Independent business advisory
Itai Schkolnik
Strategy and execution advice for owners of small and medium businesses.
In one focused session you leave with a clear view of what is holding your business back and the few moves that will change the result.
About
Twenty years of building businesses and advising the people who run them.
- 2005
- Self-employed since
- 1,000+
- Businesses advised
- 10+
- Years running a consulting firm
I have been self-employed since 2005. For more than a decade I ran a business consulting firm, where my team and I advised over 1,000 businesses in Israel, Europe, the US and Russia. Retail, services, manufacturing, agencies, software. The problems repeat more than owners expect.
I trained as a business consultant for over five years in Europe and Israel, then spent more than fifteen years advising businesses around the world. After that I went to Harvard to study computer science and artificial intelligence, with one goal: to build tools that help owners run their businesses faster and better, tools that did not exist before, built on everything I had learned in the field. Both sides shape how I work. I look for the mechanism behind a result rather than the story around it. I ask for the numbers before I ask for opinions.
Along the way I founded a digital marketing agency and built several business software products, including a CRM that sales teams use daily. I have made payroll, hired and let people go, priced things wrong and fixed them. When I advise you, it comes from that side of the table.
I work with a small number of clients at a time. Every session is with me, not with an associate.
How I work
Four steps. Each one brings immediate results.
The method is simple on purpose. It works because each step produces something concrete before the next one begins.
- 01
Diagnosis
We start with facts, not impressions. Before the first session you complete a short questionnaire. In the session I ask direct questions about revenue, margins, customers, and how work actually gets done. The goal is an honest picture of where the business stands today.
- 02
Priorities
Most businesses have twenty things they could improve and two or three that would change the result. I help you separate them. We agree on what to fix first, what to leave alone for now, and what to stop doing entirely.
- 03
Plan
I lay the foundation and we write the plan together, because a plan you had no part in is one you will not follow. It names each action, the order, who owns it, and when it is due. It fits on a few pages, because a plan nobody reads is not a plan.
- 04
Execution
A plan meets reality on Monday morning. I work with you to put it into practice in the day-to-day of the business: setting up the processes, the tools and the routines, reviewing what happened, and adjusting as we go. You are not left alone with a document.
What I help with
The decisions that move a small company.
Six areas where an outside view, backed by experience, tends to pay for itself quickly.
Growth strategy
Where the next stage of revenue comes from and what has to be true for it to arrive. Markets, segments, channels, and the sequence to pursue them.
Customer acquisition
Building a steady flow of qualified leads. Channel selection, messaging, budgets, and the few metrics that tell you whether it is working.
Pricing and offer design
What you sell, how it is packaged, and what it costs. Small changes here often move profit more than any marketing campaign.
Sales process and CRM
Turning enquiries into clients without relying on memory or luck. Pipeline stages, follow-up rules, and a CRM setup your team will actually use.
Marketing operations and automation
Removing manual work from marketing and sales. Tooling, integrations, and automations that save hours every week and reduce errors.
Founder decision-making
A second opinion from someone with no stake in the outcome. Hiring, partnerships, new ventures, and the decisions that keep you up at night.
Packages
Three ways to work together.
Prices are in US dollars. Every package includes a written deliverable with a stated delivery time.
Strategy Session
One session to get clarity on a specific problem or decision.
$350
- One 90-minute session by video call
- Pre-session questionnaire so we start with facts
- Written summary with recommendations
DeliveryWritten summary delivered within 3 business days of the session.
- Recommended
Three-Session Sprint
Diagnosis, priorities and a plan, with support while you start executing.
$900billed as 3 × $300
- Three sessions over four weeks
- Pre-session questionnaire
- Written action plan with owners and deadlines
- Email support between sessions
DeliveryBilled in three installments of $300, one per session. Sessions scheduled across four weeks. Action plan delivered within 3 business days of the final session.
Monthly Advisory Retainer
An advisor on call while you run and grow the business.
$650per month
- Two sessions per month
- Unlimited email advice
- Written notes after every session
- Quarterly review of progress and priorities
- Billed monthly, minimum three months
DeliveryStarts within one week of payment. Session notes within 2 business days of each session.
Advisory Hours$150 per hour
Sold in blocks of 1 to 3 hours. Custom engagements are scoped in a free introductory call and billed as advisory hours.
Not sure which fits? Send a few lines about your situation and I will tell you honestly which one makes sense, including none of them.
Who this is for
Owners who want a clear answer and are willing to act on it.
I work best with:
- Owners of small and medium businesses
- Founders in their first years of trading
- Owners of marketing, creative and service agencies
- Companies with between 1 and 50 employees
If you are looking for someone to run your marketing for you, or for a large-firm engagement with a team of analysts, this is not the right fit. If you want direct advice from one experienced person, it probably is.
FAQ
Questions I am asked before people book.
All sessions take place online by video call, on Zoom, Google Meet or Yandex Telemost, whichever works best for you. You receive a calendar invitation with the link once the time is confirmed. A phone call is possible if video is not practical for you.
Sessions and written materials are available in English, Spanish or Hebrew. Choose whichever you are most comfortable with. You can mix languages between the call and the written summary if that helps your team.
Once payment is confirmed I email you within one business day with available times and the pre-session questionnaire. First sessions usually take place within 5 to 10 business days of payment, depending on availability on both sides.
Every package includes a written document. The Strategy Session comes with a summary and recommendations. The Sprint comes with a full action plan that names actions, owners and deadlines. The Retainer includes notes after every session and a quarterly review.
Written summaries and action plans are delivered within 3 business days of the relevant session. Retainer session notes are sent within 2 business days. If something will take longer, you hear about it before the deadline, not after.
You receive a full refund if you cancel more than 48 hours before the first session. Completed sessions are not refunded. Unused sessions in a package are refunded pro rata. Retainers can be cancelled with 30 days notice. Refunds are processed within 10 business days to the original payment method. The full policy is on the Refund Policy page.
Yes. The Sprint includes email support between sessions, and the Retainer includes unlimited email advice with two sessions a month. Many clients begin with a single session and move to a retainer once they know how I work.
Send an email or a WhatsApp message with a few lines about your business and the package you have in mind. I reply within one business day with next steps and payment details. There is no form to fill in and no sales call.