What does findings before fees mean?

You see what our review found before we discuss scope or price, and the written diagnostic note is yours either way.

Why don't you quote a price upfront?

Because before the review we have not seen enough of the business to price it honestly. Scope follows the findings.

Do I keep the findings if I don't hire you?

Yes. The note is free, and yours whether or not you work with us.

What if the findings say I don't need you?

Then we tell you, in writing. That is the point of doing it in this order.

Findings before fees, Avan Partners

Why the order matters

You judge us on the work, not the pitch. Most advisers ask you to commit before you have seen how they think. We would rather you decide after you have read what we found in your own numbers.

The diagnosis stays honest. If the engagement were already agreed, there would be a quiet pull to find problems that justify it. When the findings come first, they have to stand on their own. Sometimes they say the business needs less help than the founder expected. We say that too.

The scope fits the business. Until we have rebuilt the numbers from raw data, we do not know what needs fixing or how long it will take. Pricing before that means pricing a template. After the findings, scope is sized to what we actually found.

A no costs you nothing. If the findings say the business is not ready for us, or that waiting is the better call, you leave with the note and the reasons in writing. You do not pay to hear it.

What it does not mean

It does not mean the review is the whole job, or that we hand over a fix list and leave. The findings show what an investor would find. The engagement is the work of fixing it, with both partners, while it gets done. What the note contains is specific to your business, and we do not publish a sample.

Where it shows up

Readiness. If the findings say a fund meeting would spend the one chance you get with that fund, we say so before any engagement exists.
Introductions. We introduce a company only after it clears our capital threshold, and we tell the investor in the first message whether the company paid us.
Capacity. Never more than three engagements at once, so both partners work on every one.
Promises. We never promise a raise, a valuation or a close date. Nobody honestly can.

Findings before fees, and why we work in that order