Choose based on the output you require. A coach can help a founder notice behavioural patterns and decision-making habits; a decision adviser should test evidence on a specific business choice; a mentor contributes lived pattern recognition, which may or may not be independently verified.
| Founder problem | First route | Proof to ask for | Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avoiding hard conversations | Executive coach | Grounded approach and confidentiality agreement | Does not replace legal/HR work |
| Pivot with weak demand | Decision review + user research | Assumptions, counter-hypotheses, experiment plan | Does not guarantee product-market fit |
| Unfamiliar sector | Specialist mentor/operator | Relevant actual operating work | Anecdotes aren't market research |
| Runway and funding scenarios | Fractional CFO/financial modelling | Reconciled assumptions and sensitivities | Not a substitute for independent strategic challenge |
| Financing term negotiation | Startup lawyer plus finance adviser | Written legal/financial issue list | Neither is automatically a broker |
Burkland describes modelling, runway and cap table support as distinct strategic-finance services. Burkland: Strategic Finance for Startups