No Matter Where You Are In Your Business Journey, We Can Help
At Start Up With Feras, my team and I are dedicated to empowering you to transform your skills into a thriving consulting and service business.
Our four-tiered approach ensures that whether you're aspiring to start your own business, you're struggling to get traction in a business you've already started, or you need focused guidance for business development, you'll get the expert support that you need to meet your objectives.
Startup Training and Coaching
Get the foundational knowledge and essential support that you need to start your business strong. Access a comprehensive training library and benefit from office hours and one-on-one coaching sessions with Feras.
10-Point Assessment and Alignment
For your venture to succeed, you have to get many things right. This business assessment, conducted by Feras, reviews 10 key areas and provides recommendations for shoring up your weaker areas and getting on track.
Black Belt
Consulting
This high-touch consulting program provides expert strategy and hands-on support to expedite the early stages of your new business or break through challenges and plateaus in a business that you have already built.
Fractional Advisory Board
Feras and our team of experts in legal, finance, service development, and marketing can help you take on the big shifts and developments in your company, including expansion, M&A, and succession planning.
Unsure of which option is best for you?
I can listen to Feras Alhlou for hours. He has so much insight and advice around leading and scaling a company from his successful experiences.
Kate Adams
VP of Marketing at Burkland & Host of Startup Success Podcast
I really was … amazed by the pragmatic advice … that not only answered my question but gave me the confidence that we could do it.
Jim Duffy
Owner of Blue Key Consulting
Huge shout-out to Feras Alhlou with Start Up With Feras … such a breath of fresh air and exactly what I needed as I enter the next stage of my career.
Diana Richardson
Marketing Manager at Content at Scale
Black Belt Startup Training and Coaching
What's Included
Your full membership in Black Belt Startup includes:
- the full video curriculum, from entrepreneurial mindset and defining your audience all the way to setting up your back-office systems
- a personalized roadmap
- a monthly one-on-one coaching session with Feras
- weekly office hours, where we discuss critical topics and where I answer your questions
- an online community where you can interact with other entrepreneurs
- reviewed assignments
Who This Service Is Best For
The program serves early-stage consulting and service business founders, including those who:
- are in the idea phase but have not yet started
- are now preparing to start
- have already started but need to gain more traction
How We Work With You
Once you join the Black Belt Startup membership, you work with Feras on a personalized roadmap that helps you clarify your objectives and identify the areas where you need the most support to establish your business and get traction.
The roadmap also highlights the videos, tools, and templates in our training library that you need to focus on to get your business started right or to get more traction.
In your monthly one-on-one coaching sessions and weekly office hours, you can discuss progress on your roadmap and discuss any specific challenges.
Feras or a member of the Black Belt Startup With Feras team will review each of your submitted course assignments and provide feedback.
What's Not Included
While the membership includes a degree of one-on-one coaching, the allotted time each month will not allow for deep-dive consulting or comprehensive hands-on support.
Cost
The membership costs $499 monthly, with no annual commitment.
We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
If you're a student or a recent graduate, you've recently experienced a layoff, or you're currently facing another challenging personal circumstance, please inquire about discounted pricing at [email protected].
10-Point Assessment and Alignment
What's Included
The 10-Point Assessment and Alignment service provides a comprehensive review of the following areas pertaining to your business:
- Mindset
- Vetting the Idea
- Business planning
- Funding
- Legal & partnerships
- Taking the leap
- Marketing
- Sales
- Service delivery
- Accounting
- HR
- IT and admin
This service includes a:
- 2-hour intake session
- 10-Point Assessment and Alignment report
- 2-hour assessment review session
- 30-minute followup session 1-2 months after the review session
As part of Assessment and Alignment, you'll receive a detailed report outlining weaknesses and vulnerabilities in these areas as well as recommendations and resources for improvement and next steps.
The 10-Point Assessment and Alignment Includes 1 month membership in Black Belt Startup membership.
Who This Service Is Best For
This service is best suited for:
- founders who have already done some of the preliminary work to set up their consulting and services business
- founders who have started but are struggling to gain traction and would benefit from a greater degree of individualized input
How We Work With You
- After you sign up, you schedule a 2-hour input session and a 2-hour assessment review session.
- You receive a pre-assessment questionnaire that you submit prior to the input session.
- During the input session, you and I (Feras) dive deeper into the questions.
- After 1-2 weeks, my team and I provide the 10-Point Assessment and Alignment report.
- During the assessment review session, you and I examine the recommendations, confirming and prioritizing the next steps that you need to take for your business.
- After 1-2 months, you schedule a 30-minute followup session during which you and I discuss the progress that you have made on your actions.
Sessions/meetings are conducted online unless feasible in-person.
What's Not Included
While quite comprehensive, the 10-Point Assessment and Alignment does not include hands-on work such as conducting audience research, setting up specific marketing campaigns, implementing software and systems, or detailed process mapping.
Cost
Starting at $2,500.
Black Belt Consulting
What's Included
This service is fully customized for your stage of business development, your industry vertical, and the output of the 10-Point Assessment and Alignment.
Black Belt Consulting includes the 10-Point Assessment and Alignment and 1 month of the Black Belt Startup membership.
We take on a maximum of 6 new Black Belt Consulting clients in a calendar year.
Who This Service Is Best For
Black Belt Consulting can benefit either new founders or founders who are facing operational or growth challenges in an existing business.
New founders
Black Belt Consulting provides more deeper support in all areas considered in the 10-Point Alignment and Assessment.
Existing founders
Black Belt Consulting can help founders of existing businesses confront and overcome these types of issues:
- You're generating revenue, but you're not achieving your desired level of growth.
- You're stuck in a seasonal or feast-or-famine sales cycle.
- The business depends on your constant involvement, preventing you from unplugging for even a short time.
- Your current systems can't scale to support growth.
How We Work With You
After we complete the 10-Point Assessment and Alignment, I work with you to develop a detailed action plan for the prioritized items. This plan can include a wide range of support, such as:
- Market and audience research
- Service definition
- Guidance on legal and accounting matters
- Review of marketing and sales materials
- Specific guidance for implementing branded email and website creation
- Specific guidance for CRM implementation
- Process mapping and standard operating procedure (SOP) development
Depending on the type of recommended action, items in the action plan are designated for completion by me (Feras), members of the Start Up With Feras team, or yourself as the business owner.
Sessions/meetings are conducted online unless feasible in-person.
Weekly one-on-one sessions
Black Belt Consulting also includes weekly one-on-ones during which we track progress on the action items set the previous week.
Monthly reviews
The first weekly one-on-one session of the month is devoted to a focused accounting of progress on the action items and business performance for the previous month as well as setting priorities for the following month.
Cost
Starting at 5k/month, 2 months minimum recommended.
What's Not Included
More complex business lifecycle considerations such as M&A are not included in Black Belt Consulting.
Fractional Advisory Board
What's Included
The Fractional Advisory Board service helps established consulting and service companies that are facing specific development and operational hurdles or seeking to make a significant change in their direction as a business.
I have a team of experts whom I've worked with in several previous and/or current businesses where we've grown, merged, spun off, and/or exited (successfully). We can also serve as your trusted advisors and empower you to take on major business challenges and opportunities with confidence.
The team includes myself, Chief Product Officer (product strategy, roadmapping, go to market, etc.), a Chief Financial Officer, and a corporate/M&A attorney. We all work together as an advisory board to guide founders in growing and scaling their business, attracting the right investment/investors, and attaining higher levels of business growth.
Additional details about the support that each of these experts can support are below.
We take on a maximum of 4 new Fractional Advisory Board clients in a calendar year.
Chief Product Officer
- Product/service strategy and roadmapping
- Go-to-market and launch planning
- User experience and engagement optimization
- Analytics and performance measurement
Chief Marketing Officer
- Develop and execute overall marketing strategy aligned with company goals
- Oversee brand management and positioning in the market
- Lead content marketing and thought leadership initiatives
- Manage digital marketing efforts, including website and social media presence
- Analyze market trends and competitor activities to inform marketing decisions
Chief Revenue Officer
- Drive overall revenue growth strategies across all channels
- Align sales, marketing, and customer success teams to optimize revenue
- Develop and implement pricing strategies for services
- Identify and pursue new market opportunities and partnerships
- Monitor and report on key revenue metrics and forecasts
Chief Financial Officer
- Financial strategy and planning
- Financial reporting
- Cash flow management
- Financial analysis and forecasting
- Investment evaluation
- Risk management and mitigation (financial)
Chief Legal Officer
- Corporate governance
- Contract review and negotiation
- Regulatory compliance
- Intellectual property protection
- Risk management and mitigation (legal)
CEO
- Strategic vision and leadership
- Overall business operations
- Team building and talent management
- Stakeholder relations
- Financial performance
Depending on your business objectives, specific members of your Fractional Advisory Board may assume more prominent roles.
How We Work With You
This service begins with two 2-hour onboarding sessions in which you meet with members of the advisory board.
Within two weeks of the second onboarding session, you receive an analysis and a high-level plan addressing the area of business support that you're seeking.
In subsequent monthly meetings, members of the fractional advisory board assess progress on the plan and guide next steps.
Sessions/meetings are conducted online unless feasible in-person.
Who This Service Is Best For
The Fractional Advisory Board serves established consulting and service businesses that are considering any of following:
- Expansion in staff and/or service offerings
- Offshoring
- Pivoting to a different service industry or audience section
- Succession planning
- M&A (either acquiring other companies or being acquired)
What's Not Included
Since this is an advisory service, no implementation or operational or implementation support is included. In some cases, it may make sense to combine the Fractional Advisory Board service with Black Belt Consulting for more granular, day-to-day guidance and support.
Cost
Compensation for the Fractional Advisory Board can be based on:
- direct fee only
- direct fee plus equity (in the case of M&A support)
We can structure a compensation model that makes the most sense for objectives.
DON'T MAKE HARD DECISIONS OR FACE DIFFICULT SITUATIONS ON YOUR OWN. GET ESSENTIAL INPUT FROM FERAS.
A lot of folks have helped me along the way, and I'm passionate about giving back.
My goal is now to help you make good decisions, avoid pitfalls, and streamline the steps in your early-stage consulting or professional services startup.
BRANDS WE HAVE SERVED INCLUDE:
Schedule a Discovery Call
For enrollment in the 10-Point Assessment and Alignment, Black Belt Consulting, or Fractional Advisory Board services, please schedule a discovery call so we can determine if these services would be a good fit.