Your client trusts you. Who do you trust with them?

Every advisor hits the moment when a client's problem isn't theirs to solve. The business is stuck, or it can't run without the owner. I help owners with exactly those two problems, and I send work back to the people who refer them.

Book a Partner Call See what to watch for

What to watch for

Two moments worth a phone call.

The owner is stuck.

Revenue has flattened, they're competing on price, or the leadership team is pulling in different directions. They're working harder than ever and can't say why a customer should choose them over anyone else. That's a strategy problem. I build the plan with the owner and the leadership team.

The business runs through the owner.

Every decision waits on them. The company is growing faster than its operations, or they want to sell in a few years and know a buyer will see the problem. They need a COO but can't justify a full-time one. I step in as fractional COO and build the team and the operating rhythm that let the business run without them.

Year-end is when most of these conversations happen. If you're sitting down with a client about next year, listen for either one.

Who sees what

You'll probably spot one first.

Every advisor sees the business from a different angle. Here's where each moment tends to show up.

CPAs, enrolled agents, and bookkeepers. Revenue is up but profit isn't, or the owner can't answer next year's planning questions.
Either one
Fractional CFOs. The numbers say the model isn't working, or the owner is approving every expense.
Either one
Marketing agencies and fractional CMOs. Campaigns stall because there's nothing clear to say about why this company is different.
The owner is stuck
Fractional CHROs. The wrong people are in key seats, and the leadership team can't carry the load.
The business runs through the owner
Fractional CTOs. Technology projects keep failing because nobody has decided what the business actually needs.
The owner is stuck
Attorneys. Partners who can't agree on direction, key-employee problems, or an owner planning an exit.
Either one
Business brokers and family offices. The owner wants to sell, but the value walks out the door with them.
The business runs through the owner

Not sure which one it is? You don't need to be. Make the introduction, and I'll sort it out on the first call.

What you get back

Referrals should run both ways.

Most people you refer a client to can only say thank you. I can send you clients.

Work comes back to you. As a fractional COO, I'm the one who brings in the CFO, the CMO, the HR lead, the agency, the accountant, and the attorney. The people who send me clients are the first people I recommend.
The plan creates the work. Every strategy engagement ends with a gap register, a named list of what the business has to fix or build. Most of those gaps belong to someone like you.
You look good for sending them. Your client gets a plan the whole leadership team agrees on, or an owner who finally gets their time back. That reflects on whoever made the introduction.
You stay informed. With your client's permission, I keep you posted on where things stand, so you're never the last to know.

What I stay out of

Your client stays your client.

The fastest way to lose a referral partner is to start doing their job. Here's what I don't do:

Accounting, bookkeeping, or tax
Legal advice or documents
Marketing execution: campaigns, ads, content, or websites
Wealth management or investments
Deal work: valuations, brokering, or M&A
HR compliance, payroll, or benefits
Technology implementation

If you do operations work yourself, as a fractional COO, integrator, or EOS implementer, I'll stay in the strategy lane on any client you send me. I won't take the operating role.

And when a client of yours needs something you do, it goes back to you.

Who you're sending them to

I've sat in the owner's chair.

The PE owners of an $8M company asked me to step in as CEO when its leader could no longer run it. In my first year, a hurricane wiped out 80% of our largest account. Two years later, a business that had lost $500,000 the year before I arrived was making $300,000, and I led it through a successful sale.

Today I'm the fractional COO of The Roster, a Nashville creative talent agency, and I lead strategy engagements for owner-led companies. I hold an MBA from Belmont University and I'm a Board Certified Executive Coach and Certified Strategy Planning Professional. My method is published in Visionary Advantage (2026).

On strategy engagements that include team assessments, I co-facilitate with Debbie Radish-Respess of Invisible Horizons, a certified Predictive Index partner.

Fit

The owners I can help most.

Good fit

10–100 employees
Privately held and owner-led
Controls its own brand and pricing
An owner ready to hear what isn't working
Any industry
United States

Not a fit

Solo operators and companies under 10 employees
Franchisees without control of their positioning
Companies over 100 employees
Public companies, nonprofits, and government
Outside the United States

Not sure? Make the introduction anyway. If it isn't a fit, I'll tell them so and point them somewhere better.

How a referral works

Four steps, and you're kept in the loop.

1
You make the introduction.
A short email to both of us is all it takes. Partners also get a personal link to share, so I always know who sent a client my way.
2
I talk with the owner.
A short discovery call to understand what's going on and whether I'm the right help. If I'm not, I'll say so.
3
You hear how it went.
With your client's permission, I'll let you know after the first call, and again at key points along the way.
4
Work flows back.
When your client needs what you do, you're the one I recommend.

Let's compare notes.

Twenty minutes. Tell me about the clients you serve and the moments you see most. Bring one real situation, no names needed, and I'll show you how I'd approach it. You'll leave with your personal referral link.

Book a Partner Call