Practical support for the work of running a company.
We start with what’s getting in the way, agree what useful progress looks like, and choose a way of working that fits.
What the work produces.
We agree the scope around what your business needs. These are examples of what we can put in place together.
Too many priorities. Not enough progress.
- A short set of goals with the trade-offs behind them made explicit
- A quarterly priority map the team can hold in their heads
- A clarified vision or mission where one is missing
Too much depends on you.
- A responsibility and decision map with named owners
- Clear escalation points, so the default answer stops being “ask the founder”
- Agreements at leadership level about what gets decided where
People find out too late.
- Communication agreements and a meeting cadence with a purpose per meeting
- A decision log people actually trust
- Handovers and commitments that are visible rather than assumed
Good plans keep slipping.
- Programme milestones and sales-to-marketing handovers
- Progress reviews that surface problems early
- A clear process for changing the plan when the facts change
Company-shaping decisions can include when to change course, consider a sale or stop an initiative. Transaction execution, legal, tax and regulated financial advice need the appropriate specialists; this is operational and founder support, not a substitute.
Direction. Alignment. Execution. Accountability.
We work through the decisions, ownership and routines that help your team follow through.
01
Direction
We get the current picture on the table — what is happening, what has been tried, where the disagreements are. Then we decide what matters this quarter, what success would look like specifically enough to recognise, and what is genuinely being deferred rather than quietly carried.
02
Alignment
We work out who owns what, and where decisions get made: naming owners, agreeing what each person can decide without checking, and setting the points where something should escalate. The test is whether the team can move when you are not in the room.
03
Execution
We put the goals into a rhythm the team can sustain — a review cadence that surfaces problems while they are still small, a way of recording decisions so they stop being relitigated, and an honest process for changing course when the facts change.
04
Accountability
You hold the team to their numbers. I hold you to yours.
The output is not just a recommendation. It’s a set of decisions, owners and ways of working that your team can use.
Ways to work together.
Working session
One knotty decision or a clearly framed operating problem.
A shared diagnosis, the options and trade-offs, and agreed next steps.
It is not an audit of the whole business, and we agree any preparation or follow-up before booking.
Four-week sprint
A defined operating issue that needs concentrated work.
An agreed objective, the relevant working artefacts, named owners, and a handover and review plan.
We agree scope and deliverables before starting, and four weeks will not solve every operating issue at once.
Ongoing advisory
A founder or leadership team putting change into practice over time.
Recurring decision support, progress reviews and adjustments to the operating rhythm.
Cadence, access and responsibilities are agreed in advance; this is not automatically an embedded COO role.
Useful when you’re ready to make changes, not just discuss them.
This work needs a founder or leadership sponsor, access to the relevant people and information, and someone in the business who can own the next steps.
Questions
Do I need to know exactly what I need?
No. Explain what is happening and what you have already tried. The first conversation is to understand the problem and whether there is a fit.
Do you only work with venture-backed startups?
No. The operating problem and the fit matter more than a funding label. Much of my experience is with founders building and growing companies.
Is this advice or hands-on work?
It can include working sessions and building practical operating tools together. The scope specifies what I will do, what your team owns and what follow-through is included.
What does it cost?
The fee depends on the engagement and agreed scope. We will discuss that before either of us commits to the work.
