Fractional COO · Creative-led businesses

Operations for creative-led businesses at scale.

Embedded part-time operational leadership for content-led businesses — from start-ups and SMEs scaling content strategy, execution and analytics, through to ad agencies bringing production in-house and reducing third-party spend. I run the business with you for 3–6 months — and leave behind systems that run without me.

BasedVietnam
Engagements3–6 months · part-time
Availability1–2 clients at a time
Portrait — direct-to-camera, business-casual
0
missed shoots across an 8-month engagement
45%
faster pre-production efficiency per video series
30%
fewer founder hours spent on operational coordination
$5M+
in client projects delivered to spec, on time
Operations behind brand campaigns for
SAMSUNG
Mondelēz
VISA
YouTube
Fractional COO engagements
7-figure
YouTube channel
Globally-based
production houses
Pre-seed & seed
round businesses
Founder-led
creative agency
The problem

You’ve built momentum.
Now operations are slowing you down.

Whether you’re a start-up or an established business, this probably sounds familiar.

~96%

of small businesses that cross $1M in revenue never reach $10M — losing margin, momentum, and key people as operational complexity outpaces the founder.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses (annual receipts data).
  • You’re still the bottleneck on every brief, edit, and approval.
  • Your team is busy — but rarely aligned on what matters this week.
  • Output is inconsistent. Some weeks the work flies, some weeks nothing ships.
  • Growth feels reactive. You’re running the business one fire at a time.
Portrait — operating-mode photo, neutral expression
About

Most COOs understand systems.
Few understand creative production at scale.

Fifteen years operating inside creative production — directing, producing, and running global campaigns for Samsung, Mondelēz, Visa, YouTube, and many others. Then six years running the operations behind a $5M+ branded-content slate.

Today, my goal is to add real, lasting value — which is why I work as a Fractional COO, particularly across the content economy. Start-ups and SMEs scaling content strategy, execution and analytics; ad agencies bringing production in-house to reduce third-party spend; production houses, content platforms, and 7-figure creator businesses needing strategic operational vision. The combination — creative judgment plus operational rigour — is rare. It’s the part most of my clients can’t hire for.

Best fit

  • Founder-led creative, content or production business
  • Start-ups & SMEs scaling content strategy, execution and analytics
  • Ad agencies looking to capitalise on in-house content production and reduce third-party spend
  • Established agencies needing strategic operational vision
  • Team of 5–60+ with growing output complexity
  • Founder or CEO ready to step out of day-to-day ops

Probably not

  • Pre-revenue or pre-product startups
  • Looking for a full-time exec hire
  • Need a virtual assistant or project manager
  • Not yet operationally complex enough to need a COO
How I work with you

Three ways to bring me into the business.

All engagements start with a 30-minute exploratory call. No deck, no pitch — just whether the fit is real.

01 / Fractional COO

Embedded operational leadership.

For founder-led businesses in need of scale — anywhere from $200k through to $2M+ revenue. I run the business with you for 3–6 months — fix what’s breaking, build the systems and team structure to support the next phase, and hand back a company that runs without me.

Engagement3–6 months
Commitment2 days/week
FocusSystems · People · Execution
ModelEmbedded retainer
02 / Advisory & Consulting

Strategic advisory for CEOs with an ops team.

For founders who already have an operations lead but want an experienced operator in the room for the decisions you can’t outsource: org design, hiring, system rebuilds, post-investment integration. Two days a month, focused on what moves the needle.

Engagement3-month minimum
Commitment2 days/month
FocusStrategy · Org Design · Hiring
ModelMonthly retainer
03 / Operational Projects

Fixed-scope sprints, fixed-fee delivery.

When you know the operational problem and just need it fixed: workflow rebuilds, team restructures, production-system implementations, post-acquisition integration. Defined deliverable. Defined timeline. Defined fee.

Engagement2–12 weeks
CommitmentVariable
FocusWorkflows · Systems · Integration
ModelFixed fee
The approach

From diagnosis to handoff in four phases.

Every engagement runs the same arc, scaled to scope. The goal is not to make the business dependent on me — it’s to make the business work without me.

01 — Weeks 1–2

Diagnose

Audit current systems, workflows, team structure, and output. Identify the three operational levers that move the business most.

02 — Weeks 3–4

Design

Build the operating cadence, accountability structure, and tooling. Align the team around clear priorities and a weekly rhythm.

03 — Months 2–4

Implement

Roll out the new systems alongside the team. Coach leads on running them. Solve problems in real time. Make execution the default.

04 — Months 5–6

Hand off

Document, train, and remove founder dependency. Leave behind a business that runs without me — or you, if you want it to.

Case studies

Real engagements. Real numbers. Real handoff.

Two recent engagements illustrating the work.

8-month engagement · 2025

7-figure food & travel YouTube business — production restructure.

Situation

Founder-led YouTube business with 12M subscribers on the main channel and 3.7M on the secondary channel. Revenue was strong but the operation needed order brought to chaos. Consistency was lacking, infrastructure was struggling, and output had stalled. The founder was the bottleneck on every script, edit, and thumbnail. Employee sentiment was diminishing, and the culture was under strain.

Approach
  • Mapped the end-to-end production pipeline and pinpointed four critical hand-off points responsible for 70% of delivery delays
  • Designed a robust production workflow that replaced the founder-as-hub model
  • Implemented a detailed production and post-production system covering brief, shoot, edit, review, and publish
  • Established a weekly producers’ editorial cadence with locked review windows — replacing ad-hoc founder approvals with a structured pipeline
  • Hired three producers, two editors, and an HR manager — bringing stability, support, and capacity for growth
  • Deployed new working standards for central team communication and collaboration — streamlining workflows from brief to final delivery
“I went from spending 60% of my week on production logistics to maybe 10%. The team finally has a rhythm and output is consistent. It’s the single best business decision I made in 2025.”
— Founder · YouTube Channel
0
missed shoots across the engagement
45%
faster pre-production efficiency per video series
0
founder hours on day-to-day production scheduling, by month four
Operational artefact
BEFORE — FOUNDER AS HUB F Research Write Edit Thumb. AFTER — PRODUCTION TEAMS Prod 1 Prod 2 Prod 3 Each team: Researcher · Writer · Editor · Producer 3 Producers · 2 Editors · HR Manager (new hires)
12-week project · 2024

Globally-based production house — operational restructure for scale.

Situation

30-person production house with revenue upwards of $10M. The founders wanted to understand how to scale further — and what was holding the team back from getting there — without losing quality, motivation, or drive. Each employee operated with different working styles and perspectives, leaving three senior producers each running their own ad-hoc systems.

Approach
  • Deep-dive internal audit across skillsets, working styles and personal motivators — applying a structured design-thinking framework to surface what was working, what was holding the team back, and where untapped potential was sitting
  • Restructured business operations around clear expectations, ownership and accountability — across producers, leads and founders
  • Wrote and trained the team on a single, unified producer playbook
“Stuart turned three operating models into one — without making us feel less like ourselves. Output has increased in both quality and quantity, and the team are empowered and motivated. We hired our 35th person last month.”
— Co-Founder · Production house
10%
attrition rate post-restructure — meaningfully below industry baseline
1
unified producer playbook replacing three parallel systems
12
weeks engagement, end-to-end with founder hand-off
What founders say

In their words.

“Stuart turned a chaotic production team into something that ran like a business. Six weeks in we were missing zero deadlines. Six months in I was finally taking weekends.”
SC
Sarah C. Founder · 7-figure YouTube business
“He doesn’t just advise — he builds systems that survive him. We still run the operating cadence he set up two years later. Best ROI of any consultant I’ve hired.”
JM
James M. CEO · Creative agency, London
“The rare consultant who understands creative work and operational discipline equally. Helped us scale without adding the layer of bureaucracy I was dreading.”
PR
Priya R. Co-Founder · Production house, $3M+ revenue

Names lightly anonymised for the mockup. Replace with real testimonials, photos, and LinkedIn links — buyers at this level will check.

Start a conversation

Let’s build a business
that runs without you.

If you’re a founder or CEO of a creative-led business ready to step out of the day-to-day, send me a note. I respond personally within 48 hours.

  • 30-minute exploratory call, no deck and no pitch
  • Honest read on whether the fit is real before either of us commits
  • If we proceed, a written engagement plan within a week

Tell me about the business.

Five fields. Two minutes. I read every one.

Send the note