My work is a coach is based on three important insights I gained from leading teams at multiple startups, including as COO at ConvertKit and VP Communications at a Series A climate tech startup:
- Startups grow at the rate their founders grow
- Organizational cultures centered on belonging and accountability allow people to reach their full potential at work
- A company can be one of the most powerful forces for social good under the right leadership
I’m here to help founders unlock their own growth so they become the impetus for, rather than the impediment to their organization’s growth. Applied to using business as a force for good to solve the world’s most important problems, there is no more important work I could be doing.
Coaching overview
My role as a coach is to help my clients perform at the edge of their potential. My goal is to help clients build the business, leadership, and/or emotional awareness skills necessary to reach their goals and make a positive impact through their work.
I accomplish this through a combination of thoughtful questions, holding a mirror up to help you see yourself more clearly, operational teaching based on my experience, and keeping you accountable to the intersection of your values and your ambitions.
While my coaching inevitably requires tackling the emotions (and the roots of those emotions) we experience related to work, my goal is to translate emotional work directly into long-term business value.
Sometimes that will mean being a source of accountability and other times it will mean reflecting back to you how far you’ve come. We might dig into your past to explore how patterns from your childhood and adolescence are holding you back. You might ask me to put on my operator hat and work for a session (or three). This is a key part of my value proposition as a coach: I’m a former operator and highly skilled at adapting to the situation to help you reach your potential.
Who My Coaching is Great For
Every founder, creator, and exec has a deep well of potential they have not fully tapped. Every one of us can benefit from a trusted and experienced advisor and coach.
The two most common groups I work with are:
- Mission-driven creators (writers, podcasters, YouTubers, etc) doing at least $200,000 in annual revenue.
- Founders of climate tech startups and B-Corporations. VC-backed founders at or near Series A or bootstrappers doing at least $1M in annual revenue.
The uniting theme is that my clients view work as their most important outlet for making an impact on the world. They believe it’s possible to do substantial good for others AND build wealth through their work. And they are motivated by a competitive edge and a desire to learn and grow continuously.
If this aligns to your view of work, then coaching is likely to be fruitful.
When Coaching Is Most Valuable
I wish it were true that founders and execs sought out coaches when things are going well so that they keep going well. If that’s you, I would be delighted to help accelerate the good thing you have going!
More typically, there are three reasons my clients seek out coaching:
- The business is limited by the founder’s own growth — either it’s growing too fast for the founder or exec to keep up, or growth is being held back by the founder in some way
- The co-founders or executive team are in conflict — this typically presents as conflict over strategy or tactics, but is often about much deeper and more personal challenges
- A founder or creator is contemplating a career change — selling, shutting down, or moving on from a business you love is deeply challenging and scary
While these are the most common reasons I receive outreach, they are not the only situations that lead to worthwhile coaching. If you think coaching is an opportunity for growth, then you’re right, regardless of the circumstances.
The Monthly Format
I follow a consistent format with my coaching clients, which allows me to be as efficient as possible in my business operations so that I can focus as much energy as possible on helping clients reach their goals.
Here is the standard format:
- 60 minute sessions
- Two sessions per month
- Access to email and text follow ups
- Ad hoc / emergency sessions to address urgent opportunities/problems as needed – no extra fee (within reason)
Up front, I prefer to verbally agree to work together for a minimum of six months to ensure we have a chance to make substantive progress.*
*If you feel we’re a bad fit prior to six months of working together, you are not contractually bound to continue our work.
Scheduling
I’ll provide you with open coaching slots I have available. The day and time you choose will become yours twice a month until we conclude our work together.
I ask that cancellations or reschedules happen at least 48 hours in advance.
Cost
$2,000 per month, auto-billed on the first of the month.
I reserve a small number of reduced-cost coaching spots for early stage and underrepresented founders. If this is you and cost is a barrier, please reach out.
How to Get Started
If you feel we may be a good fit to work together, please send me an email with:
- A bit about who you are as a person
- A bit about your company (and team, if applicable)
- What you hope for from coaching
If it seems like we’re a good fit based on initial introductions, we’ll schedule time to talk in more depth.
My Professional Background
If you’d like to know more about me before working together, read on for more detail on my professional background as a coach, operator, and volunteer.
As a coach:
I have been coaching professionally since 2011. I began my coaching work by helping students and young professionals transition from school or early career opportunities into meaningful jobs at high impact companies.
In 2015, my coaching work transitioned to working with creators and solo-entrepreneurs to help them scale businesses from launch to scalable, thriving business generating $150,000 – $500,000+ a year in revenue.
As I shared at the beginning of this email, since 2018 I have been coaching founders, executives, and creators focused on solving important problems in the world.
As an operator:
My professional experience includes:
- VP of Communications at a stealth renewable energy startup, where I lead public relations, investor communications, and brand strategy
- COO at Good Coffee, a local coffee business using premium coffee to deliver thoughtful hospitality and a sense of belonging to the Portland community
- Managing Editor of the Carbon Almanac, a book of facts about climate change to educate the public and spark ideas for solutions to the biggest and most important societal issue of our time
- COO at ConvertKit (marketing software for professional creators), where we grew the team from 20 to 75 people and from $3M to $28M ARR in my five years there; 60 of 70 people reported up to me through our 6-person executive team
I bring all of my experiences leading teams, growing revenue, and helping individuals reach their goals to bear in my coaching work. You can view more of my background on LinkedIn.
As a volunteer:
I have always referred to my volunteer work as my “second career.” I have maintained one or more volunteer leadership positions throughout my career and view it as an essential aspect of my development as a leader and thinker.
These roles have included:
- Chairperson of the board for Camp Horizon, an Atlanta-based non-profit dedicated to restoring dignity and hope to children in foster care through summer camp and year round programs promoting shared values of resilience, respect, and responsibility
- Community Champion for Global Shapers, a global young professional organization that is part of the World Economic Forum and promotes local service and global community
- Curator, Global Shapers Atlanta, the local Atlanta chapter of Global Shapers where I led as the curator (president) during a critical year of establishing the foundation of the chapter
- Chair of the Pastoral Council and member of the Finance Council at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Portland, OR, where I helped advise the head priest on the operations and community engagement within the parish
- Mentor for Portland Incubator Experiment, a local startup incubator helping founders build bootstrapped and funded businesses based in Portland and building community amongst the startup ecosystem in the city
Qualifications
My formal education includes:
- Bachelors in Accounting, University of Georgia
- Bachelors in Banking and Finance, University of Georgia
- Certificate in Personal and Organizational Leadership, University of Georgia
Aside from formal qualifications, the most important qualification of all is the support I seek out for myself, which I believe is a prerequisite for any great coach:
- I have worked with an executive coach twice a month for the past four years.
- I work with an individual therapist at least twice per month on an ongoing basis.
- My wife and I have proactively worked with a couples counselor since our engagement seven years ago.
Finally, I am currently pursuing coach training and certification with Presence Based Coaching, as well as certification in the Highlands Ability Battery
How to Work Together
If you feel we may be a good fit to work together, please send me an email with:
- A bit about who you are as a person
- A bit about your company (and team, if applicable)
- What you hope for from coaching