Bridge Engagement

SMB Security Sprint

Most small business owners know they have security risk. They don't know where to start, what matters most, or who to trust. The SMB Security Sprint answers those questions — in 60 days, at a fixed fee, with a written roadmap you keep.

Fixed fee. No retainer required.
60-day engagement window
Six defined deliverables
You keep everything

What the Sprint delivers

Every Sprint client receives all six deliverables below. Scope is fixed. Deliverables are defined. You know exactly what you're getting before you sign.

Deliverable A

Discovery Session & Business Risk Profile

A structured two-hour working session with the owner or senior leadership team. Goal: understand the business, the data it holds, how it flows, and where it's most exposed.

Output: Written Business Risk Profile
Deliverable B

NIST CSF Gap Analysis

ALC maps your current security posture against the NIST Cybersecurity Framework — the industry standard for security program health. Ratings are accurate, not inflated.

Output: One-Page CSF Dashboard
Deliverable C

Top 3 Critical Risks — Prioritized

Most assessments produce 40 findings nobody fixes. The Sprint identifies the three risks most likely to cause material business disruption — with a clear first action for each.

Output: Three-Risk Summary with action steps
Deliverable D

Policy Gap Review

ALC reviews existing written policies — or notes their absence — against a baseline appropriate for your size and industry. A maturity check, not a compliance audit.

Output: Gap summary across 8 policy areas
Deliverable E

Written 30/60/90-Day Roadmap

A sequenced action plan: stop the bleeding in 30 days, priority improvements at 60, program-level decisions at 90. Each item includes owner, timeline, estimated cost, and dependencies.

Output: Owned, dated action plan — yours to execute
Deliverable F

90-Minute Leadership Debrief

Findings go to the decision maker as a leadership conversation, not a technical briefing. What does this mean for your business? What's the cost of not acting?

Output: Executive debrief + next-step decision

Who this is for

The Sprint is designed for small and mid-sized business owners who are the decision maker and will engage directly. Typically 10–200 employees, no dedicated security staff on payroll.

Common triggers that bring clients to the Sprint:

New client contract with vendor security requirements
Cyber insurance renewal — carrier now asking about controls
M&A due diligence — buyer will assess security posture
Near-miss incident — leadership now aware the gap is real
HIPAA, PCI DSS, FTC Safeguards, or CMMC compliance trigger
State breach notification law on the radar for the first time

Good fit

  • Owner or senior executive is the decision maker and will participate directly
  • No dedicated IT security staff or CISO on payroll
  • Knows security is a problem but hasn't been able to prioritize or scope the work
  • Can't afford a full-time CISO — but needs more than a firewall and a password policy

Not a fit

  • Pre-revenue startups looking for free advisory
  • Businesses that need penetration testing or a red team exercise — that's a different engagement
  • Can't engage the decision maker directly
  • Under active incident response — reconnect once contained

What's not included

The Sprint is fixed scope. The following are explicitly out of scope — not because they aren't important, but because they're separate engagements with different requirements.

Penetration testing / active exploitation
Different engagement, different scope
Vendor selection or contract negotiation
ALC advises; client decides and contracts
Employee security awareness training
Available as a separate engagement
Incident response
Must be resolved before Sprint begins
Compliance certification or attestation
ALC provides advisory, not regulatory sign-off
Ongoing network monitoring
Retainer service — available after Sprint

60-day engagement timeline

Total engagement window: 60 days from signed agreement. Flat fee. Defined scope. One invoice cycle.

Phase 1
Days 1–5
Pre-Engagement
  • Signed agreement received
  • Initial invoice (50%) sent
  • Pre-engagement questionnaire sent
  • Discovery session scheduled
Phase 2
Days 5–14
Discovery
  • Owner / leadership 2-hour working session
  • Business Risk Profile drafted
Phase 3
Days 14–35
Analysis
  • NIST CSF gap analysis
  • Risk prioritization — Top 3
  • Policy gap review
Phase 4
Days 35–42
Drafting
  • Written findings report produced
  • 30/60/90-day roadmap produced
Phase 5
Days 42–48
Client Review
  • Findings report delivered to client
  • Client review period before debrief
Phase 6
Days 48–58
Leadership Debrief
  • 90-minute debrief session with owner / decision maker
  • Next-step discussion at close of debrief
Phase 7
Day 60
Engagement Close
  • Final invoice (50%) due upon delivery of written findings
  • 30-day post-debrief email follow-up window
  • Transition to retainer — or end of engagement

Client questions answered within one business day during the engagement. Post-engagement questions handled during the 30-day follow-up window; after that, a retainer or new engagement is required.

Pricing

Flat fee. Defined scope. One invoice cycle. All deliverables are included at every price point — the fee reflects engagement format, not scope.

Remote
$2,500
Fully virtual. Standard for most engagements.
On-Site — Extended
$5,000
Larger scope. Requires pre-engagement scoping call.
Payment terms: 50% due at signing, 50% due upon delivery of written findings report. Accepted: check, ACH, or credit card. Travel expenses for on-site engagements billed at cost, no markup.

How to get started

From first conversation to signed agreement — straightforward, no pressure, no ambiguity.

1
Discovery Conversation
30–45 minutes, no fee. Adam speaks directly with the owner or decision maker. Always Adam's — not delegated.
2
Proposal Delivery
Within 5 business days: one to two pages covering scope, deliverables, timeline, and price.
3
Engagement Agreement
Standard ALC agreement with Sprint-specific scope. 50% initial invoice sent. No engagement starts without signed agreement and initial payment.
4
Pre-Engagement Questionnaire
8–12 questions: headcount, data types, IT setup, backups, prior incidents, and compliance obligations. Completed before discovery session.
5
Discovery Session
Two hours. Owner in the room. Adam leads. This is where the engagement begins in earnest.
6–7
Analysis, Drafting & Client Review
ALC's work phase. Client not required to do anything. Five to seven days to review findings before the debrief.
8
Leadership Debrief
90 minutes. Owner attends. Findings as a leadership conversation — what this means for your business and what to do next.
9
Retainer Transition or Close
Seven-day decision window. Regardless of what you decide, you keep all deliverables and the 30-day follow-up window.
Ready to get started?

Know where you stand.

Book a free 30-minute discovery conversation. No commitment, no pitch deck — just a direct conversation about your business and whether the Sprint is the right fit.

Schedule a Conversation →

Or reach out directly: adam@advantageleadershipconsulting.com  ·  (402) 799-1090