Our Approach — Miami, FL
How we scope, staff, and deliver engagements
ISTEFAN CONSULTING LLC runs engagements with a small team and a defined scope. The people who scope the work are the people who deliver it, and the client team stays involved throughout.
This page explains what to expect: how we start, how the work is structured, and what we ask of you along the way.
The engagement drawing — how a mandate takes shape from first call to handover
The first conversation
We begin with a call to understand the situation. What decision are you facing? What have you already tried? What does a good outcome look like, and what constraints are fixed?
That call is free and it is not a pitch. If the problem is not something we handle well, we will say so early, and we will point you toward the type of adviser who fits better.
Bring what you have: the question on your desk, the numbers that do not reconcile, the decision you have been deferring. You do not need a finished brief to start a useful conversation.
Scoping and the proposal
After the first conversations, we put the scope in writing: what we will deliver, what we need from your team, the timeline, and the fee. Proposals are specific because vague scopes create vague results.
What we deliver
A written statement of the work: the analysis, the models, the recommendations, and who on our side owns each part. No open-ended language about "supporting the journey."
What we need
Named data sources, a point of contact who can decide, and the timeline you are working against. If a topic is off-limits, we plan around it before the work starts.
What it costs
The fee is stated in the proposal, in writing, before work begins. If the engagement needs to change partway through, we adjust the scope and the fee together, in writing, before continuing.
You should never be surprised by an invoice. When a scope grows, the reason and the number arrive together, and you decide whether to proceed.
How we staff engagements
Engagements are led by Evan M. Istefan with support from a small team chosen for the specific work. We do not staff projects with people who have no role in the analysis.
For most clients that means dealing with one or two people consistently, which is faster and less confusing than routing questions through account managers. When a specialized question comes up, we bring in the right expertise rather than improvising.
Evan M. Istefan sets the scope, leads the analysis, and is present in the working sessions. The person who writes the proposal is the person in the room.
One or two specialists chosen for the actual work — financial modeling, operations, transaction support — not a rotating bench.
Where the question needs depth we do not carry in-house — tax, legal, sector regulation — we bring in a qualified adviser and stay accountable for how their work fits the whole.
The managers who run the business after we leave. They join the analysis from the start so they understand what changed and why.
Working alongside your team
We work with your people, not around them. The managers who have to run the business after we leave need to understand what changed and why, so they are part of the analysis from the start.
That also means we ask for access to data and to the people who know how things actually work. Engagements move faster when the client team is available and direct.
What we need from you
Access to financial data, a point of contact who can make decisions, and honesty about what is going well and what is not. We do not need polished presentations. Some of the most useful information comes from conversations with the people doing the work. If there is a topic that is off-limits, tell us at the start so we can plan around it.
How progress is tracked
Every engagement has checkpoints. For a project, that usually means a working session every week or two with a short written update. For a retainer, it means a standing meeting and an agenda tied to current decisions.
The point is to keep the work visible and to catch problems early, when they are still cheap to fix.
Delivering recommendations that get used
A recommendation that nobody implements has no value. We keep deliverables short, tie each one to a decision or an action, and identify who owns it.
Where implementation is part of the scope, we stay involved until the change is in place and the numbers show it. Where it is not, we hand over clear instructions and stay available for questions.
Change management and adoption
Most changes fail because the people affected were not part of designing them. We factor adoption into the plan from the beginning: who needs to be convinced, what will be hard for them, and what support they need.
This is not a separate workstream bolted on at the end. It shapes how we sequence the work and how we communicate it.
Ending an engagement well
Engagements end when the work is done, and we plan for that from the start. The final phase usually includes documenting what was done, transferring any tools or models to your team, and a review of what worked and what did not.
If there is a case for continuing, we will say so. If not, we will close it out cleanly.
A working model, not a presentation
Most consulting relationships are described in terms of deliverables. We describe them in terms of who is in the room, what decision is on the table, and what happens after the meeting ends. That is the difference between an operating model that gets adopted and a slide deck that gets filed.
If you are comparing advisers, ask them the same questions this page answers: who scopes the work, who delivers it, how progress is tracked, and how the engagement ends. The answers will tell you more than a capabilities deck.
Our engagements run from our office at 321 NE 26th St, Unit 601 in Miami, with client teams across the United States and international markets. Working hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
More about the firmQuestions clients ask before the first engagement
How long does a typical engagement run?
It depends on the scope. A focused diagnostic or a single transaction question can be weeks; a performance improvement program with implementation support runs longer. The proposal states the timeline before work begins, and if the scope changes, the timeline changes with it.
Who actually does the work?
Evan M. Istefan leads the engagement with support from a small team chosen for the specific work. You will deal with one or two people consistently rather than being handed between account managers.
What if the scope needs to change mid-engagement?
We adjust the scope and the fee together, in writing, before continuing. You approve the change before any additional work starts, so the invoice never arrives as a surprise.
Do you work with companies outside Miami?
Yes. The firm is based in Miami and works with companies across the United States and international markets. Working sessions can run in person or remotely, whichever keeps the work moving.
How do you handle confidential information?
We work under a written confidentiality agreement, and access to data is limited to the team on the engagement. If a topic is off-limits or regulated, tell us at the start so we can plan around it.
What does the first call cost?
Nothing. The first conversation is free and is not a pitch. Its purpose is to understand the situation and decide whether the fit is right — including telling you when it is not.
Start with the decision on your desk
If you are weighing an acquisition, tightening an operating model, or trying to understand why performance has slipped, the first step is a conversation about the situation — not a proposal.
The firm
- Office 321 NE 26th St, Unit 601, Miami, FL 33137, USA
- Phone +1-703-530-0266
- Email [email protected]
- Hours Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM