Engagements & Fees

Know the Investment Before We Begin

Cedric Burl & Company works selectively with businesses, entrepreneurs, institutions, nonprofits, property owners, and organizations facing important decisions, complex opportunities, or significant strategic challenges.

Our services are not designed to be the lowest-cost consulting option.

They are designed for clients who value:

Independent strategic thinking
Research and due diligence
Thorough assessment
Access to professional resources
Opportunity identification
Strategic coordination
Accountability
Implementation support

We believe clients should understand the financial commitment before substantial work begins.

For that reason, the scope of the engagement, professional fee, payment structure, and known third-party expenses are established in writing before work begins.

When the complete scope cannot reasonably be determined at the beginning, the engagement is divided into phases.

You approve each phase before we proceed.

Request a Discovery Discussion ↗

How Our Engagement Process Works

Most engagements move through one or more of the following levels.

1. Complimentary Discovery Discussion

Duration: Up to 30 minutes
Fee: Complimentary

The Discovery Discussion is designed to determine whether there appears to be a reasonable fit between your situation and Cedric Burl & Company.

We want to understand:

What is happening
What you are trying to accomplish
What decisions you are facing
What has already been done
What information is available
What professional resources are already involved
How urgent the matter may be

The Discovery Discussion is not a consulting session.

Detailed strategy, document analysis, research, recommendations, written opinions, or deliverables are not provided during the complimentary discussion.

At the conclusion of the discussion, we may:

Recommend a Strategy & Opportunity Mapping Session
Recommend an Initial Assessment
Propose a defined engagement
Recommend another professional or resource
Determine that Cedric Burl & Company is not the appropriate firm for the matter

There is no obligation to retain the firm following a Discovery Discussion.

Schedule a Discovery Discussion ↗

2. Strategy & Opportunity Mapping Session

Duration: Approximately 60 minutes
Fee: $500

This is a working advisory session.

Unlike the complimentary Discovery Discussion, the Strategy & Opportunity Mapping Session is designed for substantive discussion of the client's situation.

The session may involve:

Business strategy
Opportunity assessment
Growth considerations
Capital strategy
Operational challenges
AI and automation
Strategic partnerships
Real estate strategy
Exit considerations
Program strategy
Professional-resource coordination
Complex business-related matters

During the session, we may identify:

Immediate concerns
Strategic opportunities
Information gaps
Potential resources
Areas requiring additional research
Matters requiring specialized professionals
Priorities
Possible courses of action

What Is Included

The fee covers the scheduled working session and reasonable preparation based on information provided in advance.

What Is Not Included

Unless separately agreed in writing, the $500 session does not include:

Extensive document review
Formal research
Written reports
Financial modeling
Business plans
Investor materials
Vendor due diligence
Property research
Public-record research
Formal opportunity assessments
Implementation services

If additional work is appropriate, we will define the scope and fee separately.

Engagement Credit

If the Strategy & Opportunity Mapping Session results in a formal Cedric Burl & Company engagement of $5,000 or more, the $500 session fee may be credited toward that engagement when the engagement is accepted within the time period stated in the proposal.

3. Initial Assessment

Typical Investment: $2,500–$5,000

Some situations cannot be priced responsibly after a telephone conversation.

The client may have:

Corporate documents
Financial records
Property records
Contracts
Business plans
Court records
Trust documents
Proposals
Vendor agreements
Due-diligence materials
Years of correspondence
Multiple properties
Multiple business entities
Several interconnected issues

In those situations, Cedric Burl & Company may recommend an Initial Assessment before quoting the larger engagement.

The Initial Assessment allows us to understand the file.

Depending on the matter, it may include:

Document review
Information organization
Preliminary research
Identification of missing information
Timeline development
Issue identification
Opportunity identification
Professional-resource assessment
Preliminary strategic analysis

The purpose of the Initial Assessment is not necessarily to solve the entire matter.

Its purpose is to determine what we are dealing with and establish the appropriate scope for additional work.

Why We Charge for This Stage

Reviewing a complex business, property, financial, institutional, or legal-related matter requires professional time and analysis.

We do not ask clients to commit to a large engagement before we understand the work.

Likewise, we do not perform substantial file analysis without compensation.

The Initial Assessment creates a fair starting point for both the client and the firm.

4. Comprehensive Agi Assessment™

Typical Investment: $5,000–$15,000+

A Comprehensive AGI Assessment™ examines a business, organization, opportunity, asset, initiative, or strategic situation using our proprietary framework:

Assessment | Growth Strategy | Implementation

The scope may include:

Organizational assessment
Business-model review
Operational assessment
Financial and capital considerations
Technology and automation opportunities
Strategic relationships
Asset review
Opportunity mapping
Risk identification
Professional-resource requirements
Growth opportunities
Exit considerations
Implementation priorities

Depending on the scope, the client may receive:

Strategic assessment
Gap analysis
Opportunity map
Priority recommendations
Resource recommendations
Implementation framework
Strategic roadmap

A smaller privately held business may fall near the lower end of the range.

A multi-entity company, institutional initiative, real estate portfolio, or complex multi-party opportunity may require substantially more work.

The price is established after the initial scope is understood.

5. Project-Based Engagements

Typical Investment: $5,000–$25,000+

Defined projects are generally priced based on scope rather than hours.

Examples may include:

Business growth strategy
Capital readiness
Funding strategy
Business-plan development
AI and automation assessment
Operational improvement
Strategic partnership development
Institutional program development
Real estate strategy
Portfolio analysis
Exit readiness
M&A preparation
Due-diligence coordination
Complex matter organization
Opportunity research

Project pricing may be affected by:

Complexity
Number of entities involved
Volume of documents
Research requirements
Number of properties or assets
Number of stakeholders
Required travel
Professional resources required
Urgency
Length of engagement
Deliverables
Implementation responsibilities

Complex, multi-phase, institutional, real estate, transaction-related, or enterprise engagements may exceed the typical range.

The client receives the proposed scope and fee before the project begins.

6. Ongoing Strategic Advisory

Typical Investment: $2,500–$10,000+ per month

Some clients do not need a one-time project.

They need continuing strategic support.

Ongoing Strategic Advisory may be appropriate for:

Growing businesses
Multi-phase projects
Institutional initiatives
Real estate redevelopment
Business owners managing several opportunities
Capital preparation
Strategic partnership development
Implementation oversight
Business transformation
Exit preparation

A monthly advisory engagement may include an agreed combination of:

Scheduled strategy meetings
Research
Opportunity evaluation
Vendor review
Professional coordination
Project monitoring
Decision support
Implementation tracking
Opportunity intelligence
Leadership advisory access

The amount of access and work included is defined in the engagement agreement.

Monthly advisory fees are generally paid in advance.

Higher-complexity institutional or enterprise engagements may be priced above the typical range.

7. Hourly Advisory

Standard Advisory Rate: Starting at $225 per hour for a limited, clearly defined scope. Actual rates and total fees vary with the complexity of the assignment, time required, number of stakeholders or markets, level of research or professional coordination, and requested delivery schedule. Expedited, highly specialized, or extensive projects may be quoted at a different rate, a defined project-fee range, a fixed fee, phased pricing, or a monthly retainer. Before substantive paid work begins, we confirm the scope, applicable fee or rate, estimated time or milestones, delivery window, payment terms, and any separately approved third-party expenses in writing. Limited introductory pricing may be available by individual written agreement.

Hourly work is available selectively.

It may be appropriate for:

Limited document review
Short advisory assignments
Meeting participation
Proposal review
Professional coordination
Research requiring a limited scope
Consulting that does not justify a larger project engagement

Cedric Burl & Company generally prefers defined project pricing when the scope can reasonably be established.

This gives clients greater visibility into the total expected investment.

For hourly assignments, a minimum prepaid block or advance retainer may be required.

Service-Specific Pricing

Because our practice crosses several disciplines, some engagements have different typical investment levels.

Business Assessment & Growth Strategy
Typical Investment: $2,500–$15,000+
Pricing depends on the size of the organization, scope of assessment, available documentation, complexity, and required deliverables.

Capital Readiness & Funding Strategy
Typical Investment: $2,500–$15,000+
Our fees are based on advisory, preparation, research, and coordination services.
Cedric Burl & Company does not charge a percentage of securities raised and does not represent itself as a securities broker-dealer.
Where regulated capital-raising activity is required, appropriately licensed professionals must be involved.

AI, Automation & Operational Improvement
Typical Investment: $3,500–$20,000+
Pricing depends on the number of workflows being evaluated, systems involved, vendor research, implementation requirements, and whether continuing coordination is requested.
Technology, software subscriptions, developers, and third-party implementation costs are separate unless specifically included.

Strategic Partnerships & Opportunity Development
Typical Investment: $2,500–$15,000+
Pricing depends on the research, target development, outreach preparation, relationship mapping, coordination, and implementation required.
Cedric Burl & Company does not guarantee introductions, contracts, sponsorships, funding, or partnerships.

Real Estate, Redevelopment & Asset Strategy
Typical Investment: $5,000–$25,000+
Complex portfolios, redevelopment initiatives, site-control matters, multi-parcel projects, or institutional real estate assignments may exceed this range.
Brokerage commissions, legal fees, title work, surveys, appraisals, engineering, environmental work, architectural services, and other professional expenses are separate unless specifically stated.

Exit Strategy & M&A Readiness
Typical Investment: $5,000–$25,000+
Pricing depends on the company's size, complexity, documentation, owner objectives, due-diligence requirements, and implementation timeline.
Cedric Burl & Company provides strategic readiness and coordination services. Formal valuation, securities activity, legal services, tax advice, investment banking, and regulated brokerage services require appropriately qualified professionals.

Institutional & Program Advisory
Typical Investment: $7,500–$25,000+
Ongoing institutional assignments may also be structured under a monthly advisory agreement.
Pricing depends on program complexity, number of stakeholders, research requirements, implementation responsibilities, reporting requirements, and length of engagement.

Legal Matter Strategy & Professional Coordination
Initial Assessment: Typically $2,500–$5,000
Extended Engagements: Typically $5,000–$20,000+
Document-heavy or multi-party matters may require a paid Initial Assessment before the total scope can be determined.
Cedric Burl & Company is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or representation.
Attorney fees, investigators, title professionals, accountants, forensic professionals, court costs, filing fees, and other third-party expenses are separate.

Who Implements The Strategy?

Finding the opportunity and developing the strategy are only part of the work.

Implementation still has to happen.

Clients generally have three options:

Internal Implementation

The client assigns the work to existing employees and managers.

This may be appropriate when the organization has sufficient capacity, the work fits existing job responsibilities, and the team can meet required deadlines.

Internal implementation should not be treated as free simply because employees are already on payroll. Leadership should consider the actual staff time, compensation and benefits, management oversight, learning curve, displaced responsibilities, overtime when applicable, and the potential cost of delay.

Shared Implementation

The client handles selected internal responsibilities while Cedric Burl & Company manages or coordinates defined portions of the implementation.

This may allow internal staff to remain focused on the responsibilities that require company knowledge, approvals, records, and executive decisions while our team handles agreed research, coordination, follow-up, opportunity tracking, vendor or professional-resource coordination, and other implementation responsibilities.

Cedric Burl & Company Implementation

The client may engage Cedric Burl & Company to manage an agreed implementation scope after assessment and strategy.

Depending on the engagement, our team may organize action items, conduct research, coordinate outreach, track deadlines, manage follow-up, organize documentation, coordinate outside professionals, identify blockers, maintain progress reporting, and help move approved priorities forward.

Where regulated or specialized professional services are required, appropriately qualified professionals perform that work.

The Execution Cost

When deciding whether to implement internally or engage outside support, the relevant comparison is not our professional fee versus zero.

The client should compare:

Internal staff time and compensation attributable to the project
Management and supervision time
Work displaced from normal responsibilities
Learning and research time
Overtime or temporary capacity when applicable
Outside professional costs
The time required to execute
The risk of missed deadlines
The potential Cost of Delay if an opportunity changes, closes, expires, or moves into another cycle
Cedric Burl & Company's proposed implementation fee

The lowest stated fee is not automatically the lowest total cost.

Likewise, outside implementation is not automatically the correct choice.

The objective is to give leadership enough visibility to decide which execution model makes economic and operational sense.

Implementation may be priced as a defined project, phased engagement, or ongoing strategic advisory assignment depending on the workload, duration, deadlines, stakeholders, and responsibilities involved.

The implementation scope and fee are established before that work begins.

Phased Engagements

Some matters cannot responsibly be priced from beginning to end at the start.

In those situations, we use a phased engagement.

Phase I — Assessment
Understand the situation and organize the information.

Phase II — Strategy
Develop the recommended approach and identify required resources.

Phase III — Implementation
Coordinate and execute the approved strategy.

Each phase may have its own scope, fee, and authorization.

Completion of one phase does not automatically require the client to proceed to the next phase.

Likewise, Cedric Burl & Company does not begin an additional paid phase without the client's authorization.

Return On Engagement

Professional fees should be considered in the context of the work being performed and the economic importance of the opportunities being pursued.

Depending on the engagement, clients may consider value created through:

Opportunities converted
Revenue created or accelerated
Capital secured
Contracts or awards obtained
Cost savings
Employee capacity preserved
Deadlines met
Leadership time recovered
Better use of assets
Risks avoided
Improved enterprise value

Cedric Burl & Company does not guarantee any particular return, funding award, contract, financing, grant, transaction, or financial result.

In some situations, successful implementation may create new revenue, savings, financing, awards, or other resources that improve the client's ability to support later phases of work. Whether those resources may be used for consulting, administrative, implementation, or other expenses depends on the applicable funding terms, budgets, contracts, laws, regulations, lender requirements, and other restrictions.

Clients should not assume that future proceeds will be available to pay professional fees.

The objective is to keep the economics visible: the Opportunity Number, Priority Opportunity Pipeline, Execution Cost, Cost of Delay, and Return on Engagement should be considered together.

How Payment Is Structured

Unless otherwise stated in the engagement agreement:

Engagements Under $5,000
Generally payable in full before work begins.

Engagements From $5,000 to $15,000
May be structured with an initial payment and one or more defined milestone payments.

Larger or Multi-Phase Engagements
Payment schedules are established according to scope, milestones, duration, and required resources.

Monthly Advisory Engagements
Generally paid monthly in advance.

No significant work begins until the required initial payment and engagement agreement have been received.

Scope Changes And Additional Work

Business situations change.

New documents may appear.
Additional properties may be discovered.
A new issue may arise.
The client may request additional services.
Research may reveal that specialized work is required.

When work falls outside the agreed scope, Cedric Burl & Company will identify the additional work and establish the related fee before proceeding.

We do not believe in surprising clients with unexplained professional fees.

The client has the opportunity to approve additional work before it is undertaken.

Third-Party Professional Costs

Our professional fees do not automatically include expenses charged by outside professionals or service providers.

Depending on the engagement, additional costs may include:

Attorneys
Accountants
Appraisers
Engineers
Architects
Brokers
Investigators
Title professionals
Surveyors
Contractors
Technology providers
Software
Data providers
Filing fees
Government fees
Travel
Specialized research
Other professional resources

Known third-party expenses are identified whenever reasonably possible.

The client generally pays third-party providers directly unless another arrangement is established in writing.

No Guaranteed Outcomes

Our fees compensate Cedric Burl & Company for professional time, research, assessment, strategy, coordination, and agreed deliverables.

Payment does not guarantee:

Financing
Investment
Grant approval
A strategic partnership
A contract
A real estate transaction
A buyer
A legal outcome
A government approval
A particular financial result

Our responsibility is to provide the agreed advisory work professionally and diligently.

Why Our Pricing Varies

Two clients may appear to have the same problem but require very different amounts of work.

A funding strategy involving one established business with organized financial records is different from a multi-entity business with incomplete records.

One commercial property is different from a 20-property portfolio.

A single workflow automation is different from redesigning the operating systems of an entire company.

A five-document matter is different from a file containing years of records.

For that reason, we publish ranges rather than pretending every engagement should cost the same amount.

The final price reflects the actual work.

Client Qualification

Cedric Burl & Company works selectively.

We may decline an engagement when:

Expectations are unrealistic
Material information is intentionally withheld
The client expects guaranteed funding, investment, legal, or transaction outcomes
The client is unwilling to document the engagement
Required third-party professional costs cannot reasonably be supported
The requested work falls outside our professional role
The engagement presents unacceptable legal, ethical, reputational, or financial risk
The client and firm are otherwise not a good fit

Selectivity protects the client, the firm, and the professionals with whom we work.

Alternative Compensation Arrangements

Our standard model is professional-fee-based.

Occasionally, a unique business situation may justify discussion of another compensation structure.

Any alternative arrangement is considered individually and is subject to appropriate legal, tax, regulatory, and professional review.

Alternative arrangements are not assumed, guaranteed, or offered as a substitute for a client's inability to fund required professional services.

Start With The Situation

You do not need to determine the final engagement before contacting us.

The first question is whether there is a fit.

If there is, we will explain:

What we recommend doing.
What is included.
What it will cost.
What is not included.
When payment is required.
What could cause the scope or fee to change.

You can then decide whether you want to proceed.