My Services

It’s supposed to be hard to build and scale a new venture that has real impact. And you don’t have to do it alone

I get startups. I know what you may need most is a thought partner and an extra set of hands to get the work done. I offer hard-earned insights and immediately jump in where needed.

As a fractional Chief Operating Officer, I collaborate with Chief Executive Officers and founding teams on customer and product, provide fundraising support and take on part or all of business operations and go-to-market operations. Learnings and insights stay in-house because I’m embedded in the organization. You get help exactly where you need it, enabling you to focus your efforts where they will have the biggest return.

My model meets each organization’s unique needs. I take a structured but flexible approach and don’t try to fit every organization into the same box. Openness and transparency are fundamental to the process.

I operate in the BtoC and BtoB spaces across industries with experience spikes in HealthTech and LegalTech. And I’ve learned a lot over the past four-plus years. My approach allows me to be present and involved in the business day to day (like a full-time team member) while maintaining the benefits of the fractional model (e.g., cost savings). I work:

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With no more than three
companies

≤ 3

For at least six months

6 +

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1 +

For one or more days per week

Fractional or Interim COO fees can run into the hundreds of dollars per hour or cost substantial equity. I’ve settled on a business model that has worked well for everyone. Because my time is normally fully utilized, I charge an amount that approximates the cost of a regular full-time employee (i.e., I don’t need to charge—and don’t charge—a big premium.) I bill this amount as a simple daily rate plus advisor-level equity we agree on.

There’s no better way to kick off a relationship than by getting started—doing real work

A lot of people talk about their secrets to success. If there is one, it is learning as quickly as possible—eliminating the risks, unknowns and uncertainties holding back promising new businesses. I will interface and collaborate with existing team members, fractional talent, and outsourced services, and I adapt my approach (below) to existing practices and processes that are working well.

Work with me if you are (just a few examples):

  • Taking parental leave (maternity, paternity) or need to take a chunk of time off for another urgent reason.

  • Falling short of your growth goals for the business.

  • Failing to make headway in securing financing or investment.

  • Lacking the fundamental customer insights to know how to develop the product, who to reach out to or how, and how to ensure customer success.

  • Struggling to find product-market fit or struggling to scale up after finding product-market fit.

  • Attempting to improve the execution of your ideas via go-to-market operations (sales, marketing, product, customer success).

  • Need help bringing order to current business operations (recruiting and people, finance and legal).

  • Need help cleaning up “startup debt.”

  • Frustrated by a messy unstructured approach to vendor and partner management.

  • Seeking someone to play a Chief-of-Staff role.

  • Needing someone to mentor and train your current Chief of Staff or operations manager.

  • Hoping to align the team and operations behind clearer business priorities or trying to build a healthier organizational culture.

  • Running out of time to _________.

The practices and processes we put in place will be “good enough” for the company’s current situation and next ambitions and will evolve as business activities become more routine and systematic. The mix of systems, SaaS applications and talent will be specific to the business’s needs and stage.

The bottom line: I do critical work that needs doing. I don’t look for problems to take on that don’t exist to appear useful or fill time.

This is how it will go:

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Step 1: We'll get organized asking questions like: What are the next critical outcomes for the business? How do we ensure you can focus on the highest value work only you can do? Where are we at this moment?

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Step 2A: We'll identify the most actionable, highest-impact tasks we can take on that will increase the certainty of the desired business outcomes and divvy them up.

We could dive right into the work and I would deeper my understanding by doing, or if desired, we could start with an initial review of the company’s growth plans, operations and/or its story and strategy (pitch deck), or complete the Venture Plan on a Page (“VPop”).

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Step 2B: We'll take on each challenge or opportunity. If we’re using the VPop formally, we’ll update the panels as we go.

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Step 3: We'll repeat steps 2A and 2B. Each loop, through steps 2A and 2B, reduces risks, unknowns and uncertainties, moving us toward the better future desired. We will “fill in” the VPop panels with greater resolution if we’re formally using the framework.

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Step 4: As the business enters its Scale phase, I will help you hire functional leaders to permanently take over the different aspects of the business (e.g., customer success, HR, finance). The company business model will be fully defined in the VPop.

One additional benefit of a fractional approach is that it allows us to move very quickly, especially compared to making a full-time hire.