The £97 Second Opinion You Need

Let me be straight with you. No preamble.

For the last few Fridays, I’ve been running a free FAQ, where business owners ask a question, and I answer it in the video. And the uptake has been massive. Honestly, more than I expected. Which is great. But it’s also created a queue. A long one.

And here’s the thing with queues: your situation doesn’t wait. A partner dispute doesn’t pause while you’re in a list of thirty-seven questions. A lender getting twitchy isn’t going to hold off because it’s not your turn yet. A lease negotiation doesn’t politely wait for a Friday FAQ slot.

So this month, March only, I’m opening up something different.

“Your accountant will tell you what you can’t do. Your solicitor will charge you £400 to confirm what you already suspected. Neither of them has ever actually run a company at the sharp end.” Mark Smillie

The Problem With The Advice You’re Already Getting

Here’s something I’ve watched directors do for fifty years. They’ve got a real, burning, commercial question, and they hand it to the wrong person.

The accountant looks at the numbers. Fine. But they’re not commercially minded. They will not tell you to take the risk when you should. They will not spot the structural play. They protect themselves first, you second.

The solicitor? They’ll take your £400 an hour and give you a risk matrix. They’ve never missed a payroll. Never done a management buyout with their own money on the line. Never had to choose between two bad options at 11pm on a Sunday.

What you actually need is someone who’s been there. Done it. Felt it. And come out the other side.

That’s what a second opinion from me looks like. One issue. One clear, structured response. Based on five decades of doing this stuff for real.

How It Actually Works

Voice note or written, your call. Most people find it quicker to just talk. Keeps it natural, gets the context across, nothing gets lost in translation.

You’ll get a clear, structured personal video response from me within 48 hours. Not a template. Not a VA. Me – but I do only have limited slots available, not because I’m trying to flog FOMO, but because these take real thought, real investment from me because I want you to be 110% made up with my advice.

“Why Not Just Ask ChatGPT?“

Fair question. And here’s my honest answer: do it. Seriously. I use AI myself a lot. It’s brilliant for research, drafting, getting your thoughts straight, and checking facts. If you haven’t got it in your workflow yet, you’re leaving time on the table.

But here’s where it falls down, and I say this having tested it properly:

When your situation is genuinely multifaceted, when it involves a partner who’s dug in, a lender who’s sending signals, a landlord who knows the law better than you do, a commercial decision with two or three moving parts that all affect each other, AI gives you a textbook answer. It tells you what’s generally true. It hedges. It presents both sides. It sounds reasonable.

What it cannot do is sit across the table from you and say: “I’ve seen this exact situation three times. Here’s what happened each time. Here’s what I’d actually do.”

The commercial instinct, knowing when to push, when to walk, when to hold your nerve, when the numbers don’t add up even though the narrative sounds fine, that comes from decades of real decisions with real consequences. Not pattern-matching on the internet.

AI is a great starting point. It is not a replacement for someone who’s got the scar tissue. Not yet. Not on the stuff that matters.

A MASSIVE march BONUS:

Ask Your Question Now, and You’ll Also Get a Free Marketing Opinion From Liam.

The first 10 people who apply in March get an additional bonus: a marketing second opinion from Liam, a conversion copywriting specialist who works directly with Mark on Jumpstart.

Got a direct mail piece that isn’t pulling? An email sequence that’s going quiet? A landing page you’re not sure about? A sales letter you wrote but never sent?

Liam will review one piece of your marketing copy from a pure conversion perspective — what’s working, what’s killing response, and what to change. The kind of feedback that normally sits inside an agency retainer.

This is included at no extra cost for the first 10 submissions only. After that, it’s gone.

“Being a company director is often a lonely job. The people around you are either too close to it or not commercially experienced enough. Sometimes you just need someone who’s been in the room — and come out the other side.” Mark Smillie

jumpstartyourday.co.uk · This is a paid advisory service. Mark Smillie is not a solicitor or regulated financial adviser. Responses represent commercially-based opinion drawn from personal business experience.