A documented engagement — start to finish.
A Liquid Partners engagement is a structured professional services relationship governed by a written Engagement Letter, with a refundable retainer and clear deliverables. Here is exactly how it runs.
Before you read further
A Liquid Partners engagement is consulting work. The retainer is a deposit to secure advisor time and resources, held separately from operating funds and earned against documented deliverables. The engagement fee is published, the work is real, and the unearned balance is returned.
This is the same structural model used by law firms, financial-planning firms, and management consultancies. We have simply applied it to a domain — strategic capital advisory for business owners — where most operators have historically used less rigorous structures.
Discovery & Engagement Letter
What happens
We open with a 30-minute discovery conversation to confirm fit and identify the scope of the engagement. We learn about your business, your capital portfolio, your operating context, and your objectives.
If we’re aligned, we send a written Engagement Letter within 2 business days. The Engagement Letter defines:
- The scope of work and specific deliverables
- The retainer amount and how it will be funded
- The engagement fee — a published percentage of the retainer — and how it is earned
- The expected engagement length and milestone schedule
- The refund mechanics for the unearned balance
- The termination terms (you may end the engagement at any time)
You sign and return. Until both parties have signed, no work begins and no retainer is funded.
Phase 01 · Timeline
~2 business days
From discovery call to a signed Engagement Letter in your inbox.
Retainer funding & segregation
How the retainer works
After the Engagement Letter is signed, you fund the agreed retainer to Liquid Partners by business credit card. The transaction is processed by Liquid Partners’ merchant account and the funds are deposited, after standard processor fees, into a segregated client-funds account at a federally insured U.S. bank.
That segregation matters. The retainer is not commingled with our operating funds. It is held against the engagement and can only be moved into our operating account once work has been documented and a final invoice has been issued.
This is the same structure law firms use for IOLTA trust accounts and that financial-planning firms use for advisory deposits. The economics are identical to a deposit being held in trust for the client until the firm has earned against it.
Phase 02 · Where the money sits
Segregated client-funds account
Separate bank. Separate signatory rules. Never commingled with operating funds. Earned fees are transferred to operating only after documented work and a final invoice.
A core element of every Liquid Partners engagement.
Consulting delivered
This is where the work happens. The standard engagement runs over 5–7 business days at a 6% engagement fee; the rush option compresses the same scope into 3 business days at an 8.5% engagement fee. Every deliverable below is part of every engagement.
Capital Portfolio Audit
Written analysis of your existing business credit portfolio: limits, utilization, issuer mix, capacity, and constraints. The data foundation for the rest of the engagement.
Entity-Structure Consultation
A 60-90 minute working session on your current entity setup and how it supports — or limits — your strategic capital options. Recommendations document delivered.
Processor & Banking Strategy
Documented strategy for the payment processors, merchant accounts, and banking relationships best suited to your business model, volume, and risk profile.
The Strategic Capital Playbook
A custom-bound playbook tailored to your portfolio. Deployment cadence, velocity considerations, documentation standards, red-flag monitoring. Yours to keep.
Advisor Access Block
Direct Slack/Discord channel plus scheduled office hours. Active for the engagement and for 90 days following completion.
Engagement Summary
A formal closing document indexing every deliverable, every hour logged, and the final accounting of earned fee versus refunded balance.
Final invoice & refund
How the engagement closes
At engagement completion we issue a final invoice itemizing the work delivered against the engagement fee. The invoice references the time log, the deliverables index, and the engagement summary.
Once the invoice is issued and acknowledged:
- The earned-fee portion is moved from the client-funds account into the Liquid Partners operating account
- The unearned balance is returned to your verified business bank account by ACH, typically within 1–3 business days
- You receive a complete engagement record: signed Engagement Letter, deliverables index, time log, final invoice, refund confirmation
- Your advisor-access channel remains open for 90 days post-completion
If you decide to engage us for additional work, a new Engagement Letter is executed — and the structure runs again from the top.
Phase 04 · Timeline
1–3 business days
From final invoice to refund landing in your business bank account.
Ready to discuss an engagement?
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