What kind of help are you looking for?
Pick the sentence that sounds most like you. Each one has straight answers to the questions owners ask before they hire anyone, what it costs, and where to go next. If none fits, ask me directly or book a free 30-minute call.
“I want a consultant to guide my marketing”
What does a marketing consultant do for a small business?
A marketing consultant looks at your marketing from the outside and tells you what to change: who to target, what to say, which channels to use, what to spend and how to measure it. You get a written plan; your team, an agency or the consultant then carries it out. I work this way by the hour or by project, with a free 30-minute first call.
Should I hire a marketing consultant or a marketing agency?
Hire a consultant when you need to decide what to do, and an agency when the plan is clear and you need people to do the work. Many small businesses use both: the consultant sets the strategy and holds the agency to results.
How much does a marketing consultant cost?
Mine: the first 30-minute call is free, a paid strategy hour is $350 and hourly consulting is $350 to $450 with no minimum. Projects and retainers are quoted after a diagnostic. Every price is on the pricing page.
“I want an agency that can handle everything”
What does a full-service digital marketing agency do?
A full-service digital marketing agency handles most of your marketing under one roof: strategy, website, search, social media, content, email and ads. An integrated marketing agency is the same idea, with the channels planned together so they tell one story instead of being bought separately.
Is outsourcing all my marketing right for a small business?
It can be, if someone senior still sets the strategy and checks the results. The common failure is paying for activity, such as posts, reports and impressions, with nobody tying it to revenue. Before you sign, read how to tell if a marketing agency is working.
Do you work as a full-service agency?
I run a consultant-led, done-for-you agency rather than a large firm: fixed-price packages you can buy online, with me setting the strategy and reviewing every deliverable. Packages include AI Visibility Launch ($2,500), AI Visibility Growth ($1,500 a month), AI-Ready Website (from $4,500), Done-For-You AI Agent ($3,500 plus $1,000 a month) and Content Engine ($1,200 a month).
Read moreWhat a full-service marketing agency really doesOutsourcing your marketing: what to keep
“I want someone to help grow my business”
What does a business growth consultant do?
A business growth consultant finds what is limiting your revenue and builds the plan to remove it: positioning, target customers, marketing channels, the path from enquiry to sale and measurement. I do it in order with my S.C.A.L.E. Framework™: Scan, Clarify, Amplify, Leverage, Evaluate.
What's the difference between a business growth consultant and a business development consultant?
A business development consultant usually focuses on new sales opportunities: partnerships, new markets and the sales pipeline. A business growth consultant looks at the whole chain from being found to being paid, including marketing, positioning and conversion. Small businesses often need the second first, because new opportunities leak if the basics aren't fixed.
When should a small business hire a business strategy advisor?
When sales have stalled and you can't say why, when you're spending more on marketing without more customers, or before a big decision such as a new market, a new location or a price change. One honest outside view at those moments is usually cheaper than a year of guessing.
“I want someone who understands AI and marketing”
What does an AI marketing consultant do?
An AI marketing consultant helps a business use AI where it actually pays: getting found and recommended in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews, producing content faster without losing quality, and automating follow-up and reporting. Just as important, they tell you where AI isn't worth it yet.
Should I hire an AI consultant or an AI agency?
A consultant gives you independent advice on what to do with AI; an agency builds and runs it. If you're not sure what you need, start with advice, then build. I compare the two honestly in AI consultant vs AI agency.
What does an AI business consultant or AI strategy advisor do?
They look at your whole business, not just marketing, and find the few places where AI saves real time or money: customer calls, intake, follow-up, quoting, reporting and content. Then they set the order, the budget and the rules for using AI safely with customer data.
“I want someone to lead the whole marketing effort”
What is a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO (fractional chief marketing officer) is an experienced marketing executive who leads your marketing part-time for a monthly fee. They set the strategy and budget, manage your agencies and freelancers, and report in revenue, without the cost of a full-time executive.
What's the difference between a fractional CMO and an outsourced marketing director?
They overlap. A fractional CMO is usually more senior and owns the strategy and budget. An outsourced marketing director usually runs the day-to-day plan and the people doing the work. A small business often needs one person who does both, which is how I work.
Can a consultant manage my marketing agency for me?
Yes. It's one of the most useful things a senior marketer can do: brief the agency properly, review its work against enquiries and sales, and replace it if it doesn't deliver. Many of my clients keep their agency and add me above it.
“I want my website to bring in more sales”
What does a website strategy consultant do?
A website strategy consultant decides what your website must do for the business, such as bring in calls, bookings or online sales, and then shapes the pages, message, proof and calls to action to do it. The result is a site built around how your customers decide, not just how it looks.
What is conversion optimization, and is it worth paying for?
Conversion optimization means turning more of the visitors you already have into customers, by fixing slow pages, unclear offers, missing proof and enquiries that never get a reply. It's usually the cheapest growth available, because you're not paying for more traffic.
Do I need a new website or better marketing?
Usually neither until you know where people drop off. Run the free website audit first. If visitors arrive and leave, fix the site; if nobody arrives, fix the marketing; if they enquire and don't buy, fix the follow-up.
Read moreWeb designer or website strategy consultant?Conversion optimization for small business
“I want to automate parts of my business”
What does an AI automation agency or business automation consultant do?
They find the repetitive work in your business, such as answering calls, taking enquiries, booking appointments, following up and updating the CRM, and set up software and AI to do it reliably, with a person stepping in when needed. A consultant designs the plan; an agency also builds and runs it. I do both.
What should a small business automate first?
Start where money is lost to slowness: missed calls, enquiries answered the next day, quotes that never get followed up. Those pay back fastest. Leave anything that needs careful judgment with a person until the simple automations are running well.
What does AI agent development include?
An AI agent does more than chat: it takes steps, such as answering the call, checking the calendar, booking the appointment and handing off to you when it should. Development covers the job description, the tools it may use, the guardrails, testing and monitoring. You can build a free agent preview in Agent Studio, or have me build one for $3,500 plus $1,000 a month.
Read moreAI automation agency or automation consultant?Hiring an AI implementation consultant
“I want to be found on Google and in AI answers”
What does an SEO consultant do now that people ask AI?
The same foundation, with a new goal. An SEO consultant still fixes technical problems, local listings, content and authority so Google ranks you. Now the work also has to make ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews name your business when someone asks who to hire.
What are GEO, AEO and LLMO?
Three names for getting your business into AI answers. GEO (generative engine optimization) is being cited when an AI writes an answer; AEO (answer engine optimization) is being the direct answer; LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization) is my umbrella term for both. See SEO vs LLMO.
How do I get my business recommended by ChatGPT?
Make it easy for AI to identify you, verify you and quote you: the same business facts everywhere, structured data on your site, pages that answer buyers' questions directly, and reviews and mentions on sites AI trusts. The step-by-step guide is How to Get Cited by AI.
Read moreSEO, GEO, AEO or LLMO: which do you need?SEO consultant or SEO agency?
“I want to grow my online store”
What does an ecommerce growth consultant do?
They find why the store isn't selling more and fix it in order: product pages that don't convert, ad spend that doesn't return, abandoned carts, repeat purchases and, now, whether AI shopping assistants recommend your products. The aim is profitable growth, not just more traffic.
Should I hire a Shopify consultant or a Shopify marketing agency?
A Shopify consultant fixes the store itself: setup, apps, speed, product pages and conversion. A Shopify marketing agency brings in traffic through ads, email and social. If the store doesn't convert, more traffic only costs more, so fix the store first. I've built Shopify stores, including for the eight-year Blue Moon Fabrics engagement.
How do I get my products recommended by AI shopping assistants?
Give AI clean, complete product facts: structured product data, clear descriptions that answer buyers' questions, real reviews and consistent listings across the web. See AI for ecommerce.
Read moreShopify consultant or Shopify marketing agency?What an ecommerce growth consultant does
“I want to strengthen my brand”
What does a brand strategy consultant do?
A brand strategy consultant defines what your business stands for, who it's for and why customers should choose it, then turns that into a name, a message and rules everyone can follow. The visual identity comes after the strategy, not before it.
What's the difference between brand strategy and brand positioning?
Positioning is one part of brand strategy: the specific place you want to hold in the customer's mind compared with the alternatives. Brand strategy also covers your audience, personality, message, proof and how the brand shows up everywhere, including in AI answers.
Do I need a branding agency or a brand consultant?
If the strategy is clear and you need a logo, a website and materials, a branding and marketing agency fits. If customers can't say why you're different, start with a consultant, because a beautiful identity on an unclear position still loses on price.
Read moreBrand strategy vs brand positioning
Still not sure what you need?
That's what the first call is for. Thirty minutes, free, and you'll leave knowing your next step, even if it isn't me.