The Work We Do
and What It Involves
Each engagement is scoped to a particular kind of firm and a particular kind of need. Below is an account of what each involves, how it proceeds, and what you can expect to receive at the end.
Back to HomeHow Every Engagement Proceeds
Regardless of which engagement a principal undertakes, the underlying method is the same: we begin with careful listening, proceed to independent analysis, and end with a written document the firm can use.
We do not arrive with a prepared framework and fill it in. We read the firm as it actually presents itself — its history, its current commercial position, the relationships that hold it together and the pressures it is navigating — before forming any view.
Written outputs are shared in draft before finalisation. If we have misread something, this is the point at which the principal tells us. The final document reflects both our analysis and the principal's corrections to matters of fact.
Initial conversation
No charge. Understand the firm and confirm the right engagement.
Written engagement letter
Scope, deliverables, fee and timeline agreed in writing.
Fieldwork and analysis
Conversations, review, independent assessment.
Draft for principal review
Factual corrections addressed before final document.
Final written deliverable
Delivered confidentially to the principal.
Heritage Business Strategy Reading
For long-established trading houses, food businesses, second- and third-generation retailers and small manufacturing firms in Penang and the wider northern region. The reading includes conversations with the principal and one or two senior staff, an honest look at the firm's present commercial position, and a short written summary identifying the questions worth considering more carefully in the year ahead. The deliverable is brief and respectful of the firm's history; the recommendations, if any, are framed as considerations rather than prescriptions.
- Conversations with principal and senior staff
- Review of current commercial position
- Written summary of key considerations
- Framed for the firm's own use, not external circulation
Tourism & F&B Operations Advisory
A considered engagement for hotels, café groups and food and beverage operators in Penang whose recent operating environments have prompted a fresh look at how the business is run. Over nine weeks we visit the operations, sit with the principal and the heads of operations and finance, and prepare a written advisory covering staffing models, supplier arrangements and the firm's seasonal exposure. The deliverable is a practical document the firm can refer to over the following year. Includes a closing conversation with the principal.
- On-site operational visits over nine weeks
- Conversations with operations and finance leads
- Written advisory on staffing, suppliers, seasonality
- Closing conversation with principal on findings
Multi-Generation Family Business Continuity
A senior engagement for older Penang family businesses preparing for continuity into the next generation. Over five months we work with the principals and, with their consent, with prospective successors, to document the present governance and operating arrangement, identify the points worth considering as the family thinks about continuity, and prepare a written framework for the family to use as the basis for further private conversations. The pace is set by the family; the deliverable is held in strict confidence and intended for family use rather than external circulation.
- Five-month engagement at the family's pace
- Governance and operating arrangement documented
- Successor engagement with prior consent
- Confidential written framework for internal use
Which Engagement Suits Your Situation?
The three engagements are designed for different circumstances. This comparison may help you identify which is the closest fit.
| Heritage Reading RM 640 |
F&B Advisory RM 1,700 |
Family Continuity RM 3,400 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Firms in trading or retail | |||
| Hotels, cafés, F&B operators | |||
| Succession or next-generation planning | |||
| Operational review (staffing, suppliers) | |||
| Short engagement (weeks, not months) | |||
| Involves prospective successors |
If you are not certain which engagement applies to your situation, the initial conversation will help to clarify. There is no charge for this discussion and no obligation to proceed.
What Applies to Every Piece of Work
Strict Confidentiality
No client information is discussed with other clients or shared with third parties without explicit consent.
Written Scope Agreement
Scope, fee and expected timeline are agreed in a letter of engagement before any billable work begins.
Senior Involvement
The principal or senior associate conducts the key work and writes the output. No handoff after the first meeting.
No Referral Commissions
We receive no payment from any third party for recommendations made during or after an engagement.
Professional Indemnity
Professional indemnity insurance is maintained for all consulting work. Documentation available on request.
Draft Review by Principal
Written findings are shared in draft before finalisation. Factual corrections are addressed before the final document is issued.
Transparent Pricing
All fees are in Malaysian Ringgit and are fixed for the engagement duration. No hourly rates, no supplementary billing.
Heritage Reading
RM 640
- Principal conversations
- Commercial position review
- Written summary
- On-site visits
- Multi-party engagement
Payment in two stages: half on commencement, half on delivery.
EnquireF&B Operations Advisory
RM 1,700
- On-site operational visits
- Operations and finance review
- Written advisory document
- Closing principal conversation
- Successor engagement
Payment schedule aligned to delivery milestones.
EnquireFamily Continuity
RM 3,400
- Multi-principal engagement
- Governance documentation
- Successor engagement (consented)
- Confidential written framework
Payment schedule agreed at outset. Strict confidentiality throughout.
EnquireNot Sure Which Engagement Applies?
An initial conversation — at no charge — is usually the clearest way to work that out. We ask about the firm and what is prompting the enquiry, and go from there.
Book a Conversation