Monthly Advising

Ongoing advising for founders building something serious. Two working sessions a month, direct access in between, and the full workshop library. $2,500 a month, month-to-month, so you keep it only as long as it's earning its cost.

$2,500 / month

No contract. No minimum term. Cancel any month.

Canceling ends workshop library access.

Billing starts today. Schedule your first session within a week.

What this is

We talked about how I work. This page is the detail, so you can decide.

You get me on retainer. Two working sessions a month on whatever is actually in front of you, plus direct email access between them, plus the whole workshop library from day one. No curriculum, no fixed program, no minimum commitment.

Some founders come to me in the middle of a raise. Others aren't raising at all and don't plan to. The work is the same either way, because the questions that decide whether an investor writes a check are the same questions that decide whether the business works. Is this a problem someone will actually pay to solve. Does the market support the model. Is the machine repeatable or is it you.

I've sat on both sides of that. I built Anonymizer and sold it. Now I'm president of the North Bay Angels and I've worked through thousands of pitch decks from the seat where the funding decision gets made. That's the lens I bring, whether or not you ever raise a dollar.

Two working sessions a month
Sixty minutes each, scheduled in advance. Not a curriculum. We work on whatever is actually in front of you this month: the focus decision, the pricing question, the deck, the hire, the conversation you're dreading.

Direct access in between
Email me. Forward the customer's objection and ask what it means. Send the deck before you send it out. Send the term sheet before you sign it. Send the thing you can't decide. I answer within one business day on weekdays.
We can also schedule occasional additional calls for urgent matters.
This is the part most founders end up valuing most. The decisions that matter don't wait for your next scheduled call.

The Full workshop library
Immediate access to every FounderQuest workshop. The game theory of venture capital, customer discovery, bottom-up market sizing, testing your go-to-market, deck construction, financial models, surviving diligence, term sheets and cap tables, investor outreach, and handling the room.
Use it as reference when a specific problem lands, not as a course to complete.

Founder's Quest is a game changer to me. Every passing day I am getting one-step closer to closing my first funding round. The feedback I am getting from potential investors and advisors has improved significantly in past 6 weeks.

- Fahad, Tavern Member

What we actually work on

Every engagement is different. These come up most, and they're where I create the most leverage.

Focus. Which single thing gets your next quarter, and what you're going to say no to. Ambitious companies die of diffusion far more often than they die of competition. This is the most common problem I see and the one founders are least able to solve alone.

Positioning. Explaining what you do in terms of what the customer gets, not what the technology is.

Proof. Deciding what evidence would actually tell you this is working, then going and getting it. Most founders measure what's easy instead of what's decisive.

Pricing and model. What you charge, how you package it, and whether the economics survive contact with real customers.

Evidence hygiene. Separating contracted revenue from paid pilots from partnerships from prestige logos from hopeful conversations. Investors will do this to you in diligence. If you're not raising, you should still do it, because founders routinely mistake activity for traction and steer by it.

The raise, when there is one. Narrative your traction can support, a valuation you can defend, and a use of funds that retires your biggest risk.

The decisions in between. Whether to take the deal. Whether to make the hire. Whether to walk away.

How the first month works

Before you subscribe. We've already had a strategy call, so I have context on your company and where you are. We agree on a standard schedule for the calls (which can be changed as needed).

Week one. Library access lands in your inbox immediately. We book the first session. If we identified specific outcomes on the strategy call, we start there. If we didn't, session one is where we set them: three measurable things to be true in ninety days.

Month one. Two sessions, plus whatever comes up by email. Most founders bring more in the first month than they expect to, because there's usually a backlog of decisions they've been sitting on.

Every month after. Same structure. We reassess the ninety-day outcomes each quarter.

Who this is not for

I'd rather turn you down than take your money for something that won't work.

This isn't a fit if you're pre-idea and want someone to hand you a business to build. It isn't a fit if you want an operator who will do the work rather than an advisor who will sharpen your thinking. And it isn't a fit if what you actually want is a warm introduction to a check.

On that last point, so there's no ambiguity: I don't sell introductions, and this retainer buys none. I invest personally and I run an angel group, which means any capital decision I'm involved in stays clean and separate from anything you pay me. If I ever think there's a fit somewhere in my network, I'll say so, and it won't be because you're on retainer.

MEET your guide

I'm Lance Cottrell

I've helped over 1,200 founders raise their $1m pre-seed rounds (on average).

I created Founder Quest™ to share my fundraising system with you, so you can raise $1M or more in 3 months without a network.

When I founded my first company, Anonymizer, I struggled to raise the capital we needed.

I had no idea why investors turned us down when I thought we had such potential.

After my successful exit, I started angel investing and immediately realized what I had been doing wrong.

Now I want to share that knowledge and experience with you.

Helped 1200 founders raise their $1m pre-seed rounds.

Raised millions of dollars for Anonymizer

Made over 30 angel investments

President of the North Bay Angels

FAQs

I'm not raising right now. Is this still for me?

Yes, and some of my longest engagements are with founders who never raised. Bootstrapped companies face the same underlying questions, usually with less margin for error, because there's no round to paper over a bad quarter. The one thing to know is that the workshop library leans toward fundraising. The sessions and the email access don't.

Can I do equity instead of cash?

I only advise for equity after I've gotten to know the company well and am excited about its prospects. It involves the same level of due diligence as a direct investment.

If you are successful, paying me with equity is far more expensive than cash.

What if I only need help for two months?

If you only need me for two months, then only subscribe for two months. That's why it's month-to-month. I'd rather you cancel and come back when you need me than sit on a retainer you're not using.

Two sessions doesn't sound like much.

With weekly calls, you don't have time to make enough progress for us to have a valuable conversation. Over the years, I've found that twice a month is ideal when combined with email and occasional additional calls.

What time zones do you work across?

I'm in Northern California. I've advised founders in Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. We'll find hours that work for both of us.

How do I know this is worth $2,500?

You can't know with certainty until you've tried it. That's the honest answer, and it's why there's no long-term contract. However, I have many happy clients who feel it's well worth it. One avoided mistake easily cost more than a year of this retainer. But you get to decide month by month, not up front.

HEAR FROM OUR CLIENTS

Lance Cottrell can identify the superpowers in a founding team and bring them to the surface like none other.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Torrey Smith - CEO Endiatx

In a wild-west of Advisors ... Lance is an expert, high-caliber, high-integrity, highly-effective and truly cares about the companies he works with.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Laura Bloomer - Founder Redaim

Lance’s guidance was invaluable for us. He quickly identified the key strengths of our pitch and showed us how to clarify our story in a way that truly resonates with investors.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rishabh Gupta - Founder Actuality