Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to do a project?

Projects are usually in the four- to five-figure range in American dollars. We typically estimate how much you will benefit from the project. We then design an agreement that positions you to get the largest part of the gain, while Aspen Impact receives a modest portion to run operations and stay accountable to you. If you can a) earn $10 by spending $3 on your own team, or b) earn $20 by spending $5 on your team and us, which would you choose?

Is it worth it?

Clients often achieve financial gains several times over their investment in a project, plus greater marketing reach and brand awareness. Here are recent examples, with details omitted to respect clients’ confidentiality:

• Aspen Impact wrote a business plan that yielded a 50% rise in a client’s operating revenue during the fourth quarter of 2011, as compared to the client’s entire previous year.
• Our business planning, project management, and marketing initiatives enabled a young life sciences company to grow from break-even to $500,000 in revenue in a single year.
• An organizational consulting project enabled an Indianapolis nonprofit to transfer items from the resulting strategic plan directly into grant proposals, saving weeks of writing and resulting in grants for programs, services, capital improvements, and infrastructure totaling over $100,000.
• Our alumni relations marketing and project management work for a university resulted in a quadrupling of regional alumni event participation and membership enrollment far beyond the school’s geographic base.
• Several clients have observed substantial increases in public awareness and positive impressions through re-branding initiatives Aspen Impact has led. In multiple cases, clients have enjoyed increased visibility through local and national print, television, and online media.

What happens if we change our goals or just decide to stop a project?

Since situations can change, we take a flexible approach. We usually segment a project into several components. Clients often favor this approach since it helps them manage their cash smoothly, improve in measureable steps, and make adjustments as needs change and opportunities emerge during a project. We enjoy very positive relationships with our clients, so it is easy for us to make adjustments that are fair and make everyone happy if project goals or finances change mid-stream.

Your small team has an international flavor. How did that happen?!

We have built friendships together through client projects, graduate school, community service, global travel, and ongoing correspondence over many years. We don’t always work together — Bryan and Anna are usually the most involved and are most likely to be your main contacts — but we each have skills that are suitable for certain kinds of client needs. Jae-Eun understands education and government policy matters exceptionally well, for example, Anna is a wizard at software and finances, Bryan knows how to craft a strategy and integrate it across an organization, Wei is skilled at examining economic factors, and Simon loves advanced technology. We speak many languages and we enjoy seeing each other in person once in a while!

There are many consulting firms out there. What would be special about choosing you?

Aspen Impact has explored and evaluated several consulting models, and some of our team members even spent several years at global consulting firms, so we have a wider and deeper collection of experiences and insights than many local firms do, which means we can draw upon a lot of insights from many venues and cultures.

In addition, clients often tell us we are especially good at sizing up complicated situations, setting priorities, designing and presenting solutions clearly and diplomatically, and creating practical tools that staff and board members can use in their day-to-day activities. In other words, we link “advising” and “operations” roles effectively so clients don’t have to worry about implementing ideas on their own, and we communicate in a way that makes it easy for executives to share their visions and goals with many audiences.

A third benefit of us is that we are deeply committed to our work. Again and again, clients comment on the passion, reliability, and drive we bring to projects. Just as you may choose to partner with us, we choose to partner with a client when we believe in the client’s mission and we see how our involvement can advance a good cause. We don’t accept work unless we feel we can generate a compelling social benefit, and when that benefit is possible, we want to make the best impact we can.

What would be different from us just doing everything in-house?

We often complement, rather than replace or duplicate, a client’s internal team. If an organization does not have a brand identity expert, for example, it can be more economical to engage us in a project than to invest in an interview process, salary-and-benefit arrangement, and other overhead that accompanies formal employment. If an organization worries about having too strong an internal bias when planning its future or assessing its performance, it can benefit from our objectivity as a third party. We consider it our professional duty to be straightforward and balanced in assessing a client’s needs and designing solutions. We also track industry literature and best practices, and challenge ourselves to develop novel approaches, so time-pressured and understaffed clients will receive proven and innovative tools and solutions.

I understand there’s no cost for an introductory meeting, but are there any strings attached?

We will strive to give you a fair assessment of whether, how, and when we can be helpful to you. We don’t expect that every meeting will result in a project. It is often worthwhile to meet to see if our approach can match your needs, but it only makes sense to proceed to a compensation agreement after that if there’s a clear benefit to everyone. In some cases, we require travel coverage for an initial discussion, but in general we charge little if anything for exploratory meetings.

How does geography factor into a project? Can you come to us? Can you work remotely?

We often travel to client sites for meetings, presentations, research, and other activities. If distant travel is involved — such as by plane, boat, or long car ride — we can agree on a reasonable travel allowance. We also communicate online through Skype, e-mail, cloud-based file sharing, and other technologies. In short, travel is rarely a constraint, and we often enjoy visiting new places.

How long are projects?

We are usually involved from several weeks to several months. Sometimes there is a natural transition from one activity to another, such as when we develop a new business strategy, which could in turn necessitate the design of a new marketing or fundraising strategy. We can be available to you on retainer, too. After all, if we do one project together well, why not build upon that relationship in the future? The length is based on what a client needs, and sometimes we ultimately serve as “virtual project managers” or board advisors for several years.