A national consulting firm for small, locally-owned businesses

Big-brand capabilities. Small-business scale.

Small, locally-owned businesses shouldn't have to settle for small-business tools. Kotik Consulting helps independent operators compete with big brands — with the same quality of advisory, marketing, and technology big companies use, priced for the way you actually run your business.

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The point

Enterprise-grade capability. Without the enterprise price tag.

Most of what separates a successful local business from a stalled one is access: to strategy, to technology, to people who have seen the problem before. That access is usually priced for companies with a hundred employees and a CFO. We operate at the scale of the businesses we serve — direct, senior, priced to fit — and with no loss of quality.

What we advise

Direct advisory, built around the decision in front of you.

Five ways to work with us directly — from a one-time audit to an ongoing retainer. Senior-led, no junior bench, no filler.

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When you need execution

We route you to whoever fits best — even if it's not us.

Advice without execution is just paper. When you're ready to build, we route you to the right team for the job — one of our own, a partner we trust, or a company we recommend because they're the best fit for the problem.

Our job is the recommendation, not the referral fee. If we advise it and you act on it with someone else entirely, that's still a win.

  • 1 One of our own teams, when it's a clean fit.
  • 2 A partner we've worked with and trust.
  • 3 A company we've never worked with, if they're the best fit for your specific problem.
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Why this exists

Small businesses keep getting sold the watered-down version.

The playbook most small-business owners get offered — whether it's from a franchise agency, a national chain, or a contractor on the internet — is a diluted version of what big brands get. Fewer senior people. Automated reports. Templates dressed up as strategy.

Kotik Consulting exists to close that gap. Senior advisory. Honest recommendations. Pricing that respects the scale of the businesses we serve, and quality that doesn't depend on it.

The promise

"Enterprise-grade advice at a price an independent operator can actually afford — without cutting the quality of the thinking."

How we work

Assess. Plan. Execute — or hand off.

A simple three-step arc that every engagement follows, regardless of the service.

  1. 01

    Assess

    Every engagement starts with a real look at the business — data, operations, market. No assumptions, no templates, no playbooks pulled from a shelf.

  2. 02

    Plan

    You get a written plan — sequenced, scoped, with trade-offs called out. You own it. It stands on its own whether we continue together or not.

  3. 03

    Execute or hand off

    Execution happens through one of our own teams, a trusted partner, or a company we recommend because they fit the problem. No lock-in. No obligation.

From the blog

Worth reading before you hire anyone.

All posts →
Diagram of AI search retrieval

2026-04-22

How ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews decide who to recommend

An under-the-hood look at how modern AI search engines pick which businesses to cite and recommend — and what that means for local businesses.
Screenshot of a Google Business Profile dashboard

2026-04-21

Six Google Business Profile mistakes costing small businesses customers

The six most common Google Business Profile mistakes we see on small, locally-owned businesses — and how to fix each one.
Abstract visualization of AI search retrieval

2026-04-20

What is AI Search Optimization — and why your Google rankings aren't enough anymore

A plain-English explanation of AI Search Optimization (GEO / AEO) — what it is, how it works, and why local businesses should care right now.

Questions

Frequently asked.

What does "consulting" actually mean here? +
Senior advisory engagements — audits, growth strategy, AI-adoption roadmaps, a fractional-advisor retainer, and focused strategy sessions. We give you direct recommendations and a plan. You decide what to act on and when.
What kinds of businesses do you work with? +
Small, locally-owned businesses — trades, professionals, clinics, shops, restaurants, family-run companies — across the country. The through-line is independent ownership and owner-led decision-making, not a specific industry.
How is this different from a big-firm consultancy? +
Big firms deploy junior analysts against playbooks. Every Kotik engagement is run directly by a senior advisor. Pricing reflects a small-business budget, not a Fortune 500 one — without cutting the quality of the thinking.
Who's doing the advising? +
A senior advisor with direct small-business experience — not a junior analyst running a template. You'll know who's on your engagement from the first call, and they'll stay on it through delivery.
What happens when I need execution? Do you do the work? +
Advisory is what we sell. When a plan needs execution, we route you to whoever's the best fit — one of our own teams, a partner we trust, or a company we recommend because they're right for the problem, even if it isn't us. The recommendation is what matters, not who gets the work.
How do you charge? +
Fixed fees on scoped engagements (audits, strategy engagements, AI roadmaps, strategy sessions) and a flat monthly retainer for the fractional-advisor. No hourly billing. Every quote is firm before you commit.
Is there a minimum commitment? +
Most engagements are single, scoped pieces of work — no minimum beyond that one engagement. The fractional-advisor retainer has a 3-month minimum so we can actually help; month-to-month after that.
How long does a typical engagement take? +
Audits run 2–3 weeks. AI-adoption roadmaps run 3–5 weeks. Growth strategy engagements run 4–8 weeks. Strategy sessions are a single 90-minute session plus prep and a written summary. Retainers are ongoing.
Do you work remote or in person? +
Most engagements run remotely — video, shared documents, async. For some growth and strategy work, an on-site visit makes sense and we can arrange it. Travel is billed at cost.
What happens after an engagement ends? +
You own the deliverable — audit, plan, roadmap, whatever you contracted. You can act on it with us, with anyone you choose, or on your own. We check back if you want us to; we stay out of the way if you don't.
How do I know if advisory is the right fit? +
If you're making a decision you shouldn't make alone — hiring, pricing, a launch, a vendor choice, a strategic pivot — advisory is usually the right fit. If you already know what you want and just need execution, you want a delivery vendor, not advisory.
Do you work with businesses outside the US? +
Advisory engagements are available internationally on a case-by-case basis. US-based small businesses are the core focus because the market context, regulations, and vendor landscape are where our judgment is sharpest.

Start with a conversation.

Tell us what you're working on. We'll tell you honestly whether advisory is the right fit — and if not, where to look instead.

Schedule a call