Engagements follow seven principles. These are not slideware frameworks — they are how the work is actually conducted. Scoped to the problem, time-boxed, and outcome-led.
Seven principles. Applied across every engagement, regardless of size.
Every recommendation passes a single test: would Marco deploy this in a property he runs? Recommendations that wouldn't survive contact with an operational environment do not get made.
Conclusions are backed by data, observable behaviour, or first-hand operating experience. Where data is unavailable, the limit is named explicitly rather than hidden.
Defined scope, defined deliverables, defined exit. Open-ended retainers create scope creep and incentive misalignment. Renewals are explicit choices.
Modern AI tools used throughout — for research, analysis, drafting, and process automation. Clients benefit from speed and depth, with clear disclosure of where AI is and is not in the loop.
Recommendations are written in language an operator can act on. Consulting clichés are absent. If a finding cannot be explained in one paragraph to a general manager, it is not yet a finding.
No referral fees from vendors, no kickbacks, no resale arrangements. Advisory relationships are disclosed at the outset and the client decides whether to consider the vendor in the evaluation set.
Engagements produce written artifacts that travel — findings documents, decision logs, vendor evaluations, operational playbooks. The client retains usable IP after the engagement closes.
Six ways to work together. The format is agreed during scoping and reflected in the Statement of Work.
One to two weeks. Used to scope a larger engagement, validate a hypothesis, or produce an initial diagnostic. Output: written brief plus working session.
Four to six weeks. Deep dive on a specific question — technology stack, commercial operations, vendor evaluation, AI readiness. Output: structured findings document and executive readout.
Three to six months. Full programs covering diagnosis, design, vendor selection, implementation oversight, and team enablement. Billed against milestones.
Ongoing, typically one to two days per week. For SaaS founders who need senior commercial leadership but cannot yet justify the full-time hire.
Monthly cadence with defined commitment. For founders and CEOs who want a senior independent voice in regular orbit, not a one-off intervention.
Single consultation, typically 30 to 60 minutes. For due diligence, sector orientation, or specific tactical questions.
Technology is not adjacent to the practice; it is the practice. The approach is informed by current operating role, prior vendor-side career, and AI-native operating practices.
First-hand familiarity with PMS, channel managers, CRM, revenue management, BI, and F&B POS across the hospitality stack — Protel Air, Apaleo, SiteMinder, SimpleBooking, D-Edge, HubSpot, Power BI.
LLM-augmented research and analysis across all engagements. Custom automation pipelines for intelligence briefings, document generation, and operational reporting.
For technology selection, the studio orients toward MACH principles where appropriate, against the prevalent pattern of vendor-locked monolithic stacks.
No reseller agreements, no implementation partnerships, no vendor referral fees. Advisory relationships with hospitality SaaS companies are disclosed where those companies may be in scope.
Most engagements follow a five-phase lifecycle. Phases scale up or down with engagement size; the structure remains the same.
Initial conversation, typically a single call. The purpose is to understand the question, not to sell a service. No fees apply to this phase.
Where there is fit, scoping produces a Statement of Work covering scope, deliverables, timeline, and pricing. Scoping is unbilled on most engagements.
Structured information gathering — stakeholder interviews, system access, data review. Produces a Discovery Findings memo before deeper execution.
Core work against the SoW. Weekly written progress notes are standard for engagements longer than four weeks.
Closing artifacts delivered in editable form. A handoff session walks stakeholders through the materials. 30 days of follow-up availability included.