layer 4 (backlinks) but weak on Layer 2 (schema), Layer 3 (retrieval-friendly content), and Layer 5 (AI citation engineering). I slot in as the AI-visibility specialist alongside their work. The first 30-day call includes your agency lead so we agree on responsibility boundaries.

Three options. (1) Wrap as a one-time engagement. The technical foundation, the rewritten commercial pages, and the methodology are yours. You manage maintenance and measurement in-house. (2) Continue on the $999 per month Light Retainer for monthly citation monitoring, four pieces of content, and Layer 1 maintenance. (3) Continue on the $1,997 per month Full Retainer for twelve pieces of content per month plus everything in Light. Most Series A engagements choose option 3 because citations compound through ongoing content.

Standard NDA before discovery call if you want one. I sign the client's NDA on request. I also volunteer mine if there is no template. I do not publish anything client-specific publicly without explicit written permission. The 12-query case study published on lesli.com is on my own site, not yours. Anything on your site is yours, and I do not reference it externally without sign-off.

Weekly written status update (Mondays). Monthly strategy call (30 to 45 minutes). Quarterly deep review (90 minutes) with you, the head of marketing, and any VC partner who wants to attend. Slack or email between scheduled touchpoints. No black box.

No. Month-to-month retainer. If the work is not delivering, you stop without penalty. The reason most consultants want 12-month minimums is to lock in revenue during the compounding period. I would rather earn the retainer monthly and keep both of us focused.

Capped at 8 to 12 active retainer clients. The cap exists because the named-query monitoring, the monthly strategy calls, and the quarterly deep reviews require real attention. If I am at capacity when a referral comes in, I will tell the referring VC partner within two business days and refer the portfolio company to a trusted alternative.