No two expeditions face the exact same conditions, which is why we offer multiple routes to equip and guide your team to the summit. Whether you want to lead your own climb using the foundational frameworks in our three proprietary field manuals, need targeted direction to overcome a specific obstacle through keynotes or workshops, or are ready to tie-in the a principal guide directly into your rope through one of our monthly retainers, we deliver the exact level of support your team requires.
We literally wrote the books on this!
Learn more about our anchors by purchasing these field manuals, available exclusively here as drafts before commercial publication. Use them to preview the frameworks we deploy, determine whether we’re the right guide, or apply the discipline yourself during your climb.
Click on each book to learn more about the field craft that's in it. We are selling these as drafts to make them available as soon as possible. As we say, don't let a perfect book that was never published stop you from reading a great book now! Buy them individually, or buy all three in the bundle to save on each book and in shipping. Book orders are fulfilled by Lulu.
Want to bring the books to life with direct engagement?
Not every expedition requires tying into the rope for the entire ascent. Sometimes your team just needs a highly focused Basecamp briefing to prepare for a specific, imminent hazard. Our short‑term engagements deliver a concentrated burst of strategic clarity: a targeted, principal‑led intervention designed to impart a critical lesson, address one distinct problem, or complement a strategic theme relevant to you. If this supports your expedition, then let's Link-Up.
Keynote Speaking
Complete experience of up to 4 hours: a tailored keynote, a moderated Q&A period, and informal leadership conversations.
$8,500 per event
Panel Participation
Principal-level insight for up to 2 hours aligned to your event’s theme and integrated with your other sessions for a coherent narrative.
$2,500 per event
Workshop Facilitation
Structured half-day working session of up to 4 hours for ≤12 participants to apply Endstate’s frameworks through exercises that produce clear takeaways.
$5,500 per session
1-Off Advisory Session
Focused advisory for urgent strategic challenges, critical decisions, or determining whether ongoing executive coaching is the right fit.
$500 per hour; 2-hour minimum
Each engagement includes all preparation, content customization using Endstate’s proprietary frameworks, and coordination reasonably necessary to conduct the engagement, so your team has full cost certainty. Prices do not include travel costs. See travel policy below.
Ready now for our steady hand to guide your efforts?
Our monthly retainer model is designed to create efficiency and eliminate strategic friction so every engagement stays focused on one thing: a steady Principal who helps you reach the summit. It provides absolute financial transparency by removing uncertain costs, “billable hour” variables, and unexpected overages. One fixed monthly fee can cover the entire duration of the expedition, no matter which mountain we conquer together or where our ascent begins. We offer three tiers so you can choose the exact level of fractional CSO support you need. Let's Link-Up to discuss what best meets your needs.
Tier 1: Executive Coach
Confidential, one-on-one executive coaching that gives you a steady hand on the rope for high-stakes decisions, tough leadership moments, and complex stakeholder dynamics, ensuring you are never alone during a climb.
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Ideal for executives who want an experienced practitioner as a confidential sounding board.
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Advises the leader in recurring executive strategy sessions (e.g., weekly or bi-weekly) plus on-demand check-ins for emerging issues within the tier.
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3-month minimum term, then month-to-month renewal.
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$6,000 per month on retainer.*
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20 hour per month capacity = 10 hours client-facing + 10 hours preparation.**
Tier 2: Initiative Architect
Expert steering in high-impact working sessions to chart and guide a single critical route up the mountain with a clear endstate, ruthless roadmap, and cooperative support so you actually reach the peak—while avoiding planning pitfalls.
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Ideal for organizations ready to build or implement an initiative but need a steady hand to guide it.
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Manages one priority initiative (e.g., strategy, program, project, or major transformation) or a partnership, including a structured design sequence followed by recurring high-impact collaborative work sessions with your team to keep it on track.
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3-month minimum term, then month-to-month renewal.
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$16,500 per month on retainer.*
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60 hour per month capacity = 20 hours client-facing + 40 hours preparation**
Tier 3: Embedded Strategist
Fully embedded CSO to orchestrate your entire climb, aligning your complete portfolio across the enterprise into one coherent cooperative strategy, delivering executive-level leadership without the overhead of a full-time strategist.
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Ideal for organizations facing mission-critical challenges or transformations that require the sustained attention of a CSO.
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Owns the strategy function and provides continuous advisory access, including portfolio review, strategic governance cadence, initiative prioritization, and cooperative partner management.
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Exclusivity of the Principal: no other retainers accepted during this period.
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6-month minimum term, then 3-month renewal options.
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$40,000 per month on retainer.*
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160 hour per month capacity = 40 hours client-facing + 120 hours preparation**
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All retainer prices are for remote work, but in-person can be arranged. See travel policy below.
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You're not billed by the hour; you pay a fixed fee for outcomes, not minutes. The capacity references explain how we manage effort to protect quality and focus. Client-facing hours are dedicated to direct engagement with you and your team (e.g., facilitating key discussions and decisions, supporting strategy development, and guiding critical meetings). Preparation hours are non-client-facing (e.g., analysis, design, drafting, research, and planning), keeping direct engagement focused, efficient, and immediately actionable.
The Economic & Operational Reality: A top-tier, full-time in-house CSO typically costs about $497,258 per year when you include salary, bonus, benefits, and administrative overhead. Executives spend only about 21% of their working time on true strategy, so even with a realistic 3,250‑hour executive year, an experienced CSO provides only 682.5 strategic hours annually—an effective cost of roughly $728.86 per strategic hour. And, other traditional consultants charge up to $600+. By contrast, our Tier 3 model delivers 1,920 hours per year of dedicated strategic work at a flat $250 per hour by eliminating overhead and administrative drag.
Travel Policy
We continue our radically transparent flat-fee structure for travel as well, for both retainer clients and on-site engagements such as keynotes, panels, and workshops. This ensures predictable budgeting and zero administrative overhead for you, allowing you to focus on the climb without surprises or wasted time.
Remote-First for Maximum Strategic Density. All engagements are virtual by default, so 100% of your investment stays focused on strategic output. When an engagement requires on‑site presence, we manage all travel arrangements internally and provide travel fees and estimated airfare for your approval before booking, maintaining a true “no‑surprises” financial environment.
Flat Travel Surcharges (Per Round-Trip): To protect the integrity of the monthly strategic hour allotment, time for air and land travel is billed as a flat surcharge per round‑trip to compensate for transit time, ensuring you retain your full monthly capacity for strategic work.
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Short-Haul (if <3 hours one-way): $750 for round-trip
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Long-Haul (if >3 hours one-way): $1,500 for round-trip
Executive Per Diem (All-In): To eliminate the friction of receipt tracking and line-item negotiations, these rates cover lodging, meals, and all local ground transportation (including airport transfers and rideshares).
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Standard U.S. Locations: $400/night (overnight) or $150 (same-day).
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High-Cost Cities: $500/night (overnight) or $200 (same-day). Includes NYC, San Francisco, D.C., Boston, and Chicago.