Book an adviser review

What to put in the first email

Most first emails we get are either one line long or four pages long. Neither helps much. The useful ones sit in the middle and answer five things, in plain words, so whoever picks it up in Sandton or at a regional office can reply with something real on the same day.

• One sentence on the blocker, the thing that stops the business moving this week
• Which toolkit tile or play you are running, even if you only started it
• How many people work in the business, roughly, and who owns the follow-up
• Your city and the weeks you can actually meet, school holidays and month-end included
• A photo or PDF of the checklist as it stands, unfinished parts and all

Put the city and the tile in the subject line, for example "Centurion, Tax-Ready Folder". It sounds fussy, but it is how the right adviser sees it first instead of it sitting in a shared inbox over a long weekend.

How fast we reply

We aim to answer weekday emails by the end of the next working day. Month-end and the week before a SARS deadline are busier, so if your question is tied to a filing date, say the date in the first line. We would rather tell you honestly that a slot is full than book you into a rushed hour that helps nobody.

If the matter is genuinely urgent, like cash for payroll on Friday or a supplier threatening to stop deliveries, write "Urgent" and one line on why. Those go to the Crisis Reset people first and skip the normal queue.

Why there is no form

We use mailto links only. A form strips out the attachments and the tone of your note, and it makes you guess which box your problem belongs in. An email lets you write the way you would explain it across a table, and it gives us a thread both sides can find again in three months when the next question comes up.

Where we meet

Our main office is at Sandton City Office Tower, with regional offices in Midrand, Centurion, Rosebank, Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Durban, and Pretoria. Every visit is booked ahead. None of them are walk-in counters, so please do not arrive without an email confirmation. Video calls are fine when travel does not make sense, especially for Durban and Western Cape founders who want a quick review before driving in.

Not sure what to ask yet? Start with the advisory brief form, or read the starter FAQ first. Both are short and both make the first hour far more useful.