Operating Advisor
- Price
- from$12k/mo
- Time
- One session every two weeks, plus monthly review.
- Best for
- CEOs with a team ready to execute.
Shawn Gunn · For CEOs, founders and investors of $10M–$100M companies
In 15 days, I'll find at least $100k in EBITDA or cash.
Your CFO signs off on every dollar. The 15-Day Operating Read is $15,000 fixed, half at kickoff and half on Day 15. If your CFO doesn't confirm at least $100k, you don't pay the second half.
I work alongside CEOs and investors to lift operating profit, run the initiatives that matter and step into the executive seat when it’s needed. Most work starts with the 15-Day Operating Read, and the fee is credited toward your first month.
- Read(15 days)
- Plan(3 moves, KPIs)
- Run(we execute with your team)
HOW WE WORK TOGETHER
How we work together
Most chosen
Operating Partner
- Price
- from$24k/mo
- Time
- Weekly cadence; three priorities owned end to end.
- Best for
- CEOs needing critical priorities delivered.
Fractional COO
- Price
- from$32k/mo
- Time
- 2–3 days a week alongside the CEO.
- Best for
- Sitting CEOs needing an operating executive.
Interim Executive
- Price
- from$40k/mo
- Time
- Executive seat; scope, days and start agreed in writing.
- Best for
- Boards and PE sponsors with an open seat.
Every engagement starts with the 15-Day Operating Read. The fee is credited toward your first month if you continue within 30 days.
RESULTS
+85% EBITDALaunchXInterim CEO · 12 months
400+ employees,
9 countriesConfidential AI security leaderOperating Partner to the CEO · AI transformation
9 countriesConfidential AI security leaderOperating Partner to the CEO · AI transformation
Revenue +500%Sixgill · DRW Capital, lead investorOperating role · 20 months
+85% EBITDA in 12 months as interim CEO.
$100M+P&L responsibility carried
NASDAQHelped take a growth-stage company public
$1B+Investor value creation
Scaling, transforming and exiting companies · AI, SaaS & technology.
Run on an EOS-style system — quarterly rocks, a weekly scorecard and a weekly leadership meeting — installed at more than seven companies.
OPERATED AT / ADVISED
Hearst
Greenwald Doherty
RECENT OPERATING READS
Confidential AI security leader
400+ employees · 9 countries
Impact4Good
Day-to-day operations
Greenwald Doherty
Law firm · AI-enabled operations
Readouts delivered · results shared on a fit call. Names shared with permission; the AI security company is confidential.
Shawn helped us see where the business could go next. He mapped which new markets were worth entering, where digital content could become real revenue, and which acquisitions actually fit. Then he turned that into a plan our team could run. I'd put him in the room on any decision that matters.
Every operator says they've done it before. Shawn had actually carried the P&L, actually done the deal, and it showed in how fast he got to the real question. He's the call I make before I sign anything.
WHO IT'S FOR
Who it's for, and who it isn't
A fit
- $10M–$100M companies, founder-led, PE-backed or VC-backed, including search-fund and first-time CEOs
- CEO wants an outside operator's read before a big move
- Growth has stalled, or margins are slipping
- Getting ready for a raise, a sale, or a new sponsor
- PE operating partners with a portfolio company 0–12 months after close
- Willing to share real data in Days 1–3
Not a fit
- Looking for a slide deck with no follow-through
- No access to financials or leadership time
- Pre-revenue startups and companies under $10M in revenue
- Looking for a permanent hire
- Boards with an open CEO seat — that needs an operator in the seat, not a diagnosis
NEXT STEP
Talk through your business.
An introduction: your business, the numbers and the leadership team. Together we decide whether there's a fit. No diagnosis or prep.
Past results do not guarantee future performance. See Disclosures.