Hi, I’m Jenny.
“Your business is meant to be an enabler of a better life, today and in whatever you choose next.”
I help founders of privately held businesses build companies that reward them now and give them a genuine choice later: to scale, to step back, or to sell, on their terms.
Between $2M and $20M, growth and strategic value are on the same continuum. The strategy, structure and people that free you from day-to-day operations are the same things that make your business valuable to a buyer, investor or successor. So I don’t treat growth and exit as separate projects. I help founders build for both at once.
I’m a strategy adviser, not a transaction broker, so I’m not here to sell your business. I’m here to help you build one worth owning, worth investing in, or worth acquiring.
I work from my home office on the Mornington Peninsula, with the beach nearby and a view of the water. I got here because I learned the hard lessons in CEO and founder roles myself, and through that, ultimately learned how to have a business and a life.
Hi, I’m Jenny.
“Your business is meant to be an enabler of a better life, not something that drains your time and energy.”
Putting in place business strategy, management tools and structure for medium sized companies is what I do. My philosophy is that your business should be an enabler of a better life, rather than something that tethers you to it.
I support CEOs who are navigating challenges as they transition from a growing business to a bigger and more professionally structured company. I help them get their business back under control, ready for the next stage of growth, and also free up their time so they can be more strategic. Day to day operational problem-solving will always keep you tethered, until the right people and strategy are in place to support you.
I now work from my home office on the Mornington Peninsula with the beach nearby and a view of the water. I got to this long wished-for position because I experienced the hard lessons in CEO roles myself, and through that, learned how to have a business and a life!
Let me help you to do the same.
My story
Early in my role as CEO of a public company, it wasn’t uncommon for me to get home at nine o’clock at night. My thinking time came when everyone else had gone home, so I stayed late and worked weekends.
I was stretched to my limit, and by default involved in everything. I was managing 18 direct reports, over 100 employees across the Australian business and two international divisions, while overseeing sales, marketing, customer service, technical support, major clients, people and investor presentations.
The founders were completely against changing anything to do with people or structure. It was exhausting, frustrating and unfulfilling, and it consumed my entire life.
Once the founders were bought out, I was free to do what had to be done. I put the right structure and people in place, made the business more efficient, and built a capable team I could rely on to execute and deliver. Sales, profitability and the team all improved, and I was promoted from CEO to Managing Director on the board.
That experience taught me something I’ve seen again and again since: a business that depends on its leader for everything is hard to run, hard to grow, and hard to sell. A business that runs without you is better on all three counts.
Since then I’ve run companies from startup to $20M, held several CEO roles running others’ companies, and established and grown businesses of my own. Over three decades I’ve advised hundreds of business owners through CEO mastermind groups, high-end consultancy and 1:1 advisory.
Credentials:
- Former CEO and Managing Director of a publicly listed software company
- Author of Small Business CEO; The 7% Club; and Value First, Exit Later
- Host of The 7% Club podcast
- Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)
- Australian Business Book Awards Finalist
- Keynote speaker and presenter to Founder and CEO groups
My story
Early on in a CEO role heading up a publicly listed company, it wasn’t uncommon for me to get home at nine o’clock at night. My thinking time came when everyone else had gone home, so I stayed late in the office. I also worked weekends.
I eventually became overwhelmed and stretched to my limit having to manage 18 direct reports. I had to be hands-on with the Australian business and two international divisions, as well as oversee sales, marketing, customer service, technical support, major client relationships, people management, investor presentations and so it went on.
Managing the increasing complexity in the business and the growth that came with it was not sustainable. As companies grow, so does the complexity of running them, which takes your focus away from growth and strategy. The complexity tethers you in day to day problem-solving.
The founders were completely against me changing anything to do with people or structure.
It was exhausting, frustrating and unfulfilling – and it consumed my entire life, literally.
However, once the founders were bought out of the business, it left me free to do what had to be done. My priority was to put the right structure and the right people in place to reduce the operational load on me, implement improvements to be more efficient and effective, and be able to confidently rely on a capable team to execute and deliver.
The significant improvements and achievements I was able to make with my team resulted in being promoted from CEO to Managing Director on the board. Business was better, I was less stressed and life was definitely better.
The key to being in control of your business rather than it controlling you, is the right strategy, the right structure with the right people in the right roles, and the right management tools.
My goal is simply to help business owners feeling under pressure, to create better strategies that will put you back in control of your growth with less stress and better results.
I know all these strategies work because I’ve used them all as CEO of different companies facing multiple challenges. I’ve used them to help my clients. I’ve taught these strategies. They work.
Now I can help you too!
Create a valuable business with strong foundations, a capable team, and profitable results.
Access Jenny‘s insights to build your business, your team and leadership capabilities and map your strategic direction. It’s never too soon to map the path to freedom with manageable and profitable growth.
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