Dashing Leadership Executive coaching for startup founders
For founders who've proven they can build product and are now learning to build the machine. Slow down, feel what's actually happening, and lead from there.
Founders I've worked with
I'm an executive coach for early stage founders who've proven they can build product but are now learning to build the machine. You know the patterns: decision-making slows to a crawl, standards slip, your best people get frustrated, and you're still the bottleneck in your own company.
I work with founders who are ready to move from hero mode to actual leadership, which means facing the hard conversations, managing their own reactivity, and building teams that perform without constant intervention.
I previously founded and sold Fitocracy, one of the largest fitness social networks of its time. I later led product initiatives at Credit Karma and Eaze as they were scaling. I've been the bottleneck CEO and the scaling leader. Now I help founders make that shift intentionally instead of painfully.
You've hired smart people, but the team isn't gelling. People aren't taking real ownership. You're not sure who's truly bought in versus just going through the motions.
We'll work together to: Get clear on what high performance actually looks like for your team and your stage. Build the muscle to give direct feedback early and often. Turn implicit standards into shared culture that scales beyond you.
You oscillate between authoritarianism and democracy. You're waffling on decisions while your team gets frustrated waiting for direction. You're stuck being the bottleneck in your own company and you're not sure how to get out.
We'll work together to: Shift from approval-seeking to clear ownership. Build frameworks for who makes what decisions and when. Help you lead from strategy instead of staying stuck in execution mode where only you can move things forward.
The board grills you and you spiral for two days. Your A player seems unhappy and suddenly you're questioning everything. You toggle between overconfidence and imposter syndrome. The emotional whiplash is exhausting and it's leaking into how you show up with your team.
We'll work together to: Recognize your patterns when you’re triggered. Build practices that help you stay grounded in the chaos. Shape the role so that you help the company succeed while also enjoying the process.
“Brian helped me build a much clearer way of thinking, especially around people and complex judgment calls. During that time, we went from a Series A company to an exit.”
Michael Chime, CEO of Prepared · acquired by Axon for $640M Brian immediately made me feel at ease. He is a former startup founder. He understands the needs and the stressful times of an early-stage startup. In the last eight months, we've gone through some pretty amazing times together, going from 6 people to now 27 and raised our Series A round.…
Anthony ZhangThis testimonial will sound a little corny, but I mean every word. When I first reached out to Brian, I was 18 years into my professional career, having led a venture fund and several companies, and yet, secretly afraid, anxious, and frustrated about my leadership.…
César Salazar As a finance professional, I measure things in terms of ROI and I can say hiring Brian as my executive coach has been the best investment I have made in the last year. Brian is an excellent listener who offers the tools and ideas I need to help me do the deep work of becoming a better leader.…
Justin McLoughlinThe dysfunctional patterns that come out in conflict are defense mechanisms meant to avoid the feelings we most want to avoid. And it is those exact feelings we need to welcome in order to reach meaningful resolution.
This is a guide for you, the fundraising founder, on how to get through a difficult fundraise. It’s split across three sections: taking care of yourself, working with investors, and leading the team. My hope is that this guide helps make your fundraise more likely to succeed while staying healthy throughout the process.
This created an insight: moving toward the source of our discomfort is what leads to freedom. As many wisdom traditions tell us, it’s resistance that creates our suffering. Coming from this stance casts a new light on much of the standard advice on working with the Inner Critic. Reframe the statements! Practice self-compassion! Question the assumptions! Make no mistake, these are all wonderful practices. But they fall short when their intent is to avoid the Critic. Paradoxically, moving fully toward what’s there is the key to internal spaciousness.
If you're interested in learning more about how coaching can help you reach your goals as a leader, reach out to schedule a call. We'll spend the time to discuss your primary challenges and create a roadmap for how to overcome them through coaching.
Coaching engagements generally start at $2,000-$4,000 per month.
Send me a text if you want to get in touch faster.
