Operations advisor to founder-led companies, 50 to 300 people
You have a decision problem. Not hiring.
Recent clients
- Kestrel Health
- Oda Studio
- Lumen Payroll
- Fernhill Foods
- Atlas & Rowe
- Quayside Energy
Case notes
What they asked for, and what it was.
Every engagement starts with the problem a founder brings. Most end with a different one solved.
- Fernhill FoodsFood brand · 60 people They asked for a COO, urgently . It was: A founder signing every €500 order . What changed: 11 hoursa week back for the founder
- Kestrel HealthClinic software · 140 people They asked for a VP of Sales . It was: Nobody owned pricing . What changed: 31% → 12%average discount, two quarters later
- Lumen PayrollPayroll software · 220 people They asked for a reorg . It was: A leadership meeting that decided nothing . What changed: 3 h → 50 minweekly meeting, and 14 written decisions a month
- Oda StudioDesign agency · 80 people They asked for a new project tool . It was: Three people could approve scope . What changed: +9 ptsproject margin in one year
The model
Four kinds of decision debt.
Every growing company runs up some. These are the four I find most often, in roughly this order.
- 01
Decided twice
Agreed in the meeting, reopened in the corridor.
- 02
Decided by the wrong person
The founder approves what a team lead should own.
- 03
Decided too late
The choice was obvious in March and made in June.
- 04
Never written down
Everyone remembers a different version of it.
Work with me
Three ways in. Prices on the page.
Most clients start with the audit. About half go on to a sprint or an advisory seat.
-
The Decision Audit
Where most clients startI interview your leadership team and map who decides what, and where it sticks.
8 to 12 interviews with your leaders · A one-page decision map · A written diagnosis, read aloud together · The three decisions to fix first
€9,500
Start with an audit -
We fix the three most expensive decisions in your company, in the room, with your team.
Everything in the audit · Weekly working sessions with your leadership team · New decision rights, written down · A meeting rhythm that decides things · A check-in at 90 days
from €38,000
Plan a sprint -
A standing hour every week, and a phone that answers between them. Four clients at a time.
A weekly hour with the founder · Your leadership meeting, once a month · Calls and messages between sessions · 3-month minimum
€5,500/ month
Ask about the seat
“She asked one question in the first hour that our board hadn’t asked in two years. We cancelled the VP search that afternoon.”
Maya LindqvistCEO, Kestrel Health
Newsletter
Decided
One decision, untangled, every other Wednesday. Read by 11,400 operators and founders.
Latest writing
The meeting that decides nothing
Why your weekly leadership meeting is a status report in disguise, and the three-part agenda that fixes it.
Stop hiring a COO to fix a founder habit
Three questions to ask before you open the search.
Write the decision down. All of it.
The one-page template I give every client on day one.
The book
Decided Once
How growing companies stop paying decision debt. 240 pages, out now in hardback, ebook and audio.
“The most useful business book I’ve read since I became a founder.”
Tomás HerreraFounder, Oda Studio
“Short, exact and slightly uncomfortable. Read it with your leadership team.”
Priya RamanCOO, Lumen Payroll
Speaking
Decision debt: the tax nobody budgets for
Keynote · 45 minutes
Book this talk →The meeting that decides nothing
Workshop · 90 minutes
Book this talk →
Book a call
Let’s find the cause. Not symptom.
Free, by video. I reply to every request within two working days.