Here for you for the right time, not a long time.
(Strategic advisory and consulting for creative founders. By the hour or by the project.)
Structural integrity to protect
your creative integrity.
As a ‘pop-up business partner,’ I’m your informed outsider and objective insider. With two decades inside creative agencies and design studios, from coordinator to COO, I know what it’s like to shoulder the weight of a creative business: the team, the clients, and the work.
Org Design
✳︎
Brand Strategy
✳︎
Team Architecture
✳︎
Service Design
✳︎
Operating System
✳︎
People & Culture
✳︎
Org Design ✳︎ Brand Strategy ✳︎ Team Architecture ✳︎ Service Design ✳︎ Operating System ✳︎ People & Culture ✳︎
Perhaps this strikes a chord…
VISION
In Your Head vs. In the Business You finally have a clear vision, but it’s still trapped in your head. The team can’t act on what they can’t see, so progress plateaus.
Stuck at a Crossroads
You’re at a crossroads about the size and direction of the business, but stuck in decision paralysis; without clear trade-offs in front of you, staying in place is getting expensive.
LEADERSHIP
The Accidental CEO You became the boss by default, not by design. You’re not sure what the team needs from you, and communication feels more complicated than it should.
The People vs. P&L Paradox The math isn’t mathing; your team says they’re burned out, but the P&L tells a different story. You’re caught between pushing for margin and protecting the team, and you don’t know who or what to believe.
ORG DESIGN
Shiny on the Outside, House of Cards on the Inside The business model has hit a ceiling, but making any move feels like it could topple the whole thing, risking revenue or pushing your team over the edge.
More People, More Problems You have great people on board (or know you need them), but the org design hasn't caught up with the org chart. Roles are blurry, accountability is loose; adding more people feels like adding complexity instead of relief.
FOUNDER FREEDOM
The Founder Bottleneck You did as you were told: you hired finance, HR, operations, yet the business hasn’t actually decoupled from you, leaving you stuck as the bottleneck for every decision and every fire.
Trapped in the Machine You’re ready to rethink your role as founder, whether that means stepping back or shifting focus, but the studio was not designed to run without you.
There’s never a “good” time or the “right” time, which means now is a great time.
HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
Two ways in. All focus, no fluff.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to running a creative business. Which means there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to advising a creative business. Some challenges just need an hour and a fresh perspective; others need to be reexamined and redesigned. Both approaches flex to meet you (and your business) where you are.
1 | The Re(frame)
HOURLY ADVISORY SESSIONS
Low commitment, high impact. When you just need a second brain and thought partner to help get unstuck, talk it through, work it out, and move forward.
BEST FOR
Single focus, time-sensitive, or ad hoc questions around: business development, growth & internal ops, client & people issues, etc.
2 | The Debrief
ONE-WEEK DIAGNOSTIC SPRINT
Deeper dive workshop & strategy intensive to unload and untangle everything taking up your mental real estate, to ensure you’re solving for the right problems in the right order.
BEST FOR
When everything feels hazy, overwhelming, and you’re not sure where to start or even sure what questions to ask.
Org Design
✳︎
Brand Strategy
✳︎
Team Architecture
✳︎
Service Design
✳︎
Operating System
✳︎
People & Culture
✳︎
Org Design ✳︎ Brand Strategy ✳︎ Team Architecture ✳︎ Service Design ✳︎ Operating System ✳︎ People & Culture ✳︎
More questions? I got you.
-
Creative services of all stripes: branding, advertising, interior design, architecture, events, PR, marketing. Because I work at the leadership and organizational level rather than the project level, what I do is largely discipline-agnostic. If you're a creative services founder navigating the business side of things, you probably fit the bill.
-
The masters of their craft or subject matter experts (creative directors, interior designers, architects) who are navigating the realities of building and running a business, which is an entirely different muscle. Often these are senior creatives who've climbed the corporate ladder and launched their own studios, only to discover that leading a company feels nothing like doing the work.
-
Size, revenue, or years in business are less relevant than you'd think. What matters more is the gap between your craft expertise and your operator experience, which can exist at any size or stage. A studio of 30 that's really 5 seniors and 25 juniors can have the same challenges as a studio of 10 made up mostly of seniors. A hands-on founder and a hands-off founder at the exact same revenue will have entirely different needs. It comes down to operational complexity, leadership mindset, and openness to change, not headcount or revenue.
-
No, but what I can do is help you get crystal clear on exactly what you need and who to hire for it.
-
Not at all! It's actually complementary, and sometimes more effective. Internal leaders are often deep in their own silos and can't always see the full picture. As your informed outsider and objective insider, I'm the neutral, cross-functional voice that connects the dots clearly and impartially, which is a different job than the one your existing team is doing.
-
It certainly depends on the scale and depth of the scope, but it’s likely to be less time than you think! My goal is not to stick around longer than you need me. The sooner I can help set you up for success, the sooner you’ll get there.
