Operating Leadership · Fractional COO & Operating Partner
Operating leadership that makes the business run without you.
Hands-on operational leadership for founder-led companies, and for the acquirers who back them. I install the systems, structure, and accountability that let a business run without the owner holding every thread.
What it is
Two roles, one job: make the operation run.
Fractional COO
Executive operating leadership on a part-time basis. I step in to organize the chaos, install systems, and build the accountability that lets your company scale without depending on you for every decision.
Operating Partner
For search funds, roll-ups, PE, and portfolio companies. Operational due diligence and hands-on value creation that lifts enterprise value and prepares a business for growth or exit.
The difference between the two is just who's hiring. The work is the same: turn a founder-dependent operation into a company that runs on systems.
What I install
The operating infrastructure a business needs to grow.
- Operational assessments and priorities
- Business systems & process design
- Revenue & sales operations
- SOPs and team accountability
- Workflow redesign & simplification
- Owner-dependency reduction
- Management depth and cross-training
- AI and automation strategy, where it pays
Who it's for
Businesses with momentum and the complexity that comes with it.
The business works, but it leans too heavily on the founder, and informal processes no longer fit the size of the company. I work with:
- Founder-led businesses growing faster than their systems
- Owners ready to take real work off their plate
- Acquirers and search funds needing an operator on the ground
- Roll-ups and portfolio companies driving value creation
- Companies preparing for growth or exit
- Teams working hard but not always together
Proof
Twenty years doing the actual work of operating and scaling companies, not theorizing about it.
FAQ
Common questions.
How does a half-day consult work?
We get on a call or meet in person and work through a list of questions built on a proven framework — aimed at surfacing at least ten times the cost of the consult in immediate, recoverable value. You leave with a prioritized plan you can act on right away.
What half-day consults do you offer?
Five focused half-day consults: Exit, Leveraged Sales, Bankable Profits, Transferable Value (Growth), and Acquisition Strategy. Each is a deep dive on one lever of your business. Some share overlapping questions, but each aims at a different outcome.
What's the difference between a Fractional COO and an Operating Partner?
Mostly who's hiring. As a Fractional COO I'm engaged by the founder to run and improve operations. As an Operating Partner I'm engaged by investors or acquirers to do the same work inside a portfolio company. The operational work — systems, accountability, value creation — is the same.
Is this full-time?
No. It's fractional — you get executive-level operating leadership on a part-time basis, without the cost or commitment of a full-time COO hire.
Do you advise, or actually do the work?
Both, but the emphasis is on doing. Recommendations are cheap; execution creates results. I install the systems and hold the accountability, not just hand you a deck.
What size business do you work with?
Founder-led businesses roughly $1M–$20M in revenue, and the acquirers and portfolio companies operating in that range.
Start here
Let's talk about where the operation needs to go.
A short call on how work moves through your company and the highest-leverage systems to fix first.