Teacher · Business therapist · Strategist · Builder
Build a business that doesn't own you.
I started my first business at 12 years old, had 3 businesses in high school, skipped college, and spent two decades building my company before selling it. Now I help founder-led companies from $1M to $50M think clearer, decide faster, and get their life back.
- 20 yrs
- Building Rock The House
- 1000s
- Events produced
- 200
- Operators coached
- $1M to $50M
- Companies I coach
The short version
- DJ at 7.
- First business at 12.
- No college degree.
- 20 years building Rock The House.
- Sold it.
- Now I teach what I learned the hard way.
You're here because…
Something in the business isn't working, and you already know it.
- 01Revenue dropped and you can't name the real reason.
- 02The leadership team isn't functioning, it's just meeting.
- 03Sales pipeline looks fine on paper; nothing is closing.
- 04You're profitable on the P&L and broke in the bank.
- 05Nobody takes ownership unless you're standing over them.
- 06You're weighing a buy, a sale, or a merger, and second-guessing every angle.
- 07You built a company that owns you back.
You don't need another book recommendation. You need someone who's been in the chair.
Not sure which one is you? Take the 3 minute scorecard →Four ways to work with me
Pick the room you actually need to be in.
Same operator, four levels of proximity. Most people start in Mentor Pods. Some go further, into private coaching, a facilitated plan, or me in the seat.
Mentor Pods
An ongoing executive team, without the full-time hire.
Year-round program: one live lesson a week, a pod of peer operators, 1:1 support, frameworks and scorecards. No upsells.
Coaching
A trusted advisor in your corner.
1:1 executive coaching. Sounding board, blind-spot finder, accountability. Selective, inquiry only.
Strategic Planning
Clarity on where you're going and the plan to get there.
Facilitated planning, diagnostics, KPIs and scorecards, org and comp design.
Done-For-You
I don't just diagnose it. I do it.
Roll-up-sleeves execution alongside your team. Soup to nuts. Application-based.
Why me
Most coaches teach concepts. I solve problems.
I've been the operator in the seat. I've made payroll on a Friday I wasn't sure I'd make. I've hired the wrong person, fired the right one too late, and sold a company I spent two decades building.
What I bring is the blend most founders can't hire in one person: executive coach, board member, and fractional operator. Direct. Honest. High standards. Zero ego. No sugar-coating.
If you want a cheerleader, I'm the wrong call. If you want someone who will tell you the truth and then help you do something about it, keep reading.
The footprint
The work travels.
Home base is Cleveland. The operators I coach are spread across the map, most of them in events and hospitality, plenty of them not. Every dot is a real business, kept anonymous on purpose.
- 200
- Operators coached
- 37
- States
- 3
- Countries
The why underneath
"A business should serve its owner's life, not consume it. Mine are built around my priorities, my family, and the freedom to choose how I spend my time. That's not a perk of the work. It's the entire point of it."
Proof
What operators say after the work.
“Mentor Pods has given our team tools that have completely changed the trajectory of our business. We're on track to have 150% year over year growth.”
Britt R.
“Mentor Pods was the best investment I made in 2023, bar none, both personally and professionally.”
David H.
“Ninety percent of the anxiety I had in my business was just not knowing where I stood. That changed my life.”
Ed E.
A room of operators who actually show up for each other.
Built with AI
I don't write code, I build solutions.
45+ apps and business systems, built with AI and plain English. Some run my companies. Some run my clients'.
See the App PortfolioLatest
Recent insights
Jul 15, 2026 · 5 min read
Your P&L is not the problem.
Profit and cash are not the same thing. A profitable business can still feel broke. Here is what to watch instead.
Read the article →
Jun 22, 2026 · 6 min read
The chair nobody warns you about.
Founder-led companies stall right when it looks like it's finally working. Here is why, and how to keep growing without losing the operator in the seat.
Read the article →
May 30, 2026 · 6 min read
Selling the company you built without losing yourself.
Exits, identity, and what to build next. Notes from the other side of a sale.
Read the article →
FAQ
Direct answers to the usual questions.
Who do you work with?
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Founder-led companies, typically $1M to $50M in revenue, where the owner is still in the chair. Most of them are in events, hospitality and live experiences, because that's where I come from. The problems are the same in any industry, and so is the work.
What's the difference between Mentor Pods and 1:1 Coaching?
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Mentor Pods is an ongoing peer community with weekly coaching, live strategy, and shared frameworks. 1:1 Coaching is a private engagement with me directly, sounding board, blind-spot finder, accountability partner.
Are you a coach, a consultant, or an operator?
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All three, in different rooms. I coach founders, I facilitate strategy, and when the situation calls for it, I roll up my sleeves and do the work alongside your team.
What kind of results should I expect?
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Clearer thinking, faster decisions, a leadership team that actually functions, and a business that stops swallowing your calendar. The specifics depend on where you're starting.
How do we get started?
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Book a call. We'll figure out if I'm the right fit, and if not, I'll point you somewhere better.
Send a note
Tell me what's going on,
I read every note.
Fill in a few details and I'll personally get back to you. If I'm the right fit, we'll get on a call. If I'm not, I'll point you to someone who is.