These are the questions Burnaby owners most often ask before hiring a business consultant, answered as plainly as we can. The short answers are above. Below, we expand on the four topics that decide most hiring decisions: cost, commitment, proof and scope. For anything not covered, call, text or email; you will reach Ali Sedighi directly.
Frequently asked questions
How much does business consulting cost?
Hourly consulting is $175 to $350 an hour, projects $3,500 to $25,000, and monthly retainers $2,500 to $12,000, all in Canadian dollars plus 5% GST. There is also a performance-based Growth Partner Program with custom terms. The first 30-minute consultation is free.
Do we have to sign a long contract?
No. Retainers are month to month with no lock-in. Projects have a fixed scope, a fixed quote and milestone payments, so you know what you are buying before work starts.
How quickly will we see results?
A diagnostic gives you a ranked plan within two to four weeks. Pricing and process changes often show in the numbers within one or two months. Growth targets in a roadmap are usually set over 12 months, with quarterly checkpoints so you are not waiting a year to find out.
We hired a consultant before and got a thick report nobody used. Why would this be different?
Because our deliverables are short and ranked, and every recommendation has a number attached that you can check later. If you continue with advisory, we review those numbers monthly. If a recommendation is not working, we say so and change it.
Who owns the plans, models and documents?
You do. Every plan, spreadsheet, scorecard and template we produce is yours to keep and use, during and after the engagement. Any accounts we help set up are opened in your company's name.
How do you report progress?
Through a one-page scorecard of six to ten numbers with targets, reviewed at each advisory session, and a short written note after every meeting saying what was decided and who owns each action.
Can you promise more revenue or more customers?
No. Anyone promising specific revenue is guessing. We promise clear targets based on your own figures, honest reporting against them and a straight conversation when something is off track.
Do you give legal, tax or accounting advice?
No. We are business consultants, not lawyers, accountants or tax advisers. When a plan touches contracts, leases, payroll, tax or employment law, we work alongside your own professionals and suggest you get their advice.
What size of company do you work with?
Mostly established owner-run firms, from a handful of people to a few dozen. We need at least a year or two of trading history to read. Very early-stage founders are usually better served by launch planning first.
Which industries do you work with in Burnaby?
Trades and home services, wholesale and distribution, light manufacturing, clinics, professional practices, retail and business-to-business services. Our published case studies are from HVAC work, and we say so plainly.
Do you work in person?
Yes. We meet in person or by video call, and also work by phone, text and email from Vancouver.
What do you need from us to start?
A short description of the business, roughly where annual sales sit and the one outcome you most want. For a diagnostic, we then ask for sales and gross-profit figures at whatever level you already track.
Is our information kept confidential?
Yes. We use your figures only to do the work you asked for, and we do not name clients publicly without permission. If you want a confidentiality agreement before sharing figures, we are happy to sign a reasonable one.
Cost: what you pay and what you get for it
You pay by the hour, by the project or by the month, and you always know the figure before work starts. Hourly consulting is the cheapest way to test whether we are useful. Projects such as a business diagnostic or growth roadmap come with a fixed quote. Retainers cover ongoing monthly owner advisory.
The useful question is not "what does it cost?" but "how long until it pays back?" Our pricing page includes a worked example showing how a modest price change can repay a project fee several times in the first year. We estimate that payback with you before quoting.
Commitment: contracts, stopping and ownership
There is no long-term contract, and everything we make for you stays yours. Retainers run month to month. Projects end when the agreed deliverable is handed over. If you stop, you keep the plan, the models, the scorecard and any templates.
That matters because many owners have had the opposite experience: an adviser or agency that held the files, the accounts or the know-how, making it hard to leave. We think the work should stand on its own after we are gone.
Proof: what we can show and what we will not claim
We show named, checkable results from our HVAC work and we do not claim them for other sectors. On the results page each result names the client and links the live site, for example GasBoilers.ca, a gas-boiler division built for CANRO Heat that serves 26+ BC communities.
What we do not do: publish unverifiable praise, promise rankings or revenue, or describe ourselves with superlatives. If you want to judge us, the first consultation and a small hourly engagement are the honest test.
Scope: what we do and what we hand off
We do business consulting: strategy, growth planning, operations and pricing. We do not give legal, tax, accounting, HR-law, zoning or real-estate advice. Those questions come up often, especially around leases and hiring, and when they do we will say so and work alongside your lawyer, CPA or other professional.
We also do not sell you software or a marketing package by default. If a tool or campaign is part of the answer, we will say why and the wider Sedighi.ca group can help deliver it. Read more about the practice on the about page, or see how we think about different parts of the city on the areas page.
Timing: how long each stage takes
Most owners see a written plan within a month and measurable change within a quarter. A business diagnostic usually takes two to four weeks. A roadmap adds three to six weeks. Changes to pricing or quoting tend to show in gross margin within one or two billing cycles, while capacity and process changes take a little longer to settle.
Timing also depends on you. A business that can share tidy monthly figures in the first week moves faster than one where the numbers need rebuilding. We will tell you at the start which situation you are in, and adjust the schedule rather than rush the analysis. If a busy season is coming, it is often wiser to finish the diagnostic before it starts and begin changes once it ends.
Still have a question?
Ask it directly. Call, text or email with your question and a line about your business. We usually reply within one business day. The contact page has a short template if you want to make the first message count.