How I work with founders in growth businesses

Growing resilient businesses together.

Your business is taking off, but scaling brings unexpected challenges that threaten your success and happiness as a founder.

There are four ways that I work with founders like you to navigate this tricky transition from start-up to scale-up:

Fractional Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Get the benefits of experienced, senior operational leadership to accelerate growth and build a resilient company. Free up your time and focus as a founder.

Embedded in your leadership team

Ongoing engagement for 6 to 12 months

1, 2 or 3 days per week

Representing your business internally and externally

Leading work of teams in the business

Work with me as a fractional COO

Consultancy projects

A project-based engagement working with you to solve a challenge or move part of your business forward. Delivered collaboratively and supportively.

Fixing a specific challenge in your business

External expert perspective

Flexible, rapid delivery of results

COO/integrator approach to problem solving

Consultative and engaging approach

Work with me as a consultant COO

Advisor

Helping boards and leadership teams deliver strategic goals. Monthly board meetings plus ad-hoc ongoing advice and guidance when you need it.

External accountability and challenge

On-demand expertise and support

Extensive advisory and non-exec experience

Work with me as an advisor

Operational leadership coaching

Structured coaching programmes and regular conversations to help you work through challenges and become a better operational leader.

Ongoing leadership coaching

Structured, goal-oriented coaching programmes

Accredited coach with specialist experience

Work with me as a coach

“Simon has an outstanding skill set and extensive experience in technology, business operations and management. He is easy to work with and can effectively draw on his skills and experience to help solve problems with calm authority and creativity. I highly recommend Simon to anyone looking for efficient, energetic and effective support.”

Neil Benson, serial biotech founder at Xenologiq, Quantlmed & Sevenless Therapeutics

“I’d known Simon at a distance for over a decade, but only in the last year worked directly with him – and wished I’d brought him in before! He came into the senior team at my ecommerce SaaS platform with a consummate skill at collaborative improvement. He has made a big difference in team re-directing and re-energizing – and really got things done. He combines both a high emotional EQ and systemising skills, which is not so common. 100% recommended.”

Deri Jones, founder & CEO at ThinkTribe

“As our fractional Transformation Director, Simon designed and implemented several new processes that have significantly improved our operational efficiency. Notably, he introduced our new 1:1s to enhance team engagement and helped create a new ‘lead to sale’ process for our agency. Simon is a collaborative and supportive executive in whom we had trust and confidence from the start. He listens and advises, leveraging his extensive agency and consultancy experience to build trust with the team and deliver results quickly.

Peter O’Brien, Co-founder & Creative Director, Hidden Creative

“Simon brought a level of insight and expertise that profoundly impacted our company’s leadership strategy. His customized approach helped us outline a clear path for our company’s growth in the short and long term and establish personal goals for each founder. Simon’s strategic thinking, coupled with his ability to provoke thoughtful discussions, made the entire process not only effective but also enjoyable. We highly recommend Simon to any company looking to solidify their leadership structure and future plans.”

Matt Linder, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Strand LLC

“When managers reach senior leadership positions, it’s really important that they continue to reflect and grow. Generic training courses don’t really cut it at this point, you need space to consider how your personal style can be translated into value for your organisation. Simon takes a personalised approach to coaching and mentoring, he has worked with me to unblock complex change management scenarios, design services and helped me see where I could demonstrate readiness for the next stage in my career. With Simon’s support and guidance, I was promoted to a director level position within 6 months. Simon is warm, thoughtful and a brilliant listener. Our sessions together invest in my personal growth and tie this to meaningful commercial outcomes.”

Charmagne Rayman-Bacchus-Thompson, Operations Director, Torchbox

Leading a growth business?

Developed from interviews with more than 50 founders and personal experience, it’s a simple yet powerful framework for company building, giving you everything you need to know build a brilliant business.

Find out more about the B3 framework®