Autumn 2026 · Cover story

The founder is still the roadmap.

The product sells, and every decision still waits on one person who never says why. What that cost one founder, and the two moves that change it.

the metaphor
A chef who also seats every table. The food is good, and nobody gets fed on time.
Read the cover storyAll writing
A chef at the host stand seating guests while his cooks wait idle behind the pass
cover: the chef at the host stand

Considerations

Four lanes

All writing
01Zero to OneMaking the first thing work, and the first team that can keep it working.Read the lane →02Small Business and StartupsCash, hiring, pricing and planning when there are only a few of you.Read the lane →03Enterprise StrategyDirection, portfolios and organizational change at scale, AI included.Read the lane →04A Healthy Life in BusinessPlanning, energy and judgment for the person doing the work.Read the lane →

Autumn 2026

In this issue

A full water tower feeding a nearly closed pipe that drips into an empty bucket at a shop door
Small Business and StartupsCash is water, and timing is the pipeWhy a profitable month can still leave you short on Friday, and why the money you could raise today might not be there tomorrow.5 min read
A quiet gym with a pegboard of unused membership cards and one small group working out with a coach
Enterprise StrategyA gym membership isn't a workoutHanding out AI licenses changes almost nothing by itself. What got one design team further in three weeks than in the six months before.6 min read
A wooden sailboat hauled out in dry dock, a worker scraping the hull
A Healthy Life in BusinessThe yearly dry dockOnce a year I end every recurring meeting and rebuild my time around what I want the next year to hold. Boats get hauled out for the same reason.4 min read

Insights by industry

What I'm watching in your industry

FinTechPayments, data, access, riskRead the brief →HealthcareSystems, payers, digital healthRead the brief →Digital agenciesPricing, consolidation, owned IPRead the brief →PlatformsConsolidation, pricing, agentsRead the brief →AIFrom pilots to P&LRead the brief →

The record

Seed-stage teams to apps three billion people use.

The full record
20%lower enterprise operating cost within a year of consolidating a portfolio built from acquisitions10 figuresprofitability impact from billing changes70%faster zero-to-one launches after rebuilding a consulting firm's innovation practice$24Bcredit union assets, up from $17B, through thirteen mergers

Approach

I come aboard for the hard part.

A harbor pilot boards a ship for the hardest stretch of water, brings it through and steps off. The captain keeps the ship.

Eighteen years across payments, platforms, a credit union, federal work and seed-stage teams. Most roles came with one big job, like carrying a credit union through thirteen mergers.

How I work

Work together

When the free essays aren't enough

Ways to work together
Engagement 01Embedded Product AuditWhen the roadmap keeps changing, and the outcomes don't.Is this your moment? →Engagement 02Fractional CPOWhen every product decision still routes through one person.Is this your moment? →Engagement 03Fractional to full-timeWhen you've decided you need a head of product.Is this your moment? →

If any of this sounds familiar, write to me.

Short notes get the best answers. Tell me where the company is and what's worrying you.

Email BrandonLinkedIn