CEO Leadership Coaching | Gain Confidence & Strategic Direction %

CEO Advisory

Coach & Advisor to Founders and PE-Backed CEOs

I partner with founders and PE-backed CEOs who want to improve at being a CEO and everything that comes with it. My clients want a partner they can be fully honest with about business, the board, the team and the harder things that don't have a place anywhere else.

I've spent 25 years in B2B operations and leadership, 15 years working in private equity, and had a successful exit as a first-time CEO who followed a founder. I've been in every seat at the table.

Years Advising CEOs

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MOIC Exit as CEO

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Years Working with Financial Sponsors

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Years-Operational Experience

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The Reality

It's a lonely job with tremendous pressure

Who its for

Who I Work With

PE-Backed CEOs

I work with CEOs who want a thinking partner with no stake in the outcome. Someone they can be fully honest with about the business, the board, the team, and the personal weight of carrying a job like this. Someone who has been in the seat and understands the PE dynamic.

Founders

I work with founders who are ready to build a business that doesn't run through them. They are thinking seriously about what comes next. That might be scaling the team, raising capital, or preparing for an exit. Whatever the path, I'm a partner who has been through it and can help guide you.

How I Help

Three ways we can work together

Every engagement is different. Some clients start with a focused advisory piece to see how we work together. Others come in for long-term coaching. Some need both. The right starting point depends on where you are.

Advisory

A defined piece of work with a clear outcome

A focused engagement around a real business or operational problem — growth strategy, team structure, a decision you've been circling for months. This is often how we start: a defined piece of work with a clear outcome that lets us build trust and see how we think together.

Coaching

Ongoing work on how you think, decide, and lead

Ongoing, one-on-one work with the CEO — and often with individual ELT members. We will work on how you think, how you decide, and how you lead when the pressure is real. This includes the personal dimension of the job that doesn't fit neatly into a business conversation, but matters just as much.

Team work

Building a leadership team that operates as a unit

Direct work with the ELT to build the trust, accountability, and shared ownership that drives results. Most leadership teams have capable people who don't quite operate together. We work on this so the team executes, holds each other accountable, and doesn't bring every hard conversation back to the CEO.

The Process

What working with me looks like

I don't arrive with a pre-built framework and a slide deck. I show up, listen carefully, and work with what's real — in your company, with your people, in your specific moment.

We start with a real conversation

No intake form or discovery questionnaire. We talk — about where you are, what's hard, and what you're trying to build. I'm figuring out whether I can help, and you're figuring out whether you want to work with me.

We agree on the right starting point

Sometimes that's a focused advisory engagement. Sometimes it's coaching. Sometimes both at once. We don't force a structure — we find the one that fits what you actually need.

I stay in the work with you

I'm not here for periodic check-ins. The work happens in sessions, in real situations, in the rooms that matter —I'm there for you when things get complicated.

The relationship evolves

Most clients start in one mode and expand over time. Advisory work builds trust. Coaching deepens. Team work follows. The engagement shapes itself around what's needed.

Every coaching relationship is built around one goal—helping you get better at the job and everything that comes with it.

What They say

TESTIMONIALS

Ryan became an invaluable mentor and confidante. His ability to quickly synthesize complex issues into clear, actionable ideas is unlike anything I’ve seen in my career. More importantly, he has helped me evolve as a leader — encouraging me to lead with conviction, stay grounded in values, and focus on building strong teams and culture.

Even years later, we remain in close contact, speaking monthly or more. Ryan’s impact on my leadership journey has been lasting, and I continue to benefit from his perspective, judgment, and friendship

Ryan excels at connecting strategy to execution in a practical way. He brings a structured, outside perspective that helps challenge assumptions and sharpen how we operate, without overcomplicating things. I’ve enjoyed working with him, particularly around building the right systems and team processes as we scale. His input is direct, grounded, and easy to apply.

I have known Ryan for over 5 years, and few people have played a bigger role in my growth as a leader. His mentorship and support have helped me navigate new roles as I've grown in my current firm, demonstrating a rare balance of reflection and action that has changed how I approach my day-to-day. He has shifted my view of coaching from a purely professional role to recognizing the real value of getting to know me as a person, and modeling what we talk about has transformed how I work with my team. No matter what you're navigating in your personal or professional life, if you are seeking to act with intention, authenticity, and impact, you want Ryan in your corner.

Coming into a PE-backed CEO role, the speed and pressure of the transition is unlike anything I'd experienced before. Ryan was instrumental in helping me hit the ground running.

From building out my value creation plan to navigating a new board dynamic, he brought a rare combination of strategic clarity and practical guidance. His approach is direct without being abrasive, and empathetic without losing sight of results — exactly what you need when the stakes are high and the timeline is short.

Beyond the strategic work, he helped me form and align my executive leadership team in a way that has had a lasting impact on our culture and execution. If you're a new CEO operating in a PE environment, I can't recommend him highly enough.

Ryan has been guiding me through my transition from early stage growth to a company that can scale. Given his experience scaling and exiting as a former-CEO, his guidance has been extremely effective.

Ryan has helped me navigate complicated talent decisions, re-organize for profitability, and evolve my positioning as the market continues to shift. Most importantly, he is helping me execute these changes in my own unique style.

About

The Partner I Wish I'd Had

My experiences shape everything I do now. I work with Founders and CEOs on growth strategies, GTM, operationalizing the business, leadership team development, and exit preparation.

The work I do the most is a bit more nuanced. I help CEOs think more clearly, talk through tough decisions, lead more deliberately, and focus on what they want from this experience personally and professionally.

What I hear from my clients is that I'm someone who has no financial stake in their business, no agenda beyond their own objectives, and enough experience to go broad and deep on business and life topics of a CEO.

I spent 25 years in B2B business services and technology. I helped build an GTM consulting practice as one of its first 10 employees and ran growth strategy engagements and buy and sell-side diligence work in 100+ companies. I was lucky enough to follow a founder and lead an enterprise software company as its CEO, and had a successful exit.

If this sounds like what you are looking for, let's talk.

Start with a Conversation

If you're navigating a critical stage of growth or leadership, let's talk. Fill out the form and I'll be in touch shortly.