Authors and editors

The people, research topics and editorial responsibilities behind StartFigures.

Meet the editorial team

Our authors cover the financial and operating questions behind a business idea. These profiles introduce their editorial focus and responsibilities at StartFigures.

Editorial lead

Adrian Kelwick

Lead Author & Editorial Review Coordinator

Editorial focus

Adrian coordinates editorial review at StartFigures, connecting business assumptions, source evidence and financial interpretation with practical conclusions.

Topics covered

Financial interpretation
Source assessment
Editorial judgment
Scenario consistency

Editorial responsibilities

Coordinate the final editorial check before publication.
Check whether cited evidence supports the claims and whether assumptions are identified clearly.
Challenge conclusions against adverse scenarios, operating constraints, and missing local evidence.
Coordinate publication decisions with the assigned authors and research editor.

Proposed email · not an active contactadrian.kelwick@startfigures.com

Business economics

Maren Whitcombe

Financial Modeling Author

Editorial focus

Maren covers small-business economics, including revenue drivers, payroll, overhead and break-even assumptions, with a focus on clear scenario comparisons.

Topics covered

Revenue drivers
Cost structures
Break-even analysis
Scenario comparison

Editorial responsibilities

Explain the financial scenario and identify the assumptions that most affect the interpretation.

Proposed email · not an active contactmaren.whitcombe@startfigures.com

Opening budgets

Tobin Halverton

Startup Costs & Equipment Author

Editorial focus

Tobin covers startup budgets, equipment and premises, focusing on installation, fit-out, estimate exclusions and the tradeoffs between operating formats.

Topics covered

Equipment comparisons
Fit-out scope
Vendor evidence
Capital allocation

Editorial responsibilities

Explain the opening-cost allocation and the practical differences between lower- and higher-budget formats.

Proposed email · not an active contacttobin.halverton@startfigures.com

Local business context

Elena Brinsley

State & Local Market Research Author

Editorial focus

Elena covers how location changes a business case, distinguishing state rules, city requirements and regional evidence when discussing costs and demand.

Topics covered

Regional research
Jurisdiction checks
Local cost context
Demand interpretation

Editorial responsibilities

Explain which verified state or city differences change the operating assumptions, risks, or next research step.

Proposed email · not an active contactelena.brinsley@startfigures.com

Capacity & delivery

Gareth Norwell

Service Business Operations Author

Editorial focus

Gareth covers service-business capacity and delivery, connecting paid jobs with staffing, travel, preparation, operating hours and the owner's workload.

Topics covered

Capacity planning
Route density
Staff scheduling
Owner workload

Editorial responsibilities

Test whether the proposed sales volume fits the available people, operating hours, and service-delivery format.

Proposed email · not an active contactgareth.norwell@startfigures.com

Storefront operations

Celia Hartwick

Food & Retail Business Author

Editorial focus

Celia covers food and retail operations, connecting customer transactions, inventory and daily labor with the repeat demand needed for a viable format.

Topics covered

Customer transactions
Inventory planning
Operating schedules
Store format comparisons

Editorial responsibilities

Interpret the tradeoffs behind bakeries, coffee shops, food trucks, and other customer-facing formats.

Proposed email · not an active contactcelia.hartwick@startfigures.com

Funding requirements

Ronan Selbridge

Cash Flow & Funding Author

Editorial focus

Ronan covers cash flow and startup funding, focusing on payment timing, working capital, operating reserves and the assumptions behind cash sufficiency.

Topics covered

Cash budgeting
Working capital
Funding assumptions
Downside planning

Editorial responsibilities

Identify cash-flow questions and funding assumptions that an operating profit forecast does not answer.

Proposed email · not an active contactronan.selbridge@startfigures.com

Sources & methodology

Tessa Aldenbrook

Research Methods & Evidence Editor

Editorial focus

Tessa covers research methods and source traceability, focusing on scope, dates, units and the distinction between evidence and modeled assumptions.

Topics covered

Evidence mapping
Source traceability
Scope and units
Research updates

Editorial responsibilities

Check the source-to-claim mapping and keep the research basis understandable for authors and readers.

Proposed email · not an active contacttessa.aldenbrook@startfigures.com

Responsibility for analysis

An author is responsible for the scope, selected assumptions and conclusions of the credited material. An editor reviews the work within the scope recorded on that page. The same person may hold both roles; this does not imply an independent review.

Tables and calculated results

Catalog rows and arithmetic outputs link to their source scenarios and methodology. Interpretation, comparative judgments and editorial scores carry their own attribution status, while the review label records the human check of that analysis.

How review is recorded

A contributor profile identifies the person and their role. A completed page review records the reviewer, date, scope and version examined. Material source or scenario changes leave that earlier review attached to the version actually checked and the revised page awaiting a current review.

Read about AI assistance and human review →

Read the editorial standards →