Being busy is easy. Making progress is harder. Most founders are excellent at filling their time. Far fewer are working on what will really change their business. Fewer still, stick to it.
What founders say after working with Chris
Why working harder doesn’t fix it
They start things, switch priorities, stay busy, and finish the year wondering why it didn’t move. Two things need to happen: figure out what to actually work on, and then make sure it does. Most people get help with one. We’re here to address both.
Most founders have plenty of effort. What they lack is certainty about which things are actually worth it. More work in the wrong direction doesn’t move the business forward.
Most advice tells you what to do. Very little of it makes sure it happens. The gap between knowing and doing is where most progress gets lost.
Most founders are undercharging or carrying clients who cost more than they pay. Getting this right is usually worth more in the first month than a year of new business development.
Growth means building a business that doesn’t need you in every decision. The work always starts the same way: knowing what to change, followed by the commitment to do it.
Business mentoring for founders
Two sessions a month, a fortnight apart. One to get clear, one to make sure.
Fortnightly working sessions.
For the moments that can’t wait.
Every session ends with something to do or a direction to move.
Direct and honest ideas and feedback.
Past problems solved
What we work on
You’ll recognise most of these. Every session focuses on whichever is most pressing right now.
From cost-plus to outcome-based. Raising prices without losing the room.
When the model is the problem, not the execution.
Identifying what’s already working that could scale you better than the new thing.
When to hire, who first, and how to replace yourself in delivery.
Difficult clients, scope, mistakes, and knowing when to walk away.
Win work without giving away your strategy in competitive pitches.
Identifying the bottleneck (usually the founder).
Finding and using the leverage you already have.
Reviewing what was committed to and what actually happened.
Who this is for
What founders say
Read what actually happened.
New to the world of contracting, I’d taken a three-month contract with my old employer on a set rate. Within a month, I found myself leading the strategy, working closely with business leaders, and operating far beyond the level I was being paid for.
I reached out to Chris in confidence. “Can I trust you?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied, and I believed him. He helped me see that I wasn’t an employee asking for a raise; I was a business with genuine leverage. Chris gave me clear, practical guidance: keep it concise, state my rate, set a deadline, and let them respond.
I went back, negotiated, and secured a higher rate for my extension. More importantly, I walked away with a completely different mindset about operating as a contractor. I trust Chris’s guidance, have sought his advice since, and I’m certain I will again.
I was being persuaded in a direction I wasn’t fully convinced was right for the business. It started to feel like I was chasing something that looked good on paper rather than focusing on what would actually move things forward.
The conversation helped me get clear on what mattered, who it was really for, and whether it aligned with where I was actually trying to go. I made a decision I felt confident in, refocused on the work that counted, and stopped spending energy on something that wasn’t right for where I am right now.
About Chris
I spent years watching other people run businesses and thinking: I could do that. Eventually I stopped watching. I walked away from a good salary and flexible hours, with a family of four depending on me, because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my career doing the easy thing.
Since then I’ve built teams, advised founders, and made expensive mistakes. What I’ve learned is that the hardest part of running a business isn’t the work. It’s making the right calls at the right time, and not letting yourself hide in the busy ones.
I’m direct, I move fast, and I don’t let people stay comfortable in problems they could solve. If you want someone to tell you what they actually see, not what you’re hoping to hear, that’s what this is.
Common questions
Book a free first session. Thirty minutes. We’ll both know if it’s right.
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