“Dan is the best friend every entrepreneur needs.” – The Sage Sound Advice Podcast
I work with female founders, diverse teams and founders who are building businesses that will help create a more sustainable and ethical world. The programme starts with a free discovery call to see if we are a good fit. Once we’ve established that and agreed terms, I sign an NDA and you share the relevant operational details of your business with me.
We kick off a week later with a four-hour deep dive session to discuss you, your business and the challenges you face. I then approach those challenges with you as a CEO and co-founder would on a weekly basis (depending on your requirements), supporting you wherever you are in the business life cycle. Giving you all the benefits of having an experienced CEO and co-founder with a successful track record to hand (for motivation, strategy, ideas, fundraising, strengthening your mental health, team building, brand development, cultivating company culture, coping with legal difficulties, troublesome boards, pitching, sales, hiring and firing, Research and Development and negotiation) without the loss of equity or the cost of a punitive annual salary. In return you pay a monthly fee that is a ‘fraction’ (hence the name) of my market value instead.
I get hired by first time entrepreneurs who are struggling with a nagging feeling in their heads that they are never going to be able to raise the investment their businesses require. Over a three- to four-month period, I take them through the investment process step by step and turn the switch on in their heads that makes them believe they really can do it. I also work with lone founders who need to talk things through with someone who understands what it feels like to be in their shoes – whatever comes up.
As a founder and CEO you can’t confide in your staff, because they need to believe you are always confident and feeling mentally strong; you can’t tell your board or investors you are struggling or having doubts because if you do they will fire you; and often you can’t talk to your co-founders either because of ego and personality dynamics. I know how lonely it can be in these situations, and am on hand to help you (with good humour and practical advice) get to the other side. Clients who get stuck after years running their businesses often approach me too: they need help to rediscover the spark that made them start it in the first place, and others contact me because they want to extract themselves from their companies but are struggling to work out who they are without their founder identity and need help with the transition out of their businesses.
In all cases I ask for a minimum commitment of three months initially, but after that it’s a rolling monthly contract and you give me one month’s notice if you want to stop working together or when you want me to hop back in.
To find out more, or just to have a chat to say hello (I love meeting entrepreneurs), drop me an email to book your free thirty-minute discovery call now.