Who I Work With
Not every engagement is a fit, and pretending otherwise wastes your time and mine.
Fit
Who this is for
I work with founder-led consumer brands between Series Seed and Series C. I work with established nonprofits and victim services organizations where a data mistake is not recoverable. That includes organizations in the MrBallen Foundation's network, where I designed and delivered the Foundation's Tech Education Series. I work with funded teams that know what they want to build and need someone to keep the building from breaking what already works.
The best engagements start the same way. A founder arrives skeptical, with a budget, a real problem, and the willingness to hear that the answer might be smaller and cheaper than expected. They want candor more than they want options. And they make decisions.
Not a fit
Who this is not for
I do not work with enterprises that have procurement departments. I do not work with companies that lead with cost cutting. And I do not work with clients who want a consultant to validate a decision they have already made.
There is a tell for that last one. The first question is "what do other companies like us do" instead of "what should we do." That is a fine question for a committee. It is not a question I am the right person to answer, and I will say so early rather than take the work and disappoint you.
By design
About four of every five inquiries do not become engagements.
That is by design, not a shortage of interest. I would rather turn down work that is not a fit than take it and do a version of it I would not be proud of. The ones that do become engagements tend to last years, because they started honest.
If a vendor has never told you no, you do not have an advisor. You have a sales rep.
If any of this sounds like you, or pointedly does not, start there.
Tell me honestly what you are dealing with. If it is a fit, we will both know quickly. If it is not, I will point you somewhere better.
Start the conversation