▸ · Toolkit
Every tool and download in the manual, in one place. Pick the question you're trying to answer.
The on-screen tools save your entries in your own browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere. See Privacy.
■ 26 on-screen tools
“Should I do this, and have I really thought it through?”
Work any important decision through all seven steps and copy the finished dossier.
Open the tool →“What would an outside consultant tell me, and will I act on it?”
Write a consultant's memo in the third person, answer as the owner and turn it into commitments.
Open the tool →“What am I missing?”
Copy-ready prompts that tell an AI to question your plan instead of agreeing.
Open the tool →“Where are we going this year?”
Vision, annual goals, quarterly priorities and a weekly scorecard on one page.
Open the tool →“How much cash will growth tie up?”
Cash waiting on clients plus costs before new revenue arrives.
Open the tool →“Would anyone buy this business without me?”
Ten checks for what makes a business valuable.
Open the tool →“Is our offer strong enough?”
Score your offer the way a customer sees it and find the weakest point.
Open the tool →“How many leads do we need?”
Work backward from a revenue goal to leads per week.
Open the tool →“Is this client worth keeping?”
Six factors and a keep, fix or let go verdict.
Open the tool →“What does losing clients cost us?”
Retention rate, revenue lost and the cost to replace.
Open the tool →“Is this worth the money?”
Net monthly value, payback time and a verdict.
Open the tool →“How long can we last?”
Months of runway, days to get paid and cash after bills.
Open the tool →“How should each dollar be split?”
Profit, owner pay, taxes and operating, compared with real expenses.
Open the tool →“Did we stay on top of everything?”
Ten-item weekly routine that resets every week.
Open the tool →“What's slipping under the radar?”
Eight-question self-check with what to fix first.
Open the tool →“How do we make this repeatable?”
Write a procedure someone new could follow without asking.
Open the tool →“Where does my week go?”
Hours by category, time on the business and delegable hours.
Open the tool →“What does great look like in this role?”
Mission, outcomes, interview questions and the first 90 days.
Open the tool →“Is my team working well together?”
Eight signs of trust, conflict, commitment and accountability.
Open the tool →“How do we run better meetings?”
Copy-ready weekly, one-on-one, quarterly and review agendas.
Open the tool →“Am I ready for this negotiation?”
Walk-away point, their interests and your questions.
Open the tool →“Could the business run without me?”
The two-week vacation test for owners.
Open the tool →“Could we survive a bad month?”
Eight checks for cash, clients, people and records.
Open the tool →“How much time will this pivot take?”
Owner hours for each phase, with a research-based buffer.
Open the tool →“Which roles does the new plan need?”
Keep, redesign, automate, reduce or cut, with rough savings.
Open the tool →“How protected is the business?”
Ten checks for contracts, insurance, data and compliance.
Open the tool →“How do I say this so it lands?”
Free builders, checkers and quizzes on the companion site for emails, presentations and hard conversations.
Open Clear at Work →“How do I get agreement without pushing?”
The research on persuasion and interest-based negotiation, in plain language.
Open Clear at Work →“How do I keep a meeting short and useful?”
How to run meetings people actually value, from the companion guide.
Open Clear at Work →■ The book and 5 fillable PDFs
Type into them on screen or print them and write by hand. Free to use and share with your team. Please link back to this site.
The whole site as a book: 30 chapters in 7 parts, each opening with what you'll learn and ending with key points and an exercise. Includes AI prompts, further reading and printable worksheets.
Download the bookPage one is the consultant's memo, written in the third person. Page two is the owner's response, with accept, change or reject, "I will… by…" commitments and if-then plans. From Be Your Own Consultant.
Download the EngagementThe full decision file: case classes, all seven steps of the Dossier Method, tripwires and the Decision Quality Grid. Use one for every important decision.
Download the DossierThe ten-item weekly routine from Tight Ship, with four weeks of check boxes and space to track your bottom-line numbers each week.
Download the checklistThe four questions from Reality Check with a worksheet to work out whether any purchase, hire or project actually pays.
Download the cardFor when the business has to change direction to survive. A 90-day pivot plan, a Role Review worksheet, a people changes checklist, and a technology and AI rollout plan. From Pivot to Survive.
Download the Playbook