A sounding board built for the decisions that don't come with a template.
Monthly advisory for Australian founders running $5m+ businesses — from someone who has operated, exited, raised the capital, and sat on the other side of the board table. Not a coach. Not a fractional hire. A direct line to a peer who's already made the calls you're making now.
- 15+
- Years operating & investing
- A$100m+
- Capital raised across ventures
- 50+
- Companies backed as investor
- 1 exit
- Plus one founder-led step-back
Past $5m, the good advice gets thinner.
Early on, there's no shortage of help — accelerators, generic coaches, first-time investor advice, all pitched at getting a business off the ground. Once a business clears real revenue and starts making board-level decisions, most of that support stops fitting.
What's left is either too junior — a coach without a scoreboard of their own — or too senior, priced and structured for businesses several multiples larger. In between, most founders make their hardest calls on capital, hiring, and ownership largely on their own, checking their thinking against people who haven't actually made those calls themselves.
"You don't need someone to run the business with you. You need someone to tell you what they'd do — because they've done it."
Not coaching. Not a fractional exec. A retainer with someone who's sat in your seat.
Utilised is a monthly advisory retainer, not a project or a program. Each month, materials come in — financials, shareholder updates, decks, board papers — and get reviewed by one person, directly, with a standing line open for the decisions that can't wait for a scheduled call.
The engagement is built to move with the business. It can stay at a light monthly review, or step up to board attendance, hands-on help with capital materials, and eventually a formal non-executive seat and active involvement in raising — depending on what the next stretch of the business actually needs, not what a fixed program prescribes.
- A monthly retainer, not hourly consulting
- The same person, every time — not a rotating team
- Built to escalate as the business's needs change
- A course, framework, or coaching program
- A part-time operator executing tasks inside your business
- A generalist advisor without direct operating or capital experience
Who you'd actually be working with.
I've spent more than fifteen years operating and investing in Australian businesses. I founded Scendar in 2009 and ran it through to an exit in 2013 — the same year I founded Ignition, which I built and led for the next twelve years before stepping back from day-to-day leadership in 2025. Between the two, I've sat on both sides of the founder's desk: building something from nothing, and later handing over the reins of something much larger — so I know what the view looks like from the founder's chair, including the parts that don't make it into the pitch deck.
Alongside operating, I've spent that time on the other side of the table — as a scout, LP, and investment committee member across multiple funds, I've raised over A$100m and backed more than fifty companies. When a board conversation turns to runway, dilution, or who to call for the next round, that's usually when I get involved.
Four steps, then a standing appointment on your calendar.
Enquire
A short note on where the business stands and what's not working right now is enough to start.
Fit call
Thirty minutes, both ways. More engagements are turned down than taken on — fit matters more than fee here.
Scope the tier
Sounding board, board and capital support, or a full board seat — set against what the next 6–12 months actually need.
Start the retainer
Three-month minimum. Materials start flowing, calls get booked, and a direct line stays open in between.
Priced like a retainer, not a rate card.
All three monthly plans run on a three-month minimum. Fees below exclude GST.
- Six hours per month, reviewing materials
- Financials, shareholder updates, pitch decks and board papers
- Direct line for decisions that can't wait for the next cycle
- Everything in Sounding Board
- Attendance at board meetings
- Hands-on help with decks, models and shareholder updates
- Everything in Tier 02
- Formal non-executive board seat
- Representation at events and pitch meetings
- Active involvement in capital raising
Transaction / capital raise support, on its own
For a single raise or sale process, scoped independently of any monthly retainer.
Transaction fees include expenses. Monthly plans can move between tiers as the engagement develops — most start at Sounding Board.
Built for a specific kind of founder.
Right fit
- Running a business past $5m in revenue, with real complexity and a team
- Facing board, capital, or ownership decisions in the next 6–12 months
- Want a peer who's done it, not a coach who's taught it
- Comfortable working with one person directly, not a firm
Not the right fit
- Pre-revenue, or still finding product-market fit
- Looking for someone to execute day-to-day operating tasks
- Want a large team or firm behind the engagement
- Looking for a one-off consulting project, not an ongoing relationship
What this is, precisely.
Is this coaching?+
No. Coaching is typically built around mindset and accountability. This is board-and-capital-literate advisory from someone who has operated and invested at your stage and beyond — you're getting judgment and a network, not a curriculum.
Is this a fractional executive role?+
No. There's no embedding inside day-to-day operations or running a function inside your business. The engagement reviews, advises, attends, and — where useful — opens doors into capital. Execution stays with you and your team.
Why the three-month minimum?+
Good advisory needs context. Most of the first month goes into understanding the business properly — the minimum protects both sides from a one-off engagement pretending to be a relationship.
Can I move between tiers?+
Yes. Most engagements start at Sounding Board and step up to board attendance or capital support once the need becomes real, rather than paying for it upfront.
What if I only need help with a raise or a sale?+
That's the standalone Transaction Support option — scoped separately from the monthly retainer, priced at A$25,000 minimum or 0.25% of the amount raised or sold, whichever is higher.
Where are you based, and who do you work with?+
Based in Sydney, working primarily with Australian SMB founders. Engagements run nationally over video, with in-person meetings where useful.
Tell me about the business.
A short note on where things stand and what's not working right now is enough to start. Every enquiry gets a real reply — usually within one business day.
Prefer to talk it through first? Use the chat in the corner for a direct line during business hours.