You’ve spent years, maybe decades, becoming an expert in your field. You have a big, ambitious vision and you’re finally ready to make it real — but have no idea where to start.

The stakes feel high because they are. You want freedom, but not at the cost of losing what you’ve built. You still need to support your family, fund retirement, maybe pay for kids’ college. You’re not looking to gamble everything on a dream.

Here’s what most people don’t tell you: The idea that you should automatically know how to build a business from scratch simply because you’re successful in your career is pure fiction. They’re completely different skill sets.

Financials, operations, customers, story, fundraising — you need to understand all of it. Not surface level. Deep enough to make informed decisions and know when something’s off.

There’s no earthly reason you’d already know how to do this. That’s why you get expert guidance before you leap — not after.

Hi, I’m Diane Tarshis. I provide 1:1 startup consulting, advising, and coaching (simultaneously) to first-time founders who’ve never built a business before.

Since graduating from the Wharton School and leaving the frenzy of Wall Street behind, I’ve spent 20-plus years helping entrepreneurs from all walks of life fast-track profitability and get funded (if they want).

I’ve worked with founders in industries ranging from clean energy to life sciences, retail to consumer products, entertainment, food & beverage, tech of all kinds… and distilleries, of course.

Some of my clients have become leaders in their industry, others have made multimillion-dollar exits, while still others have achieved their dream of a life that gives them flexibility and financial freedom.

But one thing they’ve all had in common is this: They refused to leave their success up to trial and error.