Our fees follow the Sedighi.ca consulting model: hourly consulting from $175 per hour, defined projects from $3,500, and monthly retainers from $2,500. All prices are in Canadian dollars, Canadian clients add provincial GST/HST, and the first 30-minute conversation is free with no obligation.
Hourly consulting
$175–$350 /hour
Strategy sessions and expert advice by the hour.
Project
$3,500–$25,000 per project
Defined-scope work such as a plan, assessment or launch, with milestone payments.
Monthly retainer
$2,500–$12,000 /month
Ongoing advisory and execution support.
Growth Partner Program
Custom
Performance-based partnership: Ali invests time upfront and is paid on measurable results. Limited partnerships available.
Free initial consultation · no lock-in. The initial 30-minute consultation is free, with no obligation.
Prices in Canadian dollars. Sales tax is added based on the client's province (as of October 2026, CRA rates): 5% GST in Alberta, BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon, NWT and Nunavut; 13% HST in Ontario; 14% HST in Nova Scotia; 15% HST in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and PEI; 5% GST plus 9.975% QST in Quebec. Provincial sales tax (BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan) only where it applies to the service. See full pricing on businessconsulting.ca/pricing.
The four ways to work with us
| Option | Price (CAD) | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly consulting | $175–$350 per hour | Proposal reviews, second opinions, a single tricky question |
| Project | $3,500–$25,000 per project | Agency searches, budget plans, vendor audits |
| Monthly retainer | $2,500–$12,000 per month | Ongoing agency oversight and advisory support |
| Growth Partner Program | Custom | Performance-based partnership; limited partnerships available |
Hourly consulting covers strategy sessions and expert advice by the hour. Projects cover defined-scope work such as a plan, an assessment or a launch, with milestone payments. Retainers provide ongoing advisory and execution support. In the Growth Partner Program, Ali invests time upfront and is paid on measurable results.
The full price list for the group's consulting work is on the BusinessConsulting.ca pricing page.
How each service usually maps to a price
These are typical patterns, not quotes. Your proposal sets the actual number.
- Proposal review: usually hourly. One proposal often fits in a few hours; comparing three takes longer.
- Budget planning: usually a fixed project at the lower end of the project range.
- Agency selection: a fixed project; cost rises with the number of channels in scope and candidates interviewed.
- Vendor audits: a fixed project; cost depends on how many vendors, accounts and tools are reviewed.
- Ongoing oversight: a monthly retainer sized to your vendor count and the hours needed each month.
What drives the cost
Four factors move the price more than anything else:
- Number of vendors and accounts. Auditing one agency's work in one ad platform is a different job from reviewing three vendors across search, social, website and software.
- Data quality. If tracking is broken, part of the work is reconstructing what happened. Clean data makes everything faster.
- Speed. A compressed timeline needs more hours in a shorter window.
- Meetings with vendors. Joining vendor calls and following up adds time, though it is often where the most value is created.
We'll estimate time before starting, and if the scope changes we'll tell you before the cost does.
A simple way to judge whether it's worth it
Compare the fee with the money at stake. Suppose you spend $6,000 a month on an agency and ad budget, or $72,000 a year. If an audit were quoted at $5,000 (an illustration, not a quote), that would be about 7% of one year's spend. If it removes wasted ad spend of $800 a month, it pays back in about six months, and you keep the saving after that.
The same logic applies before signing. A few hours of proposal review on a contract worth $50,000 a year is a small cost relative to the commitment. If your marketing spend is small, say under $1,500 a month, a full audit may not make sense; an hour or two of consulting, or our free agency audit checklist, might be enough.
When paying for advice doesn't make sense
We'd rather say this plainly. If you have no vendor yet, a modest budget and a simple business, you may not need an advisor at all. Read our budget guide, pick one channel, and review the numbers after three months. Come back when the spend or the number of vendors grows.
Terms in plain language
- Free initial 30-minute conversation, with no obligation
- No lock-in; terms and notice for retainers are confirmed in writing in your proposal
- Projects are paid in milestones tied to deliverables
- Prices in Canadian dollars; Canadian clients add GST/HST based on their province (GST and QST in Quebec), per the CRA rates page as of 2026-10-23
- How we are paid on your engagement is stated in your proposal, and you are welcome to ask
If you'd like a rough estimate first, call, text or email with a short description of your vendors and what you spend. You can also read our FAQ for answers about contracts, ownership and timelines.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a proposal review cost?
A single proposal review is usually billed hourly at $175 to $350 per hour. Most reviews take a few hours; we estimate the time before starting so there are no surprises.
Are prices in Canadian dollars?
Yes. All prices are in Canadian dollars, and owners add GST/HST for their province, or GST and QST in Quebec.
Is there a long-term contract?
No lock-in. Projects have a defined scope, and retainer terms, including notice periods, are confirmed in writing in your proposal before work begins.
What is the Growth Partner Program?
It is a custom, performance-based partnership in which Ali invests time upfront and is paid on measurable results. Limited partnerships are available, and fit is discussed case by case.
Does advice pay for itself?
Often, but not always, and we won't promise it. The value usually shows up as wasted spend removed, a better contract, or avoiding a costly hire. We agree at the start how you will judge whether the engagement was worth it.