Pricing

    Four ways to work together. Published prices.

    Advise. Own priorities. Run operations. Hold the seat.

    +85% EBITDA in 12 months as interim CEO.

    Book a fit call

    COMPARE THE ENGAGEMENTS

    Compare the engagements

    Scope is agreed in writing. No online checkout. Every engagement starts with the 15-Day Operating Read. The fee is credited toward your first month if you continue within 30 days.

    1 · Diagnose

    15-Day Operating Read

    $15,000Fixed, 15 days. Limited to 2 engagements a month.
    Best fit
    Results are behind plan or the business has stalled, and the leadership team doesn’t agree on why.
    Shawn owns
    The diagnosis, the ranked priorities and the written plan.
    Authority
    Recommends. I diagnose and recommend. You decide what happens next.

    2 · Advise

    Operating Advisor

    From $12,000/monthMonthly · About one working session every two weeks plus a monthly review
    Best fit
    Your leadership team has the plan and the capacity to execute, and wants an experienced operator testing its decisions.
    Shawn owns
    Challenge, review and an up-to-date scorecard.
    Authority
    Advises. Your team owns and runs the work. I guide and challenge.

    3 · Execute

    Operating Partner

    From $24,000/month6-month minimum · Weekly leadership cadence plus ownership of agreed workstreams
    Best fit
    The priorities are clear, but no one inside has the time or standing to see them through.
    Shawn owns
    Delivery of the agreed workstreams and the weekly leadership meeting.
    Authority
    Leads agreed initiatives. I lead agreed initiatives alongside management. The CEO keeps the decisions.

    4 · Lead

    Fractional COO or Interim Executive

    Fractional COOFrom $32,000/monthMonthly; final scope set on the call · 2–3 days/week
    Interim ExecutiveFrom $40,000/monthMonthly; final scope set on the call · Holds the executive seat; scope and days agreed in writing.
    Best fit
    A sitting CEO needs an operating executive alongside them, or a board or PE sponsor needs an open seat filled now.
    Shawn owns
    A defined executive seat, with decision rights agreed in writing.
    Authority
    Holds executive authority. I hold defined executive responsibility, with decision rights agreed in writing.

    Choosing here is optional.

    Transaction add-on: +$15,000–$20,000/month, on top of Operating Partner or Fractional COO. Companies with $10M–$100M in revenue. Houston-based; remote or hybrid nationwide.

    ENGAGEMENT DETAILS

    The details, by engagement

    15-Day Operating Read $15,000 fixed · 15 days

    Find out where the performance gap is, and what to fix first.

    Deliverables

    • Written operating diagnostic
    • KPI scorecard with a baseline
    • 90-day plan
    • Leadership readout session

    Shawn’s responsibilities

    • Reviews financials, KPIs and the operating rhythm
    • Interviews the leadership team
    • Ranks the priorities and writes the plan

    Your team’s responsibilities

    • Access to financials and operating data
    • Time with the leadership team
    • A named point of contact

    How progress is measured

    The scorecard sets the baseline any later engagement is measured against.

    Terms

    Fixed fee, 15 days. Credited toward the first retainer month if the engagement starts within 30 days of payment. Scope confirmed in writing before work begins.

    See the 15-Day Operating Read

    Operating Advisor From $12,000/month · monthly

    Keep a capable team honest on the plan.

    Deliverables

    • Monthly operating review
    • Updated KPI scorecard

    Shawn’s responsibilities

    • A working session every two weeks
    • A monthly operating review
    • Keeps the KPI scorecard current and flags drift early

    Your team’s responsibilities

    • Owns and runs every workstream
    • Brings data and decisions to each session

    How progress is measured

    Movement on the scorecard KPIs, reviewed monthly.

    Terms

    Monthly. Scope confirmed in writing before work begins.

    Operating Partner From $24,000/month · 6-month minimum

    Get the critical initiatives led, not just advised.

    Deliverables

    • 3 priorities, each tied to a KPI
    • Live KPI dashboard
    • Board and investor prep

    Shawn’s responsibilities

    • Owns 3 KPI-tied priorities end to end
    • Runs the weekly leadership meeting: decisions made, owners named, dates set
    • Prepares board and investor updates
    • Help sourcing and evaluating add-on acquisitions, drawing on M&A and corporate development work, including leading the M&A process with the bankers at a confidential AI security leader.

    Your team’s responsibilities

    • A named owner inside the team for each workstream
    • Decisions made on time at the weekly meeting
    • Access to the data behind each KPI

    How progress is measured

    Each workstream has a KPI baselined at the start and reviewed weekly.

    Terms

    Six-month minimum, then 30 days’ written notice. Transaction add-on available: +$15,000–$20,000/month. Scope confirmed in writing before work begins.

    Why six months

    • First 90 days: establish the baseline, select priorities, launch changes and measure early progress.
    • Months four through six: refine execution, assess sustained performance, and hand ownership of each workstream to a named leader.

    Results depend on the company’s situation and execution. No result is guaranteed in any period.

    Fractional COO or Interim Executive Fractional COO from $32,000/month · Interim from $40,000/month

    Put an accountable executive in the seat.

    Deliverables

    • Written decision rights
    • Operating plan, weekly scorecard and meeting rhythm
    • For interim seats, a written handoff to the permanent executive

    Shawn’s responsibilities

    • Fractional COO: runs the cross-functional operating cadence 2–3 days a week alongside the CEO
    • Interim Executive / Interim CEO: holds the executive seat, with scope and days agreed in writing, and runs the leadership team
    • Holds the decision rights agreed in writing

    Your team’s responsibilities

    • A CEO or board who confirms scope and decision rights in writing
    • Access and authority across the functions in scope

    How progress is measured

    The KPIs agreed with the CEO or board at the start, reviewed on a schedule set at the start.

    Terms

    Monthly; final scope, time commitment and start date are agreed on the call and confirmed in writing. Transaction add-on available on Fractional COO.

    About interim leadership

    How an engagement is agreed
    1. A 20-minute introduction: you describe the business, Shawn asks about the numbers and the leadership setup.
    2. If there is a fit, the scope, responsibilities and decision rights are agreed and confirmed in writing.
    3. Work begins on the agreed start date, with the measures set at the start.
    4. The engagement ends with a written handback to your team or the permanent executive.

    Where the work usually focuses

    The same engagements, applied to the problem you have.

    Profitable growth and commercial execution

    Revenue isn’t growing fast enough, or it’s growing in the wrong places.

    The work

    Commercial positioning for the buyers who pay, market-entry sequencing, and partner relationships translated into commercial value.

    Usually through

    Operating Partner, or Fractional COO alongside the CEO.

    Operating effectiveness and execution

    The team works hard, but priorities scatter and decisions stall.

    The work

    One operating plan, named owners, a weekly scorecard and leadership meeting, and clear decision rights.

    Usually through

    15-Day Operating Read, then Operating Partner or Advisor.

    Practical AI adoption

    AI is being discussed, but day-to-day work hasn’t changed.

    The work

    Pick the workflows where AI changes cost, speed or capacity; redesign the roles and weekly routines around them; track the agreed business measure through the scorecard.

    Usually through

    Operating Partner or Fractional COO. The business measure is set during scoping.

    Exit preparation and transaction support

    A sale or acquisition is coming and the business has to hold up to scrutiny.

    The work

    Run operations through the process, prepare the operating story and numbers, and work with the bankers. Legal, banking and accounting advice stay with your licensed advisers; no sale or valuation is promised.

    Usually through

    Transaction add-on on Operating Partner or Fractional COO.

    Transaction add-on

    +$15,000–$20,000/month on top of Partner or Fractional COO.

    Fixed monthly fee, whether or not a deal closes. Not tied to value or outcome. Legal, banking and accounting stay with licensed advisers.

    For PE sponsors

    Diligence & Deal Advisory: from $15,000 per project.

    Target size: portfolio companies with $20M–$250M in revenue ($3M–$25M EBITDA).

    • Pre-close operating read during diligence: operating risks, value-creation levers, management assessment.
    • 100-day plan drafted before close, ready for day one.

    Priced per project: from $15,000, scoped with the deal team. For PE sponsors

    15-Day Operating Read

    One offer, one price.

    The 15-Day Operating Read

    The single entry offer for CEOs and sponsors

    $15,000 fixed · 15 days

    CEOs and founders of $10M–$100M companies, and PE-owned portfolio companies with $20M–$250M in revenue ($3M–$25M EBITDA). Same scope and same price for founder-led and sponsor-owned companies.

    50% at kickoff, 50% due on readout day (Day 15). The second payment is not contingent on whether or when you implement the findings.

    The fee is credited in full toward the first month of a retainer that starts within 30 days. Limited to 2 per month.

    Guarantee: At least $100k, or 1% of annual revenue up to $1M, whichever is greater. Annual revenue means your most recent completed fiscal year. EBITDA items count at annualized run-rate; cash items count as one-time cash released within 12 months; no item counts twice. Your CFO signs off on the opportunity and the math, not a forecast or a commitment to act.

    CFO sign-off means your CFO agrees the opportunities exist and the math holds. It does not depend on execution.

    If your CFO declines, they give written reasons within 5 business days of the readout, item by item, showing that an item doesn't exist or its math doesn't hold. A decision not to act on an item isn't a reason. Items not disputed this way count toward the guarantee. With no written reasons in that window, sign-off is deemed given and the second half is due.

    Comparable diagnostics typically run six figures and 8–12 weeks. This is 15 days and $15k, credited to a retainer, a senior operator does the work, and you leave with a running operating system, not a report.

    What happens after: a retainer is optional. The 90-day plan, scorecard and weekly leadership meeting are built to run without us; if you want help running them, the fee is credited in full toward the first month of a retainer that starts within 30 days.

    What the 15-Day Operating Read produces

    A scorecard and a 90-day plan.

    See the Operating Read

    Questions

    Asked before the first call.

    Why publish prices?
    To respect your time. Prices set the range; scope and terms are confirmed in writing.
    What's credited?
    The 15-Day Operating Read fee is credited toward the first retainer month if the engagement starts within 30 days of payment.
    Do you take part in operator-led acquisitions?
    Open to partnering with sponsors and independent sponsors on an operator-led acquisition: sourcing a business, closing with sponsor equity and debt, and running it as CEO. Targets: companies with $20M–$250M in revenue ($3M–$25M EBITDA).
    Can I sign up online?
    No. A conversation comes first; scope and terms are agreed in writing.
    Is there a minimum?
    Operating Partner has a six-month minimum, then 30 days' notice.
    What is the guarantee?
    At least $100k, or 1% of annual revenue up to $1M, whichever is greater. Annual revenue means your most recent completed fiscal year. EBITDA items count at annualized run-rate; cash items count as one-time cash released within 12 months; no item counts twice. Your CFO signs off on the opportunity and the math, not a forecast or a commitment to act.
    What does CFO sign-off mean?
    CFO sign-off means your CFO agrees the opportunities exist and the math holds. It does not depend on execution. If your CFO declines, they give written reasons within 5 business days of the readout, item by item, showing that an item doesn't exist or its math doesn't hold. A decision not to act on an item isn't a reason. Items not disputed this way count toward the guarantee. With no written reasons in that window, sign-off is deemed given and the second half is due.
    When are payments due?
    50% at kickoff, 50% due on readout day (Day 15). The second payment is not contingent on whether or when you implement the findings.
    Is the Read different for PE-owned companies?
    No. Same 15 days, same $15,000, same guarantee. For sponsor-owned companies the readout and 90-day plan go to the CEO and the sponsor together.
    How much of our time does it take?
    CEO about 7 hours over 15 days, other leaders 3–4 hours each, and the controller 4–6 hours on the data pull.
    Do we have to sign a retainer afterward?
    No. A retainer is optional; the fee is credited if one starts within 30 days.

    NEXT STEP

    An introduction: your business, the numbers and the leadership team. Together we decide whether there's a fit. No diagnosis or prep.