The Starter plan ($79/month) is designed for owners who want to establish board leadership without a heavy meeting schedule. With one live session, two executive reviews, and two director sessions per month, the key is focus — use each session deliberately.
Your Starter Limits
- 500,000 AI tokens
- 1 live session
- 2 executive reviews
- 2 director sessions
- 200 video participant minutes
- 1 GB document storage
Remember: your first board meeting is free and does not count against your live session limit.
Who Starter Fits Best
- Solo founders and owner-operators getting started with structured leadership
- Organizations testing My Board OS before committing to a regular cadence
- Businesses that need strategic input a few times per month, not weekly
Get Your Foundation Right First
Before using your monthly sessions, invest time in setup:
- Complete your Company Profile — mission, vision, values, ideal customer profile, and KPIs
- Review your AI Board lineup and add directors that match your industry
- Hold your free first board meeting to establish KPIs and your ideal customer profile
- Invite key team members if others will join meetings (see Team Roles and Permissions)
The more complete your profile, the more valuable every session becomes.
Recommended Monthly Rhythm
With only one live session per month, treat it as your anchor meeting:
- Week 1 — Submit an executive review on your most pressing strategic question
- Week 2 — Hold your monthly live session to review the recommendation, discuss KPIs, and make decisions
- Week 3 — Use a director session for a focused 1:1 on one discipline (finance, programs, governance, etc.)
- Week 4 — Submit a second executive review to prepare priorities for the next month
This rhythm uses all five session credits (1 live + 2 reviews + 2 director) without waste.
When To Use Each Meeting Type
LIVE SESSION — your one monthly board meeting
- Reserve it for topics that need real-time deliberation, voting, or team participation
- Prepare 2–3 focused agenda items rather than an open-ended catch-up
- Upload relevant documents before the meeting
- Review open action items from prior meetings on your dashboard first
EXECUTIVE REVIEWS — your async strategic pipeline
- Use when you need written recommendations without blocking your calendar
- Be specific about questions and desired outcomes
- State constraints (budget, timeline, resources) in your briefing
- Attach financials or proposals when relevant
- Route the board's recommendations into your next live session as a decision item
DIRECTOR SESSIONS — deep expertise on one topic
- Pick the director whose discipline best matches your question
- Use for tactical decisions that do not need full board deliberation
- Export session summaries as PDFs for your records
- Do not use director sessions for topics that belong in a live meeting
Stretching Your Limits
VIDEO MINUTES (200/month)
- Keep guest attendance focused — invite only the people who need to participate
- Consider async executive reviews when video is not essential
- 200 minutes supports a solid monthly live session with a few guests
STORAGE (1 GB)
- Upload only documents relevant to upcoming meetings
- Remove outdated files you no longer need
- Attach the most important files directly to executive review briefings
AI TOKENS (500K)
- Complete your company profile so directors need less context-building in each session
- Keep live session agendas focused — fewer topics means lower token use
- Shorter, specific briefings in executive reviews are more efficient than long narratives
Team Setup
Even on Starter, role clarity helps:
- Owner — billing, coach connection, final authority
- Administrator — scheduling and governance (if you have an ops lead)
- Board Member — partners or executives who vote and chair
- Advisor — external consultants who speak but do not vote
Keep billing access on the Owner only.
Governance
Choose your parliamentary mode early (Account → Governance) so your one live session runs smoothly. See Parliamentary Modes Explained for guidance on choosing Consensus, Advisory, Strict, or Custom.
When To Upgrade To Growth
Consider Growth ($199/month) when you consistently need:
- More than one live session per month
- A weekly or biweekly board cadence
- More executive reviews between live meetings
- Regular video participation from a larger team
See Growth Plan Best Practices for guidance on that tier.