You're starting a cybersecurity consultancy: build a one-page offer for fractional security engineering, validate with VC partners, pilot one client with a dashboard that converts controls into JIRA tickets, and price tiered fixed retainers plus a SOC 2 success fee. Plan cash with minimum cash $2,122,000, capitalize dashboard development of $650,000, and defintely start retainers March 1, 2026 with SOC 2 milestone revenue in June 2026.
Productize integrations, invest in monitoring, expand channels, and evaluate expansion via NPV/IRR for growth.
Key Takeaways
Ship a one-page offer for fractional security engineering.
Secure a pilot via a VC partner befroe hiring.
Price tiered retainers with SOC 2 success fees.
Capitalize dashboard build ($650,000) and track breakeven.
How Do You Start Cybersecurity Consultancy If You'Ve Never Done This Before?
You're starting without prior consultancy experience so build a single, one-page offer that sells fractional security engineering and SOC 2 consulting-then validate it with VC partners to get pilot clients and instrument a security maturity dashboard into JIRA. Read practical cost inputs here: How Much Does It Cost to Start a Cybersecurity Consultancy?. Price as tiered fixed retainers with a SOC 2 success fee, run one paid pilot, and track deal velocity plus VSAQ completion times monthly.
What Should You Do First Before Spending Any Money?
You're mapping customers before you spend a dime; focus on FinTech and HealthTech buyers and keep reading to act fast. Secure a VC partner pilot client and define a security maturity dashboard that creates JIRA tickets so your offering is testable. Draft fixed-fee retainer tiers plus a SOC 2 success fee, and estimate minimum cash runway and breakeven timing from those core metrics. See operating cost assumptions here: What Operating Costs Cybersecurity Consultancy?
Initial must-dos
Map ICP to specific FinTech and HealthTech buyers
Secure one pilot client via a VC partner
Define dashboard that converts controls into JIRA tickets
Draft retainer tiers and SOC 2 success fee; estimate runway
How Long Does It Usually Take To Get Open?
You're opening a cybersecurity consultancy; operational launch typically follows vendor onboarding once legal and tooling setup are complete, so expect that sequence first. Integration and setup fee revenue can start when the security maturity dashboard (MVP) is deployed, and initial client deliveries begin immediately after the first-month setup. What Operating Costs Cybersecurity Consultancy? SOC 2 success fees only trigger after certification milestones are completed, and monitor cash runway closely-the minimum cash month is forecasted as Jan-27.
Launch timeline - key milestones
Vendor onboarding completes after legal and tooling setup
Deploy dashboard MVP to start integration and setup fee revenue
Begin client deliveries immediately after the first-month setup
How Do You Create Strong Cybersecurity Consultancy Business Plan?
You need a model that ties pricing to outcomes so investors and clients see clear value; read How to Write a Business Plan for a Cybersecurity Consultancy? for the full template. Base revenue on tiered monthly retainers plus SOC 2 success fees, model COGS as percent lines for fractional security engineering and audit fees, and plan capex for the security maturity dashboard. Use NPV and IRR to test investor returns and track breakeven timing. Here's the quick math logic to follow - defintely keep runway and margins visible.
You're opening a cybersecurity consultancy; the delays usually come from operational choices, so fix integrations and partnerships first and keep reading. Also review What Operating Costs Cybersecurity Consultancy? for cost anchors and runway context.
Top mistakes that slow opening
Underestimating security tooling integration time into engineering workflows
Relying on static audit reports instead of embedding fixes into sprints
Pricing defensively without a clear SOC 2 success fee structure
Failing to secure VC partner pilot clients for early pilots
What Are 7 Steps To Open Cybersecurity Consultancy?
Step 1 - Define The Offer And Pricing
Goal: Create a clear, sellable security retainer services offer that maps deliverables to fixed fees and a SOC 2 success fee so 'done' is a signed pilot SOW and published tier sheet.
What to Do
Draft fixed retainer tiers for 40h and 80h monthly packages
Price an onboarding and integration fee for dashboard deployment
Define a clear SOC 2 success fee trigger and acceptance criteria
Document KPIs: deal velocity, VSAQ completion time, security debt reduction
What You Should Have
Published retainer tier sheet (40h / 80h) with hourly commitments
SOC 2 success fee policy and onboarding fee schedule
Deliverable list and KPI dashboard spec for JIRA integration
What It Depends On
Access to a pilot client via VC partner to validate pricing
Complexity of client JIRA and tooling integrations
Availability of fractional security engineers to staff 40h/80h packages
Common Pitfall
Omitting a SOC 2 success fee --> weak alignment with client outcomes, slower closes
Pricing without COGS model (fractional engineers at ~42% of revenue) --> margin erosion and rework
Quick Win
Create a one-page retainer tier PDF to speed sales conversations / reduces negotiation time
Draft SOC 2 success fee clause to include in pilot SOW to increase conversion likelihood - defintely test with one VC pilot
Step 2 - Validate With Investor And Customer Pilots
Goal: Secure VC partner pilot customers and run paid pilots that prove your VSAQ rapid response and JIRA security integration work, with 'done' = one paid pilot delivering integration fees and measurable SOC 2 readiness progress.
What to Do
Call targeted VC partners and request portfolio introductions
Draft a paid pilot scope with integration and setup fee
Run pilot: deploy security maturity dashboard into client JIRA
Measure VSAQ completion and procurement time impacts
Iterate dashboard based on engineering feedback
What You Should Have
Signed pilot agreement with VC-introduced customer
Integration & setup invoice and initial payment schedule
Pilot dashboard instance linked to client JIRA (test data)
What It Depends On
VC partner willingness to introduce portfolio pilot clients
Client engineering availability to integrate the dashboard
Timing of integration & setup fee launch (early 2026)
Common Pitfall
Running unpaid pilots --> wasted engineering hours and no revenue
Failing to tie pilot to SOC 2 milestones --> no path to success fee
Quick Win
Create a one-page paid pilot offer to collect an integration & setup fee and shorten procurement
Deploy a dashboard stub to one VC portfolio company to prove JIRA ticket creation and speed VSAQ responses
Step 3 - Build The Security Maturity Dashboard
Goal: Turn compliance into actionable engineering work so a pilot client can close SOC 2 faster and 'done' is a dashboard that creates JIRA tickets and PRs tied to SOC 2 milestones.
What to Do
Map controls to VSAQ items and JIRA issue types
Design webhook workflow to open PRs from tickets
Build MVP dashboard and instrument one pilot repo
Capitalize development costs as $650,000 of capex
Integrate monitoring tools and test SOC 2 readiness flows
What You Should Have
Security maturity dashboard MVP that creates JIRA tickets
Integration plan and test results with a pilot client's workflow
Capitalization schedule showing $200,000 for enterprise integrations
What It Depends On
Pilot client availability and access to their JIRA and repo
Tooling vendor API readiness and integration complexity
Developer capacity to deliver the MVP during the build phase
Common Pitfall
Building generic reports --> no JIRA automation, causing rework
Expensing build costs incorrectly --> missed capex treatment and higher early burn
Quick Win
Create a one-page mapping sheet from SOC 2 control to JIRA ticket to speed pilot onboarding
Deploy a scripted webhook to open a PR from a test ticket to prove automation works this week
Step 4 - Hire Fractional Security Engineers
Hire and onboard fractional security engineers who deliver the 40h and 80h retainer packages so client sprints get JIRA security tickets and SOC 2 milestones met.
What to Do
Draft role profiles for 40h and 80h fractional packages
Price COGS per role using 42% of revenue as benchmark
Onboard engineers into client JIRA and sprint cadences
Document VSAQ rapid response playbooks and templates
Track utilization weekly and adjust tiers to protect gross margins
What You Should Have
Job profiles and contract templates for fractional engineers
Onboarding checklist integrated with JIRA and dashboard
Utilization and COGS model showing 42% year-one pressure
What It Depends On
Availability of experienced fractional engineers in security
Speed of client JIRA access and tooling integration
Pilot client commitments from VC partner pilots for initial seats
Common Pitfall
Hiring senior engineers without JIRA playbooks --> onboarding delays and rework
Ignoring utilization tracking --> COGS creep and margin erosion
Quick Win
Create a one-page VSAQ response playbook to speed up SOC 2 checklist completion and reduce first-ticket cycle time - this produces a template and reduces rework
Run a one-week JIRA integration test with a pilot client to produce an acceptance checklist and prove dashboard-to-ticket flow (defintely speeds billing)
Step 5 - Go-To-Market With Vc Partnerships
Goal: Secure VC referral channels so the cybersecurity consultancy signs pilot clients quickly and converts them into paid retainers; done looks like 3+ VC partners sending introductions and one paid pilot contract signed.
What to Do
Draft partner referral agreement with referral fee terms
Call top 10 VC contacts to pitch mandatory security uplift
Price VSAQ Rapid Response as a transactional entry product
Run a paid pilot with one VC portfolio company
Collect reference and SOC 2 success stories from pilot
What You Should Have
Signed partner referral agreement document
Paid pilot contract and invoice
One customer reference and pilot results report
What It Depends On
VC partner willingness to mandate security uplift
Pilot customer procurement speed and contract review
Availability of fractional engineers for pilot work
Common Pitfall
Not defining partner economics --> VCs hesitate to refer, slow pipeline
Offering vague entry product terms --> pilots fail to convert, wasted spend
Quick Win
Create a one-page partner term sheet to speed approvals / shorten intro time
Build a VSAQ Rapid Response price sheet to close transactional pilots this week
Start with a clear runway covering fixed expenses and capex Use minimum cash as a planning anchor which is $2,122,000 and review monthly burn to determine runway track breakeven targeting Year 3 and model revenue ramp from $1,220,000 in year one to $3,090,000 in year two
You can begin billing once integration is complete and deliverables are defined Integration & Setup Fee launches in early 2026 so expect billing at deployment retainers forecast revenue starting March 1, 2026 and initial milestone revenue plans align with SOC 2 success fee timing in June 2026
Build the dashboard if you need tight JIRA integration and product differentiation Dashboard Development is capitalized with total amount $650,000 which supports SOC 2 readiness and enterprise integrations that total $200,000 across the build period
Largest COGS line will be fractional engineers which is modeled at 42% of revenue in year one and declines over time audit and tooling fees start around 6% and cloud tooling approximately 45% so early gross margins are constrained until scale improves
Measure client success by VSAQ completion time and SOC 2 milestone attainment and measure company success by revenue and EBITDA trajectory Use core metrics like reaching breakeven in Year 3 and tracking EBITDA growth from negative in year one to positive by year three
