Consulting engagement / 2026

Second Story

Stephanie Phillips

Let's break it down to build it up.

My role is to help you make the decisions around the business: what you sell, how you position it, how work finds you, how you price it, and how the brand supports all of that.

Next

Upcoming meetings

All meetings

Monday

September 14, 2026

HILMY + Hot Metal design strategy

Internal working session between HILMY and Richard at Hot Metal on how the identity system and the commercial strategy stay aligned as both develop.

Tuesday

September 15, 2026

Second Story kickoff

Ninety minutes with Stephanie covering company foundation, founder readiness, and positioning.

Client workstreams

Workstreams

All workstreams

6 open

Decisions

  • WorkingFounder led consultancy initially
  • In developmentPrimary positioning statement
  • To confirmBilling and accounting platform
  • Needs CPATax and accounting classification
Full decision log

9 open

Action items

  • StephanieConfirm what company setup is already in place.
  • StephanieBring notes on the founder-readiness questions.
  • StephanieBring the current inquiries: who reached out, what they asked for and what they seem to need.
  • HILMYDraft the first positioning hypothesis set for pressure testing at kickoff
Full action register

HILMY / Consulting

What we’re solving

This engagement is not about producing a stack of recommendations. We’re here to answer the questions that determine whether Second Story becomes a good idea or a good business.

  1. 01What are you actually selling?
  2. 02Who is most likely to pay for it?
  3. 03Why you instead of someone else?
  4. 04What work should you say no to?
  5. 05What should you own, and what should someone else handle?
  6. 06How should the work be priced, proposed and sold?
  7. 07How does the brand make all of that easier to understand?
  8. 08And when this engagement is over, what needs to be in place for you to keep moving without me?