The Heritage ApproachOperator-led growth
Mountain ridgelines and forest at golden hour
Services

Senior operating leadership, sized to the business you have.

Four ways to work together, from a two-week diagnostic to a standing seat on your leadership team.

Flagship · Ongoing

Fractional executive leadership

Most brands between $3M and $30M need a seasoned general manager or operations leader a year or two before they can justify, or find, a full-time one.

Fractional leadership puts that person in the seat now, for one to three days a week. I own outcomes, not recommendations. I run the leadership meeting, hold the scorecard, make decisions within the authority you give me, and build the team and systems that will eventually replace me.

Run the business

Fractional GM / President

You want to get back to product, brand or the big relationships. I run the day-to-day business alongside you.

  • Full P&L ownership with the founder
  • Sales, operations, finance, and technology alignment
  • Annual plan, budget and monthly business reviews
  • Key account and distributor relationships

Ask me about my current fractional GM role running a North American footwear subsidiary.

Build the machine

Fractional COO / VP Operations

Demand is there. Operations can't keep up, or they're eating the margin.

  • Sales & operations planning, forecasting, inventory turns
  • 3PL, fulfillment, freight and import costs
  • ERP, EDI and e-commerce systems (NetSuite, SPS, Shopify)
  • Retailer vendor compliance and customer service

Best for brands in need of process, system, and distribution innovation.

Lead through change

Fractional & Interim CEO

The top seat is open or in transition, and the business can't wait for a search to finish.

  • Founder or owner transitions and succession
  • Investor-backed brands between leaders
  • Turnarounds, restructurings and consolidations
  • Board and investor reporting, strategy and capital plans

Time-boxed, with a clear hand-off to a permanent leader.

Time commitment
1–3 days / week
Typical term
6–18 months
Where
Remote + on-site
Structure
Monthly retainer

A strong fit if

  • You have real revenue and customers who come back
  • Every decision still runs through the founder
  • Margins, cash or inventory are moving the wrong way
  • You need senior leadership before you can afford it full-time

Probably not yet if

  • You're still searching for product-market fit
  • You need a hands-on marketer or designer, not an operator
  • You want a report, not someone accountable for results
Two weeks · Fixed scope

Growth & Profitability Diagnostic

A focused look at where the business is leaking profit and what to do about it first. It's often the first step before a fractional role.

Leather boots planted on rock

What I examine

  • Channel & revenue qualityWholesale versus DTC mix, account profitability, pricing discipline.
  • Gross marginProduct-level margins, landed costs, discounting and hidden cost leaks.
  • Inventory & working capitalTurns, SKU complexity, forecast accuracy, cash tied up in stock.
  • Operations & fulfillment3PL performance, shipping economics, returns, vendor compliance.
  • Systems & decisionsReporting quality, KPIs, organizational clarity and automation.

What you get

  • Executive summaryWhat's working, what isn't, and why.
  • Top five value leversThe actions that will do the most for profit and growth.
  • 90-to-180-day planSequenced, with owners and expected impact.
  • "If I were you"My direct view of what I'd do if I were running the business.
Project · 6–12 weeks

Growth Strategy & Go-to-Market

A plan for where to grow next, and the channel, pricing and operating model to get there profitably.

A skier in mid-air over a snowy slope

Typical questions

  • Which new category or segment should we enter?Market sizing, competitive mapping and the right-to-win test.
  • Which channels, in what order?Specialty, big-box, online marketplaces and DTC, with the economics of each.
  • How do we enter North America?Market entry for European and Latin American brands: import structure, reps, distribution and launch accounts.
  • What will it cost and return?A financial model and planning toolkit your team can keep using.
Recent workGrowth strategy and multi-category go-to-market for Wend / StickyBumps, a heritage surf, ski and snowboard wax brand, spanning the bike, ski and snowboard markets.
For investors

Operational Due Diligence

For private equity firms, independent sponsors, search funds and family offices evaluating or owning consumer brands. You learn how the business actually runs and what it can realistically become.

Silhouette of a deer beside still water at dusk

What I assess

  • Revenue quality & channel riskCustomer concentration, channel economics, durability of growth.
  • Margin integrityTrue gross margin, cost structure and pricing discipline.
  • Operations & supply chainInventory, fulfillment, factory and vendor relationships, scalability.
  • Organizational readinessLeadership capability, decision-making and execution risk.
  • Value creationWhere and how EBITDA can improve after close.

Deliverables

  • Diligence memoClear and concise, written for an investment committee.
  • Risk registerThe hidden issues, ranked by impact.
  • Value creation planWith an optional 100-day operating plan and interim leadership after close.
Operator tools

NameSherpa.ai

Built by The Heritage Approach to solve a problem I kept seeing in product teams. NameSherpa generates on-brand product names and screens each one against live USPTO trademark records, competitor products, search visibility, domains and social handles. The result is a defensible shortlist, with a report ready for legal counsel.

Visit NameSherpa →
Next step

Not sure which fits? Start with a conversation.

Most clients start with a diagnostic or a short call. We'll figure out the right shape together, and I'll send a written proposal within a week.

Book a consultation →