Startup Consulting
From idea to traction — with someone who's done it.
I work with founders at the earliest stages — shaping the idea, building the first version, and getting it in front of real users. Strategy and engineering from one person who's taken a product from zero to a 7-figure exit.
Free intro call — we talk through your idea, no pitch.
Who This Is For
Idea, prototype, or early product — any of those.
The work looks different depending on where you are. But the starting point is the same: you're too early for a full team and you need someone who can do more than one thing.
You have an idea, not a product yet
You need help shaping it and building the first version — something real you can put in front of people, not a slide deck.
You have an early product, no traction
You need help finding the wedge and getting in front of real users. Something has to change — the positioning, the channel, or both.
You can build or sell — not both
You need the other half until you can hire it. A founder who can ship but can't sell, or sell but can't ship, is stuck.
What I Do
Two hires in one person.
Most early founders need someone who can think through strategy and then actually build the thing. That's usually two hires — and they can't afford either one yet.
Strategy & positioning
Pressure-test the idea, find the wedge, shape the business model and the roadmap. Figure out who you're actually for and why they'd choose you.
Build the MVP
Design and ship the first real version of the product — software you can put in front of users, not a prototype that dies in a folder.
Fractional CTO / growth lead
Act as your part-time technical or growth leadership while you're still too early for a full-time hire. Own the roadmap, the stack, or the channel.
Fundraising & go-to-market
The narrative, the deck, investor prep, the launch, the first-customer push — get ready to raise, or to sell. Both require the same thing: a clear story and a working product.
How It Works
Starts with a free call.
Scoped to your stage.
It starts with a free intro call — we talk through the idea and whether I can actually help. From there I scope to what you need: a focused project, ongoing advisory, or hands-on building.
The commercial side flexes — a retainer, hourly, or equity, or a blend — sized to where the company is. We figure that out together once we know what the work looks like.
A focused project
A defined scope — build the MVP, reposition the product, nail the pitch. Clear start and end.
Ongoing advisory
Regular conversations as you build. A sounding board that's been through it and can give you a straight answer.
Hands-on building
I'm in it with you — designing, shipping, measuring. An operator embedded in the early team.
Every engagement is scoped after the call — once we both know what the work is.
The Operator
I've been the founding engineer — and the growth operator.
At DietAI, I was the founding engineer. I built the product, the funnel, and the growth systems that carried it to a 7-figure exit. Not just the code — the whole machine, from acquisition to retention to the eventual sale.
With Royal Pawz USA, I came on as equity partner and took it from $200 to $10K MRR in four months — rebuilding the booking system, the ad infrastructure, and the conversion funnel. A 334% lift in conversion, A/B tested.
The point: for a founder, that's two hires — the person who builds the product and the person who grows it — in one person, at a stage when you can't afford either.
“The gap that kills most early startups isn't the idea or the market — it's the distance between deciding what to build and actually building it. I close that gap.”
Hamza Zulquernain · Founder, Zapp Studios
7-fig
exit
DietAI
50×
MRR growth
Royal Pawz · 4 months
334%
conversion lift
A/B tested
$10K
MRR
from $200 at start
Common Questions
Straight answers.
Tell me what you're building.
A free intro call — no pitch, no deck. We talk through the idea and whether I'm the right person to help. If I'm not, I'll say so.
Book a free intro callFree intro call — we talk through your idea, no pitch.