Independent consulting in Japan is a smaller market than in some other countries, and the way engagements work is not always well understood by clients who have not used an independent consultant before. This is a plain account of how it works at Tiny Wind Horizon.
01 The first conversation
The process starts with a short call, usually thirty minutes. The purpose is not to sell an engagement. It is to understand whether the situation is one where this kind of work is likely to be useful. We will ask about what is happening, what has already been tried, and what a useful outcome would look like.
If the situation is not a fit, we will say so. If it is a fit, the call ends with a clear sense of which type of engagement is most appropriate and what the next step is.
02 How the engagement is structured
Every engagement starts with a written scope document that defines the question, the deliverable, the timeline, and the fee. Nothing substantive begins until both parties have agreed to this document in writing.
The work itself varies by engagement type, but the common thread is that every engagement produces a written document as its primary output. That document is the deliverable. Meetings exist to discuss it, not to replace it.
03 Fees and payment
Fees are agreed in writing before the engagement starts and do not change during the engagement unless the scope changes. Scope changes are documented in a written amendment agreed by both parties before any additional work begins.
Payment is by bank transfer. For most engagements, fifty percent is invoiced at the start and fifty percent on delivery. Advisory conversations are invoiced at the start of each three-month block.
- Written scope document before work begins
- Fifty percent invoiced at start, fifty percent on delivery
- Scope changes documented in writing before additional work begins
- Payment by bank transfer
04 What clients find unexpected
It helps to know in advance how much of the value sits in the written document rather than in the conversations. The conversations are useful, but the document is what the organisation keeps. It is what gets referred to six months later when the team is trying to remember what they decided and why.
The engagements are also short. Four to twelve weeks feels brief for work that touches significant organisational questions. In practice, the constraint is what makes the work focused.
If you have questions about how any of this works in your specific situation, the first call is the right place to ask them.