2-Hour Startup Intensive
Become one of the 10% of startups that succeed.
Getting clear on your startup’s fundamentals* is the key to (i) reducing risk, (ii) fast-tracking profitability and (iii) getting funded. Take it from an expert.
*Such as product-market fit and understanding financial projections
"Diane is a straight shooter who isn't afraid to tell it like it is. Her goal is to set you up for success."
“My favorite part of our intensive was the dialogue that clarified what we’ve done right, what we’ve done wrong, and what we need to do moving forward.”
Many startups fail to grow and get funded for a very simple reason:
They haven’t dialed in their business fundamentals.
You wouldn’t even think of building a house without a blueprint. Yet the vast majority of entrepreneurs don’t take the time to map out a blueprint for their business BEFORE taking action.
At the end of the day, the one thing that separates the startups that succeed from the 90% that don’t, is building a foundation that’s so dialed in, it’s practically failproof.
Result: Multimillion-dollar exit; acquired by German conglomerate.
That’s why I created…
The Startup Intensive
My signature process gives you the clarity you need to you to stop guessing and work through pivots before wasting valuable time and money… and before blowing your big chance to attract investors and customers. In just 2 hours, I can give you the light-bulb moments you need — for your business model or financial projections — to fast-track your success.
The entrepreneurial journey can be lonely, but you don’t have to do it alone.
"Our plan gave us credibility with our investors and enabled us to secure $1 million."
“Diane’s business plan secured us a $100,000 business loan within 48 hours. Our plan gave us credibility with our investors and enabled us to then secure $1 million. There is no question we couldn’t have done it without her.”
This 2-hour experience was tailor-made for you if…
Waiting is not an option.
The idea of waiting weeks or months for an action plan to become profitable simply isn’t an option (at this stage, you can’t afford to wait forever).
Your business is 0-5 yrs old — in any industry.
Yes, I’ve worked with distilleries, as my name suggests. I’ve also worked with tech startups, consumer products, retail, food & beverage and more.
You're not getting traction.
Customers aren’t buying the way you’d hoped and you need a clear game plan ASAP.
You keep pivoting.
You’re repeatedly pivoting and changing tactics, with little to show for your efforts. At the end of the day, you feel like you’re throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.
You're looking to get funded...
but you’re striking out with investors. Or you’re at square one and don’t want to blow your big chance.
You crave clarity.
You’re bouncing around like a pinball doing whatever the last “business guru” told you to do, and you’re ready for a proven expert to give you a roadmap that’s tailored to your unique business.
If any of these apply to you… you’re in the right place.
Buckle Up
Here’s how we’ll do it…
1
Discover
Before we meet, you’ll complete some prep work (a questionnaire) and return it to me at least 7 days before our scheduled meeting. That way, I can dive into the details of your vision and zero in on your goals so we hit the ground running. (NOTE: The success of our time together will depend on the effort you put into your answers.)
2
Distill
During your 2-hour intensive, we’ll map out the core fundamentals of your business in real-time (whether it be your financial projections or finding product-market fit) . You’ll get clear on priorities and next steps — so rather than spinning your wheels, you’ll be able to skip the trial & error and take laser-focused, strategic action that really counts.
3
Deliver
After our time together, I’ll deliver your custom roadmap, a transcript of our call together, and a next-steps action plan. You’ll leave your VIP Startup Intensive knowing exactly what to do next to get the results you want.
After your VIP Intensive, here’s what you’ll walk away with…
Tailored guidance.
Other consultants ask you 20 questions and send you a report days later. I differentiate my work with a hands-on collaborative approach. I don’t do it for you, I do it with you so I can understand your big vision and help you develop the foundation you need to get funded and fast-track profitability. By working together, you’ll be learning how to think and act like a CEO — an important transition after years of being an employee (no matter how successful).
Custom startup roadmap.
I will deliver a custom startup roadmap outlining your next steps. This will steer you off of what I call the “Pivot Hamster Wheel,” so you’ll know exactly where to put your time, money, and energy to hit your goals. I’ll deliver your roadmap in writing soon after our work together.
Call recording & transcript.
So you can go back and reference it anytime.
SPECIAL ACCESS TO MY VELOCITY PLAN
Our time together doesn’t have to end after your intensive. If you decide you’d like continued guidance and support our work together, I offer a 1:1 consulting package I like to call a Velocity Plan. It’s specifically designed to keep you on the fast track. During this time, we’ll take massive action to get your startup market-ready (and investor-ready). That means regularly scheduled calls, plus unlimited* access to me via email, Voxer (a cool texting/voice messaging app) and phone.
*within reason
99%
99% of my clients who have sought funding have secured it.
That’s not a coincidence. So before you dive into the proverbial shark tank, come see me.
Robin Road Cocktails from Bona Fide Beverage
Result: On store shelves in 1 year; award-winning 3 months later.
“Diane helped us fully understand our business, brand, and products in a way that we didn’t when we started. She is able to point out the problems you might not think of yourself, and helps you resolve them ahead of time. She truly provides a unique perspective and expertise to any project.”
“We didn’t know where to start, but Diane helped us take our idea and turn it into a full-fledged business. We hired her because we wanted personalized expertise rather than filling out a bunch of templates.”
Ready to fast-track your success?
Let’s talk cost.
Big-name consulting firms charge upwards of $15,000 per day for custom consulting sessions (and the deliverable may not be 100% clear).
You can get my expert brain on your business (or idea) for 2 hours, plus a custom-crafted next-steps action plan.
YOUR INVESTMENT: $799
1. Do you only work with distilleries?
No! I work with businesses of all kinds ranging from clean energy to life sciences, retail to consumer products, entertainment, food & beverage, health and wellness, tech of all kinds and more. Together, we combine your industry expertise with my expertise in building companies that can grow and get funded.
I named my company Startup Distillery because I take all of the ideas, dreams, goals and concerns swirling in your head, synthesize them and then distill them into a coherent roadmap that gets you from here to there.
2. How, exactly, does an Intensive work?
Here’s how our time together will go:
(1) PRE-WORK. Before our day together you’ll begin with a pre-work questionnaire. This is how I’ll gather information about: (i) your business (or business idea) and (ii) any notes or other business planning information you may have. This will enable us to hit the ground running on the day we meet.
(2) THE BIG DAY. We’ll begin distilling your dream on a Zoom call using a shared Google Doc or Sheet, focusing on the strengths, weaknesses and gaps you need to address. After 2 hours, if we need a bit more time, we can take a break to clear our heads and then answer any questions you may have.
(3) DELIVERABLES. Over the 7 days (or less), I will synthesize, distill and strategize as I develop your custom roadmap and next-steps action plan. Once complete, I will send it to you along with the call recording and transcript.
3. What if I still need guidance after my intensive?
If you’d like continued support and guidance, I offer a 1:1 consulting package designed to keep you on the fast track (I like to call it my Velocity Plan). We can hop on a call to discuss the details.
4. What is a Velocity Plan?
My Velocity Plan is a 90-day, bespoke 1:1 consulting package.
During this time, we’ll finish what we started during your Intensive, keeping you on the fast track as we dial in the details and strategies to get you investor- and market-ready. That means regularly scheduled calls, plus unlimited* access to me via email, Voxer (a cool texting/voice messaging app) and phone.
You’ll wake up each morning knowing exactly where to focus your time and energy, because I’ll be guiding you every step of the way… you’ll have clear, actionable steps to get you where you want to go better, stronger and faster.
*within reason
5. Will this prepare me to pitch to investors?
In most cases, no. It takes a lot more than 2 hours to be ready to pitch investors. But you WILL have:
- Clarity on your next steps for dialing in the critical details of your business to get it both investor-ready (if you need it) and market-ready.
- Direction. You will know AHEAD OF TIME the gaps you need to address, the weaknesses to shore up, and the strengths you should to lean into.
- A solid foundation on which to continue building a business that beats the odds because it’s designed for profitability and long-term success.
These details are what will fast-track your success and help you get funding (if you need it).
6. Do you help with pitches?
Yes. I’ve spent years developing pitch decks — both the slide content and script (your script DOES NOT belong on the slides!). I’ve even been known to provide guidance on presentation skills. If you’re interested, we can hop on a call.