The decision in front of you
Stan Consulting · retainer agency · in-house hire.
The same revenue work, three different commitments. Open the row that matters to you. The Stan Consulting column is gold-marked.
Dimension
Retainer agency
In-house hire
Stan Consulting
Who does the work
Junior staff or outsourced
One hire, narrow scope
Principal-led, 15+ years
Time to first growth system plan
3 to 6 weeks of onboarding
4 to 6 months to ramp
72 hours to growth system plan
Commitment
6 to 12 month retainer
Salary plus benefits, full-time
Scoped engagement
Accountability
Account manager turnover
Internal performance cycle
Principal-named, NDA-safe
Output
Decks and recommendations
Ramp time, internal politics
Service request, three named fixes
Cost band
$5k to $15k per month
$10k to $25k per month loaded
Scoped privately · scoped
Final sale or exit
Locked-in contract
Termination cost, severance
Final-sale terms on the product page