Winning solutions for start-up CEOs and writers

I team up with my clients to deliver:

Writing and editing services for NIH proposals and academic manuscripts
(with options for project management)
coaching and editing services for newsletter writers, and
website copy.

Your grant proposal as pitch deck for the NIH

Imagine your frontier-edge science, in all its complexity, captured in language that’s clear, concise, and persuasive as hell.

When you first got started, you knew that if you could transfer your hunch into science, that you and your team could improve the lives of thousands, even millions of people. And you’ve been at it for years, and your lab work confirms that your hunch was spot on. Your cutting-edge research has produced well-regarded articles and you have a few more in the queue. Nicely done! With more success, of course, comes more responsibility.

One NIH deadline you’ve been watching just passed, and the next one’s coming up fast. You know it’s going to take 80, 115, maybe 160 hours to assemble a winning R01 or SBIR proposal. And not hours between 11pm and 3am. You need seriously productive hours, for the assembly of nearly 300 pages of well-written materials.

But even if you’re pals with Keith Campbell and Ian Wilmut (the Dolly-the-sheep-cloning guys), and they offered to clone you — and if it were totally fine, ethics wise …

Does it make sense for you to go it alone?

The NIH provides clear advice on this question:

“If writing is not your forte, seek help!”
“Allow someone with fresh eyes to read your content, check your punctuation, and give you feedback on whether the content flows.”
“If more than one investigator is contributing to the writing, it would be helpful to have one editor not only review for punctuation errors, but ensure that the application has a consistent writing style.”

— from NIH Grants and Funding, “Write Your Application“

Of course you can get your significance section most of the way there, but that last 20% … it offers a cruel reminder of how the last push can require an absurd amount of effort.

And that number doesn’t include the Saturdays at the office, hunched over your laptop, or the subsequent restless nights, wondering how your love for science and entrepreneurship morphed into a modern-day version of Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle” (“But we’ll get together then / You know we’ll have a good time then”).

What if you could add a member to your team fully capable of stewarding the last 20-30% of your next SBIR application? In the case of a resubmission, what if you could find a person capable of 80% of the work necessary to get your team on the podium?

With a light edit, developmental edit, or a little bit more, let’s ensure that the story of your project is as brilliant as the science behind it.

Service #1: The 747

A Jumbo Jet of Value at Supersonic Speed — Risk-Free!

This no-risk package is ideally suited for you and your proposal for an SBIR grant (NIH or NSF) if you (and your team) are:

preparing a resubmission, or
wrapping up a first draft of a new application.

Here’s the deal on this low-cost, no-risk, two-week process:

For $700, I’ll identify seven ways that you can substantially improve your proposal, or
I’ll refund your money in full.

If you’re months away from your target deadline, maybe sleep on it — or take a few minutes right now to complete this no-obligation survey.

Contact me today

Here’s the 747, from take-off to landing:

Step 1: You complete a quick survey.
Step 2: We have a 20-minute phone conversation.
Step 3: Decision time: and if the answer’s yes, steps 4-10 proceed as smoothly as Avalon-era Bryan Ferry.
Step 4: We take care of invoice, payment, and get my signature on your NDA.
Step 5: You share your SBIR proposal, for example, and recommend a short list of articles for me to read.
Step 6: I interview you about your project and, after that, you relax for the week, knowing you’re in capable hands.
Step 7: Following guidance from you and your reviewers (if applicable), I analyze particular sections of the proposal. I typically focus on the significance and innovation sections, since they form the foundation of your storyline. I also evaluate your work in terms of logic and persuasion, as well as clarity, concision, and cadence.
Step 8: I deliver my seven-point report within seven days of our call.
Step 9: You: review my report and either:
- delightedly agree for a follow-up call, or
- submit a refund request within three business days.
Step 10: Either I joyfully prepare for our call, or I sigh wistfully and figure, well, it just wasn’t meant to be, and issue a full refund.

I look forward to learning more about your project — and about what you do for fun.

To Prepare for take-off, click here

Other proposal services: What you need (and nothing more)

Before we get to the details, there’s something I want you to know: I’m a team player. If we decide to join forces, I’m a one-lab guy. I’m not on the down-low with another CEO. One application per PA (or FOA). No exceptions.

If we connect early enough in the process, I can help you manage the assembly of every component of your proposal. More likely, though, you have a full draft of the proposal, and we work together to ensure that every sentence in your research strategy, for example, draws upon your analytical framework and points toward the data you expect to find — with clarity and concision, of course.

To learn more about me and how I assemble winning stories, click here.

To partner up on your next proposal, let’s talk.

Coaching and editing for newsletter writers

With every social media app regularly updating its algorithms (and mucking up your list as a result), e-mail remains the most reliable platform. Which means e-mail-distributed newsletters are here to stay.

Let’s make sure, day in and day out, you’re securing the attention of your readers and expanding your platform. For more information on my coaching and editing packages, click here.

Website copy

Your website is your company’s virtual PR rep, at their desk 24/7, explaining how you build solutions for your clients. Your site should also provide the social proof necessary to get your prospects to overcome any reservations and act today. Does your current site:

help your prospects move from problem awareness to ready for action?
provide educational resources to help move them closer to the point of purchase?
offer social proof about your products and services?
inspire your prospects to act today?

Your website needs to make it crystal clear that you understand your ideal prospects. For information about my website packages, click here.

Thanks for your interest in my wordsmithing powers. To learn more about me and my commitment to assembling winning stories, click here.