How We Work Together

Every engagement is designed so your team can keep going without us.

We work with nonprofits, nonprofit boards, small businesses, and entrepreneurs at every stage, in Chicago and across the country.

Every option builds four habits (Short Cycles, Focus, Visibility, and Reflection) and uses Scrum to put them into practice. Scrum is the container for whatever your team needs to deliver:

Putting a strategic plan into action
Launching a key initiative or project, like a fundraising campaign or an AI rollout
Running quick experiments to find the right direction

Start with a single session or go deeper. Choose the option that fits your team right now.

Format: Single session

Half-Day Intensive

A single deep-dive session where your team plans a real two-week work cycle (a sprint), builds your sprint board, and leaves with a plan ready to execute on their own. You come in with a real challenge; you leave with a shared system for moving on it.

Best for: Teams that want to experience the method firsthand before committing to a longer engagement.

Format: 2 weeks

Sprint Starter

Your first full sprint (a two-week cycle of focused work), run on your team's actual projects, not practice exercises. We help you plan it, check in midway to clear roadblocks, and close with a retrospective on what worked and what to change. Your team learns what a good sprint looks and feels like, and finishes with real work done.

Best for: Teams ready to run their first sprint and want a guide alongside them the whole way through.

Format: 1 month

Sprint Builder

Two full sprints on your real work, with structured coaching. In the first, your team learns the rhythm. In the second, they run it with us alongside. By the end, the habits are in place and your team can keep going on its own, whether you continue with us or not.

Best for: Teams that want to build real habits and see meaningful change in how they operate.

Format: Scoped to your goal and timeline

Sprint Catalyst

Have a high-stakes project to deliver? Rolling out AI tools, building a fundraising strategy, launching a new program, or putting a strategic plan into action? We use Agile and Scrum to break it into focused sprints, so your team delivers with less risk and visible progress every two weeks.

We also bring this work to nonprofit boards, helping members align on priorities and run more productive meetings.

Best for: Teams with a defined goal that can't afford to stall.

Format: Partnership model

Ecosystem Partnerships

Grants and investments fund the plan. Execution decides whether it pays off. We partner with foundations, entrepreneurial centers, and capacity-building organizations to help the grantees, member businesses, and program participants they support build the habits to deliver, so capital turns into results they can report on.

Best for: Foundations, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and intermediary organizations looking to strengthen how their partners operate.

Not ready for a full engagement? Start with a workshop.

Align Your Team, Accelerate Your Growth

A two-hour team alignment workshop that makes your operating system visible and gives your team practical tools to start changing it. Available as a standalone workshop for your leadership or management team, or as a session we bring to your cohort, conference, or convening.

What participants leave with:

A shared language for what's slowing the team down
Four practical habits they can start using immediately
A hands-on introduction to Scrum, a simple, repeatable system for staying aligned and making progress
Peer connections with other leaders navigating the same challenges (cohort format)

Looking for a public session? See our workshops.

We meet you where you are.

Nonprofits are navigating shifting funding. Small businesses are facing rising costs. We don't want cost to be the reason your team stays stuck.

For nonprofits, we offer sliding scale pricing based on annual operating budget. For small businesses and entrepreneurs, we'll scope an engagement that fits your stage and budget. Reach out, tell us what you're working with, and we'll find the right fit together.

Common questions

What happens on the free call, and how do we choose where to start?

The free 30-minute call is a conversation, not a pitch. We'll ask about your team, what's getting in the way, and what you're trying to accomplish. If we think we can help, we'll recommend a starting point. If we don't think we're the right fit, we'll tell you.

Most teams start in one of three ways:

Half-Day Intensive: one working session where you leave with a two-week plan ready to run.
Sprint Starter: your first full sprint, with coaching from start to finish.
Sprint Builder: two sprints over a month, enough time to build habits that last.

If you have a bigger goal or a larger team, we can design a Sprint Catalyst engagement.

How much does it cost, and is there funding that can help cover it?

Engagements range from a single half-day session to multi-month programs, and pricing depends on your team's size and goals. We'll recommend an option that fits your needs and budget on the free call.

Outside funding can often help. Nonprofits sometimes use capacity-building grants for this kind of work. Small businesses and entrepreneurs may have access to support through accelerators, entrepreneurship centers, or business development organizations. If you're not sure what's available to you, we're happy to talk it through.

Is pricing different for nonprofits, small businesses, and entrepreneurs?

Yes. For nonprofits, we offer a sliding scale based on your annual operating budget, so organizations of every size can access this work. For small businesses and entrepreneurs, pricing is based on your company's size and revenue, so early-stage founders and growing teams each get an option that fits where they are.

See all questions

Not sure which option is right for you?

Book a free 30-minute call. We will listen first and recommend honestly.

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