Owners don’t need advice from the sidelines. They need an operator who has actually run a business.Fractional COO for owner-led service businesses with $2M-$30M in revenue. I embed in your company, fix what’s stuck, and own the outcome.30 years building service organizations. I bootstrapped, scaled, and exited a multi-unit franchise: $4M to $9M in revenue, margins intact.[Take the free 5-minute Operator Snapshot]Clients engage me when• Growth is outpacing the organization's ability to execute • The owner has become the bottleneck • A sale, succession, or leadership transition is approaching • An acquisition left teams, systems, or processes disconnected • Margins are tightening and operational visibility is thin • A critical initiative is stalled with no ownerWho I work with Business owners: Build a stronger, more profitable business that runs without you.Investors and acquirers: See what the data room won’t show. A fixed-fee, 2-3 week diagnostic before you close, and integration leadership after. [Talk through a deal]Where is work getting stuck in your business? Find it. Fix it. Make it work. [Take the Operator Snapshot]
I’ve run the business you’re trying to fix.I’m Evan Stein. For 30 years I’ve built and run service organizations, including a multi-unit franchise I started, scaled, and sold.I’ve made payroll, held margins, hired and fired, and been the person accountable when the numbers missed. That’s why I don’t work from the sidelines. I don’t hand you a report and leave. I step in as your Fractional COO, take ownership of the problem, and work alongside you and your team until it’s solved.What I see again and againMost of my clients are owner-led service businesses between $2M and $30M. The patterns repeat: strong companies get stuck where growth, people, systems, and visibility collide. Revenue climbs, but the owner becomes the bottleneck, margins slip, and nobody can say exactly why.For investors and acquirersI also work with buyers and investors who want to know what they’re really buying. In two to three weeks, I diagnose the business from the inside: key-person dependency, margin leakage, and the gaps a data room won’t show. If you close, I stay to lead integration.What I believe* Execution beats strategy that never ships. * Visibility comes before improvement. You can’t fix what you can’t see. * The goal is a business that runs without you in the middle.What I believe • Execution beats strategy that never ships. • Visibility comes before improvement. You can’t fix what you can’t see. • The goal is a business that runs without you in the middle.Tell me what’s broken. I’ll tell you honestly whether I can help. Owners: [Take the Operator Snapshot] | Investors and acquirers: [Talk through a deal]
Find it. Fix it. Make it work.I don’t build dependency. I find the real constraint, work with your team to fix it, and leave you with a business that runs better without you at the center.Step 1: Find itFor owners: Start with the Operator Snapshot, a free 5-minute assessment that gives you a one-page view of your biggest operational bottleneck. If it points to something worth digging into, we go deeper: I review your operations, numbers, people, and processes and give you an honest assessment, a clear view of what needs to change, and a recommendation on where to focus. If I’m not the right fit, I’ll say so.For investors and acquirers: A 2-3 week, fixed-fee diagnostic before you close. I assess the business from the inside: key-person dependency, margin leakage, and the systems gaps a data room won’t show. You get a clear view of what you’re buying and what it will take to run it.Step 2: Fix itI step in alongside your leadership team as your Fractional COO, take ownership of the priorities, and drive execution. In practice, that means:• A weekly operating rhythm and clear accountability for every priority • Real-time visibility into margins, utilization, and performance • Systems and processes your team will actually use • Leading integration after an acquisition, or preparing the business for a sale, succession, or transition • Taking ownership of a stalled initiative and driving it to completionStep 3: Make it workThe goal isn’t to make the business dependent on me. It’s to leave it stronger. I document what matters, develop your people, establish clear ownership, and hand off to your team or a permanent hire.How we can work togetherFor owners• Fractional COO: Part-time operating leadership, embedded in your business, without the cost of a full-time executive. • Project engagement: Focused ownership of one problem or initiative, with a defined outcome.For investors and acquirers• Pre-close diagnostic: Fixed-fee, 2-3 weeks. • Post-close operating leadership: Integration, turnaround, and value creation for acquired and portfolio companies.Where is work getting stuck in your business? Owners: [Take the Operator Snapshot] | Investors and acquirers: [Talk through a deal]Evan Stein Founder | ES Consulting Fractional COO [email protected]
