Senior operator judgment for founder‑led companies.
I'm Matt Howitt. I founded a company, ran it as CEO, grew it organically and by acquisition, and sold it in early 2024. Before that, I was an executive at several venture-backed startups. I still run businesses of my own. Now I work with a small number of founders on the same decisions I'm making in my own businesses — what to build, whether to buy, how to price and sell, how to structure the company, and how to build the team.
What you're actually buying
Counsel — someone to think the hard problems through with, and to help you make the call. I've been in that chair, and I've made most of these calls before.
Most of it is judgment work: you describe the decision, I've usually seen some version of it, and we get to a real answer in the call instead of over the next three weeks.
The decisions fall into six areas: strategy and direction, team, product and go-to-market, corporate development and M&A, finance, and the cap table. The Work goes through each one.
Who this is for
Founder-led companies where the founder is the CEO and the consequential calls still land on one person. Size and industry matter less than that — these decisions repeat across companies, and I've seen a lot of them repeat.
Who this isn't for
- You need execution muscle. Hire it. I'm not going to be the person doing the work.
- You want a permanent fractional CFO or COO. That's a real need and a real service; it isn't this one.
- You’re in genuine crisis and need a turnaround. Different skill, and you need someone full-time.
- You need someone to raise money for you. I don't raise capital. I'll point you at people who do it for a living, and I don't take a fee for it.
- You want someone to run a sale process. That's a banker's job and I'm not one. I'll help you get ready, help you read what comes back, and tell you when it's time to hire one — and I don't take a fee on the deal either way.
How it works
A monthly retainer, not a project. What it covers and how an engagement starts is on Engagements.
I still do this myself
I'm not a career advisor and I'm not retired. I own and operate businesses today — real estate development, private lending, and several operating companies. Personal guarantees, real capital, decisions that turn out wrong sometimes. This month, not in 2019.