Turnkey project offers, like finding a business lender, taking your company public, arranging stock support for your public company, finding wholesale buyers for your company's products, etc., are expensive undertakings. Both swindlers and professionals will want front fees. The difference is that professionals are willing to build a relationship with your company by doing consulting work for you. They operate on start small and build creditability model. The swindlers will want you to pay them based solely on hype and knowing as little as possible about them. If you'll just look, it's easy to see difference.

Let me offer an example of a professional's no front fee and front fee policy. I advise several Venture Capital (VC) firms about issues related to taking their clients public. In process, I've learned their funding selection criteria. If I get a startup Executive Summary from a trustworthy source that meets a VCs criteria, I'll request Business Plan. If Business Plan is credible, I'll forward it to VC. My costs are five dollars for postage and a couple hours of my time. Maybe VC will fund one in ten of my referrals. However, if VC funds a referral, they will pay me twenty thousand times my costs. For me, it's a good bet.

On other hand costs of taking a client public are far more than five dollars. Unless client is willing to pay my costs as a front fee, I won't take them public. My middle road is to act as their paid advisor as they take their company public. My point is that professionals may be willing to offer no front fee services for help that costs them little time and money. They won't do so for high-ticket items. In that case, your option is to pay them as your consultant and do work yourself or try to do it without outside advice.

The Front Fee Axiom is simple. Start with small payments for consulting advice. If advice helps your company, agree to pay a retainer as long as it reduces your consulting costs. If you come to trust professional, consider a turnkey offer or do project yourself with their advice. NEVER pay a front fee to anyone whom you haven't met and can't do basic due diligence upon.