Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Define the service and identify 10 specific potential clients
1–2 weeks
Define what you are selling specifically enough to price it, and identify 10 specific potential clients — not categories, but named organisations or individuals who might plausibly hire you. A consulting service defined as 'strategy consulting' is not priceable; a consulting service defined as 'pricing strategy for B2B SaaS companies between $1M and $10M ARR that sell into mid-market' is both priceable and targetable. The 10 names are the scope of the first outreach sprint — they will not all respond, but the act of naming them forces specificity about who actually needs this.
Proof required
Write a service definition (one paragraph) covering: what you do, who you do it for, what outcome the client gets, and your pricing (day rate or project rate). Attach or paste a list of 10 specific named potential clients — organisations or individuals — with one sentence each on why they might need this service.
What gets checked
- Service definition is specific enough to price — a day rate or project rate with a basis is present.
- 10 named potential clients are listed — not categories like 'mid-size SaaS companies' but named businesses or individuals.
- One sentence per client on why they might need this — demonstrates you have thought about each name, not just copied a category.
Common mistakes
- Service defined at category level: 'I'm a strategy consultant' — this is unchargeable and untargetable.
- No specific pricing: 'pricing depends on scope' without a starting rate is a signal that the service has not been defined.
- Target list is a category, not names: '10 types of companies' is not 10 clients.
Powstik Guide
A priced service definition and ten named prospects.
Steps
- Write what you do, for whom, and the outcome.
- Set a day rate or project price.
- List ten named organisations or people.
- Note why each might hire you now.
Template
Service: I help [who] achieve [outcome] by [what I do]. Price: | # | Named prospect | Why they might hire me now | How I'll reach them | |---|----------------|----------------------------|---------------------|
What gets sent back
- Categories instead of named prospects.
- No price.
- A vague service like 'strategy'.
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- The service definition must be specific enough that a potential client reading it immediately knows whether they are in the target audience or not.
- The 10 names must be real — ask whether the founder has any existing relationship with any of them, or whether these are cold targets.
- Pricing: a day rate or project rate with a basis should be present — 'market rate' without a number is not pricing.
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Complete outreach and secure discovery calls with at least 3 prospects
2–4 weeks
Contact the 10 prospects from M1 and secure discovery calls with at least 3. The discovery call is the moment where a general interest in the service becomes a specific conversation about a specific problem. The proof is the outreach record and the call notes — not that 3 prospects are ready to hire, but that 3 are engaged enough to have a real conversation about the problem. Calls that result in 'not interested' still count; they are market data.
Proof required
Share your outreach log: for all 10 prospects, note the date contacted, the channel (email, LinkedIn, introduction, etc.), and the current status (no response / responded / call scheduled / call completed). For each of the 3+ discovery calls completed, write 3–5 lines on what the prospect said their problem was.
What gets checked
- Outreach log covers all 10 prospects with dates and status — not just the ones who responded.
- At least 3 discovery calls completed — calls that resulted in 'not interested' still count; they are data.
- What the prospect said their problem was — in their words, not your framing.
Common mistakes
- Outreach log only covers responders — the non-responses are the majority of the data set and should not be omitted.
- Discovery calls not yet completed: 'I have 3 calls scheduled' — scheduled is not completed.
- What the prospect said is rephrased as the service pitch: 'they need exactly what I offer' — a verbatim problem description is more credible than a summary.
Powstik Guide
An outreach log for all ten prospects and three discovery calls.
Steps
- Write a short, specific message per prospect.
- Contact all ten and log the date and channel.
- Follow up once after a week.
- Book at least three discovery calls.
- Note what each prospect needs after the call.
Template
| # | Prospect | Date | Channel | Status | Follow-up | |---|----------|------|---------|--------|-----------| Discovery calls | Prospect | Date | Their problem | Budget/timeline heard | |----------|------|---------------|-----------------------|
What gets sent back
- Fewer than ten contacted.
- Fewer than three calls held.
- Status left blank.
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- The outreach log should include non-responses — if all 10 prospects responded and 3 booked calls, that is unusually high and worth asking about.
- The problem descriptions from discovery calls should be in the prospect's framing — ask the founder to quote one thing a prospect said.
- Calls that resulted in 'not interested' are valuable proof — they demonstrate real outreach and real market feedback.
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Close a paid consulting contract — signed agreement and first payment
2–6 weeks (from discovery call to close)
Close a paid consulting engagement — a signed agreement and a first payment received. The payment does not need to be large, but it must be real: a promise to pay, a free project, or a deferred payment arrangement is not a closed consulting contract. The agreement must define scope, deliverable, timeline, and payment terms. A signed email thread with all four elements qualifies; a verbal agreement does not.
Proof required
Share: (1) the signed agreement (or signed email thread) — scope, deliverable, timeline, and payment terms visible; (2) a payment confirmation (bank transfer screenshot, invoice marked paid, or payment processor screenshot) showing the first payment received. Write one paragraph on what specifically converted this prospect — what happened between the discovery call and the signature.
What gets checked
- Signed agreement with scope, deliverable, timeline, and payment terms — all four elements visible.
- First payment received — a payment confirmation with an amount is shown.
- What converted this prospect — the specific conversation, proposal element, or referral that moved them from interested to committed.
Common mistakes
- Agreement without first payment: 'they've signed but payment is due in 30 days' — the contract is closed but the outcome is not yet achieved.
- Free or deferred project: 'we agreed to do a pilot first' — a pilot without payment is not a closed contract.
- What converted them is generic: 'they liked my experience' — the conversion factor should be specific enough to repeat.
Powstik Guide
A signed consulting agreement and the first payment.
Steps
- Write scope, deliverable, timeline and fee.
- Get it signed or agreed in writing.
- Send your first invoice.
- Save proof of payment received.
Template
Client (can redact): Scope: Deliverable: Timeline: Fee and payment terms: Signed on: Invoice sent: Payment received:
What gets sent back
- A verbal agreement.
- Unpaid or deferred work.
- No payment evidence.
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- The payment confirmation must be real — bank transfer, invoice marked paid, or payment processor screenshot with an amount.
- The agreement must cover all four elements: scope, deliverable, timeline, payment terms — ask which element was most negotiated.
- What converted them: ask whether the founder has tested this conversion factor with a second prospect — one conversion is a data point, two is a pattern.
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