Ask Alice: Why We Created Short, Sharp Commercial Sessions (And Why Your Business Might Need One)
There’s a particular moment that happens in almost every conversation we have with business owners. They’re talking through a commercial challenge, and then they pause and say something like: “I know I probably need proper support with this, but I don’t want to commit to a full strategy session. I just need clarity on this one thing.”
That pause matters. It tells us something real about what business owners actually need.
You might have a contract sitting on your desk that doesn’t feel right, but you’re not sure what’s wrong with it. Or you’re thinking about raising your prices, but you’re worried about the implications. Or you’ve had advice from an investor or mentor that contradicts what you thought, and you need someone to help you think it through. These are specific, concrete questions, the kind that keep you up at night but don’t necessarily need a three-hour strategy session to solve.
The trouble is, when you reach out for help with something like this, the options often feel like too much or too little. You can pay for an expensive consultation, or you can post in an online forum and hope someone knows the answer. There’s no middle ground.
That’s why we created Ask Alice.
What Is Ask Alice?
Ask Alice is straightforward: focused, expert commercial sessions designed for the specific questions you need answered right now.
You book either a 20-minute focused session (£100) or a 50-minute deeper dive (£200). You come in with your question or challenge, and we work through it together. No lengthy intake forms. No commitment to a retainer. No pressure to buy anything else. Just clarity on the thing you actually need help with.
The 20-minute session works well if you have a specific question: “Is this contract clause okay?” or “What should I be charging for this service?” or “Should I be worried about this supplier agreement?” You get straight to the point, hear expert perspective, and walk away with an answer.
The 50-minute session is better if your question needs a bit more space. Maybe it’s not just one thing, maybe it’s pricing plus understanding your margins, or a contract review plus broader commercial thinking about what the deal actually means for your business. The longer session lets us dig deeper and explore the implications.
But here’s the key: both are designed to be focused and practical. You’re not paying for a full strategy overhaul. You’re getting expert input on something specific, right now.
Why We Created It
Looking Glass Solutions was built on the idea that smaller businesses deserve access to the same quality commercial expertise as big corporations. But we noticed something: not every business owner wants a full strategy engagement. Some already have good strategic thinking in place. They just need someone to sense-check a specific decision or talk through a particular challenge.
We also noticed that the gap between needing help and being able to afford it was real. A full strategy session starts at £2,000. An Ask Alice call costs £100 or £200. That’s a huge difference, and it shouldn’t mean you have to choose between getting support and staying in control of your budget.
So Ask Alice came from asking ourselves a simple question: How can we make expert commercial advice genuinely accessible? Not accessible in the sense of “free advice that might not be very good,” but accessible in the sense of “high-quality expertise without the price tag that makes it feel out of reach.”
It’s also about respect for your time. You’re busy. You don’t want to spend three hours in a strategy session if what you actually need is 20 minutes of clarity on a contract. Ask Alice respects that.
The Problems It Solves
There are a few specific situations where Ask Alice does exactly what you need.
The Contract Question
You’re about to sign something, a client agreement, a supplier contract, a partnership deal, and something feels off. Maybe it’s a clause you don’t understand. Maybe the payment terms don’t seem right. Maybe you’re not sure if what you’re agreeing to actually protects you. You don’t need a full contract review (though we can do that). You just need five minutes with someone who can tell you if you should be worried.
That’s an Ask Alice moment.
The Pricing Dilemma
You’re thinking about raising your rates, but you’re genuinely unsure what you can charge. You don’t know if you’re underpricing, overpricing, or just right. You’ve been sitting with this for weeks because it feels too big to figure out alone, but you’re not ready to commit to a full profitability deep dive.
You need someone to help you think through what your business actually needs, what the market will bear, and what confidence in your pricing looks like.
That’s an Ask Alice moment.
The Strategic Sense-Check
You’ve been given advice, from an investor, a mentor, a business partner, that contradicts what you thought. Or you’ve made a decision that feels right, but you want someone experienced to sense-check it before you commit. You’re not looking for a full strategy session. You just need perspective from someone who’s seen a lot of businesses.
That’s an Ask Alice moment.
The Commercial Dilemma
You’ve got a specific commercial situation that’s bothering you. Maybe it’s a tricky client relationship. Maybe it’s a partnership that doesn’t feel balanced. Maybe it’s a decision about how to structure something. You know it matters, but you’re not sure how to think about it.
A 50-minute Ask Alice session gives you space to lay it all out, get perspective, and walk away with clearer thinking.
That’s an Ask Alice moment.
How It Works
It’s genuinely simple.
You book a time slot, either 20 minutes or 50 minutes, depending on what you need. You come prepared with your question or challenge. We talk it through, I ask the questions that matter, and we land on clarity or next steps.
You’re not paying for documentation or a full analysis. You’re paying for expert thinking, applied to your specific situation, in real time.
Some people use Ask Alice as a one-off. They’ve got a question, they get it answered, they move on. Others use it as part of an ongoing relationship, they’ll book a session every few months when something comes up that needs commercial perspective.
Both are absolutely fine. There’s no minimum commitment. No expectation that you’ll buy anything else. Just you, your question, and expert input.
Who It’s For
Ask Alice works best for business owners who:
Know their business well and have good instincts, but want expert perspective on a specific decision.
Have a focused question that doesn’t need a full strategy engagement.
Want to sense-check something before they commit to it.
Need clarity fast, without a long process or lots of administration.
Want expert input without the cost or commitment of a full retainer.
It’s not for someone who needs a complete overhaul of their commercial thinking or someone who wants ongoing support over months. That’s what our other services, Commercial Foundations, Pivot Points, and Commercial Core, are designed for.
But if you’ve got a specific question and you need a smart person to help you think it through? Ask Alice is exactly what you’re looking for.
Why This Matters
Here’s what we’ve learned: most business owners are capable of making good decisions. What they sometimes lack isn’t capability, it’s confidence and perspective. A second pair of eyes. Someone who’s seen how these decisions play out in other businesses. Someone who can ask the questions that matter.
Ask Alice exists because we believe that shouldn’t be expensive or complicated to get.
You shouldn’t have to choose between staying in control of your commercial decisions and being able to afford expert perspective. You shouldn’t have to commit to a six-month engagement just to get clarity on something specific. You shouldn’t have to sit with uncertainty because the barrier to getting help felt too high.
Expert commercial advice should be accessible. That’s what Ask Alice does.
Book Your Session
If you’ve got a specific commercial question, whether it’s a contract, pricing, a strategic decision, or just a need for perspective, Ask Alice is here.
Choose your session length, pick a time that works, and come ready with your challenge. We’ll work through it together and you’ll leave with clarity.
20-minute focused session: £100
50-minute deeper dive: £200
You can book directly via the Ask Alice section of our website, or get in touch if you’d like to chat through whether a session is the right fit for what you need.
Because sometimes, clarity is just one conversation away.