Practiced Path Advisory · Afton, Iowa

A practitioner
who advises.

Built across farming, product-making, and years of real business ownership — this practice sits across from small business owners and says: I have done this. I know what it costs. I can help you build something worth having.

What this practice is for

Owners who are too busy running the business to work on it
Businesses that depend entirely on the owner — and shouldn't
People who want an honest conversation, not a sales pitch
Anyone building something worth owning — now or eventually

About this practice

Every path begins with a conversation.

Kim Lauffer has built businesses with her hands, grown plants, made products, walked alongside people in recovery, and carried the full weight of owning something. That experience doesn't live on a resume. It lives in the room when she sits across from another owner.

This is not consulting in the traditional sense. It's a working advisory relationship with someone who has actually done what she's asking you to do — and who will tell you the truth even when it's harder to hear.

"You don't need more advice. You need someone who has been here — and will sit with you in it."

Practiced Path Advisory serves small business owners who are doing real work and want a real partnership. Not a framework. Not a course. One advisor who knows your business and shows up consistently.

Honest first

If it's not the right fit, that's what you'll hear. Every conversation starts with what's actually true.

Practitioner-led

Real experience doing the thing, not just advising on it. Built across farming, herbs, recovery, and business ownership.

One relationship

Not a firm. Not a team of associates. One advisor who knows your business and stays consistent.

Long-game thinking

Every engagement builds something that lasts — offers, systems, value, and eventually, a business worth selling.

Part One

The Strategic Path

Services for fixing and building the business — offers, pricing, systems, team, valuation. These follow a natural sequence. Enter wherever fits where you are.

01
01

The First Conversation

Listen. Diagnose. Direct honestly.

A free 15–30 min call with no pitch and no agenda. Kim listens, reflects back what she heard, names the core problem honestly, and makes one clear recommendation — only if it's a genuine fit. If it's not the right fit, she'll say so.

Free 15–30 minutes
01.1supplemental

The Business Snapshot

One page. Three priorities. One clear path forward.

45 minutes produces a single written page naming your three highest-priority bottlenecks, ranked by impact, each with a specific next step. The $397 applies in full toward the Clarity Audit if booked within 30 days.

$397 One-time · 45 min
02

The Clarity Audit

See your business objectively — maybe for the first time.

Two deep-dive sessions built around a 22-question audit. You receive an Owner Dependency Score across 6 functions — sales, delivery, decisions, operations, finance, and time — plus a written findings report and a custom 90-day roadmap. Includes a 30-day follow-up call.

$995–$1,500 Intro rate $995 for first 3 clients
02.1supplemental

The Quick Win Session

Take your top audit finding and finish it. Together.

A 2-hour working session where we build the thing — pricing framework, client onboarding doc, decision filter — not just plan it. You leave with a completed, usable asset. Includes 14-day check-in. 3-session series available for $1,800.

$750 Per session
02.2supplemental

The Day-One Intensive

When it can't wait. A full day. Right now.

Crisis response — a key employee quit, a major client is threatening to leave, revenue dropped. Full-day diagnosis, triage, and written 30-day stabilization plan before the day ends. Scheduled within 5 business days. Travel additional for in-person outside Afton.

$2,800 Full working day
02.3supplemental

The Financial Clarity Session

Find the leaks. Know your real numbers.

90 minutes on margins, labor cost, pricing structure, and cash flow patterns. Written summary within 48 hours naming what's working, what's leaking, and what to change first. Advisory only — not accounting or tax advice.

$495 One-time · 90 min
03

The Foundation Plan

Define it. Price it. Sell it with confidence.

Three months rebuilding the whole foundation — offers, pricing, ideal client, and sales process. Two 90-min sessions/month with pre-call intake forms and async support between. One new ideal client typically covers the full 3-month investment.

$2,200/mo 3-month minimum
04

The Build-Out Program

Systemize how you attract, close, and keep the clients you love.

Everything in the Foundation Plan plus marketing playbook, client retention systems, 2–3 documented SOPs/month, team development, and an exit readiness baseline at month 6. $400 less per month for 6-month commitment. Systems install included ($3,500 value). Alumni rate lock for life.

$1,800/mo 6-month program
04.1supplemental

The First Hire Framework

Hire right the first time. Design the role before you post the listing.

Two sessions answering what the role owns, what it costs fully loaded, and what it frees you to earn. Delivered with written job description, interview guide, and 30/60/90-day onboarding plan within 5 days. A bad hire at $18/hr costs $40K–$60K fully loaded in a year.

$1,200 Two sessions
05

The Legacy Blueprint

What is your business actually worth — and what's quietly cutting that number?

Full owner dependency audit, value driver analysis, exit path map, seller readiness assessment, and an 18–24 month value-building action plan. Structured for use with your CPA, attorney, or a future buyer. Best started 3–5 years before exit.

$4,500 One-time · optional $1,500/mo retainer

Part Two · 06

The Standing Partnership

The ongoing layer that keeps any engagement alive over time. Owners who maintain regular advisory structure hold their gains. The ones who don't tend to slide back within 90 days.

02

Three tiers. Cancel anytime with 30 days notice. The Owner's Honest Hour is available as a $97/mo add-on to any tier.

The Touch Point

$197/mo

Cancel anytime · 30 days notice

What's included

  • 1 × 45-min call per month
  • Pre-call intake form
  • Post-call summary with 1–3 action items
  • Scheduling portal access
  • Owner's Honest Hour available at +$97/mo

Best for program graduates protecting gains without heavy ongoing commitment.

The Partner

$897/mo

Cancel anytime · 30 days notice

What's included

  • 4 × 30-min weekly calls
  • Unlimited same-day async
  • Monthly written note
  • Annual strategy session
  • Owner's Honest Hour included

Best for critical windows — major hire, expansion, restructuring, or approaching exit.

À La Carte Add-Ons — add to any tier, or use independently

Quarterly Strategy Reset

90-min session to revisit priorities and reset your 90-day plan

$397/qtr

Process Cleanup

Monthly review of one documented process — tighten it, make it trainable

$147/mo

Accountability Calls

Two 20-min check-ins per month — follow-through only, no agenda-setting

$127/mo

Async-Only Access

Unlimited email or voice memo, one-business-day response, no calls

$247/mo

Monthly Scorecard Review

Send your numbers; receive a written 3–5 point analysis with flags

$177/mo

Annual Re-Audit

Full refresh of your Clarity Audit score with updated written report

$597/yr

Owner's Honest Hour

Monthly 60-min: "What does this business need to do for your life right now?"

$97/mo

Difficult Client Session

One client, one problem — leave with the specific language to handle it

$350

The Referral Circle — Every client who completes any paid service is invited in. When you refer someone who becomes a client at any level, you receive a $150 credit toward any future service. No tiers, no tracking. Just a clear acknowledgment that sending someone here has value — and that value comes back to you.

Part Three

The Human Layer

For the harder, quieter problems. No sequence. No prerequisite. Reach for these when you need them — alongside any program or completely independently.

03
H1

The Business Life Audit

Is your business doing what you built it to do for your life?

Two sessions — one about what you actually want from your week, your year, and your family's life; one mapping where the gaps are. Delivered with a one-page Business Life Alignment document and three specific moves to close the distance.

$750 Two sessions
H2

The Owner's Honest Hour

One honest question. Sixty minutes. Every month.

A standing monthly conversation: "What does this business need to do for your life right now — and is it doing that?" No prep. No action item list. Kim listens, reflects, occasionally says something you might not want to hear. Available as a single session ($197) or as a $97/mo add-on to any Standing Partnership tier.

$197 Single session · or $97/mo add-on
H3

The Difficult Client Session

One client. One problem. Leave with the exact words to handle it.

For the late payer, scope creeper, or the one you need to fire without blowing up a referral network. One 60-minute session ends with a clear decision and the specific language to execute it.

$350 One session · 60 min
H4

The Partner Conversation

Bring the person whose buy-in matters most. Leave aligned.

For the spouse, business partner, or key employee who carries weight but is never in the room. Kim facilitates — everyone else talks. Delivered with a written summary of what was said and agreed within 48 hours.

$495 90 min · written summary
H5

The Seasonal Reset

A plan for your slow season before it becomes a crisis.

One 90-min session produces a written Slow-Season Plan: the cash floor to protect, the project to finish, the revenue target for return of busy season, and a re-entry calendar with specific client outreach dates.

$595 Once a year · 90 min
H6

The Documentation Day

Every key process out of your head and onto paper. One full day.

You narrate, Kim structures. By end of day you have a working process manual — client onboarding, complaint handling, sales close, supply ordering, training a new person. Real and immediately usable.

$1,500 Full working day
H7

The Group Workshop Coming Soon

Four to eight owners. One topic. One morning.

A quarterly half-day working session on one practical topic. Part teaching, part working session. You leave with something finished. Standing Partnership clients receive priority notification and a $50 discount per seat.

$297 Per person · waitlist open
H8

The Owner's Circle Coming Soon

Peer accountability. Monthly. Small group. Cancel anytime.

4–6 owners in the same revenue range, facilitated by Kim. One commitment shared from the previous month, one named for the month ahead. Groups kept to 6 owners maximum.

$97/mo Waitlist open

Ready to start

Every path begins with a conversation.

No pitch. No agenda beyond understanding your situation. You leave knowing exactly what's happening and what the most honest next step looks like. That clarity alone is worth the 30 minutes.

Schedule Your Free Conversation

Always free · 15–30 minutes · No commitment required