A monthly engagement is the standard opening shape. The first two months are a fit assessment: the operator team gets to see how the consultant works, the deliverables show up, the weekly cadence either fits or does not. After two months, the engagement converts to a six-month minimum commitment so the work can actually compound.
Six months is the realistic floor for the work to show up in the operator P&L: the first month is diagnostic, the second is early-stage build, and months three through six are execution against the operating model. Diagnostic-only engagements at two to four weeks are available at a project rate. The output of a diagnostic is a structured operator-side analysis of a specific question: a proposed market entry, a CRM rebuild thesis, a licensing pathway, a vendor selection.
The diagnostic shape works particularly well pre-investment-decision. After the six-month minimum, most engagements continue on a rolling basis as long as the scope is producing outcomes. The longest active engagement at any given time tends to be 18 months or more.