Most leaders I work with aren't doing anything obviously wrong. The strategy mostly makes sense. The people are capable. What's missing is an operating model that connects them, and someone willing to name what's actually blocking execution. That gap gets more expensive every quarter you don't close it.
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Good companies stall for surprisingly specific reasons, and the reasons are almost always the same.
The strategy exists but doesn't travel. By the time it reaches the people executing it, it's been filtered through two or three layers of interpretation into something vaguer than anyone intended. Good people work hard, but not always on the right things, because priorities shift without warning and the brief was never fully clear to begin with. There's no shared system for deciding what actually matters this quarter, no rhythm for reviewing whether it's working, and no simple way to course-correct when it isn't.
Everyone is busy. The company isn't compounding. That gap is almost always fixable faster than you'd expect.
This works for a specific type of leader.
Co-founder, Stun & Awe · Fractional COO
I've been the CEO of a 100-person tech company operating across 15 countries. I've sat on the executive committee of a $1.5B business. I've run operations inside WPP, PwC, and Bombardier, and I'm currently fractional COO of two 60-person organizations while running Stun & Awe.
Two weeks into my current fractional COO engagement, I'd already mapped the core issues. That's not luck. It's pattern recognition built across 20 years of running and fixing companies at every scale. I've been in every seat at the table, and I know exactly where things break down when a company outgrows its operating system.
Leadership teams transformed
Startups and scaleups advised
Markets operated in
Days to visible results
Two companies. Two months. Same root problem. Fixed.
Here's what the work actually looks like when you go in, make the hard calls, and leave a system that holds.
Transformation Consultancy — 60 Employees
Strategy lived in the founder's head. Eleven product lines pulled sixty people in different directions with no shared metrics and no communication rhythm. The company wasn't failing, it was bleeding slowly and expensively.We cut the portfolio to two core products, identified €50,000 in immediate savings, moved people into roles that matched their strengths, and deployed custom AI agents for the sales team. Within two months the energy of the place had shifted entirely, not because we ran a culture workshop, but because people finally knew where the company was going.
Tech Company — 100 Employees
Real capability, real potential, no shared map. Strategy existed at the leadership level but never traveled, by the time it reached the people executing it, it had been filtered into something unrecognizable. Underperformers stayed too long. High performers grew restless.We established a strategic direction that actually traveled through the organization, addressed the people issues directly, built the communication infrastructure, installed metric visibility, and deployed the AI systems that held everything together after we left. The team came with us because we brought them into the process, not just the outcome.
60 days. Here's exactlywhat happens. Every engagement starts with a conversation. We scope the work together based on what you actually need. The goal is always the same: your team runs without you in every room.
Week 1–2
We map exactly where clarity breaks down — team interviews, priority audit, metrics review. We find the real bottleneck, not the comfortable one.
Week 3–4
People, products, priorities. The decisions that should have been made six months ago get made now — and we help you make them well
Week 5–7
Communication structure, metric visibility, custom AI tools trained on your business. The operating model built for how your company actually works.
Week 8
We verify the gains are holding, hand over the full operating playbook, and set you up for what comes next. Ongoing support available if you want the momentum to keep compounding.
Compare it to the alternative. A Head of Operations costs €80,000-120,000 per year in salary alone, before benefits, before onboarding, and before the six months it takes them to understand your business well enough to actually help. For one client, I identified €50,000 in immediate savings before the first invoice cleared. The question isn't whether you can afford this. It's what another six months of the same problem is actually costing you.Every engagement starts with a free 45-minute call. We scope the work together based on what you actually need — there's no fixed package, because every company's situation is different.
Real outcomes from peoplewho did the work. Every engagement starts with a conversation. We scope the work together based on what you actually need. The goal is always the same: your team runs without you in every room.
Teads
"Michel brought a valuable external perspective that helped us clarify our opportunities and evaluate different go-to-market paths. He challenged our assumptions in a thoughtful way. Together we mapped out short-, medium-, and long-term tactics that aligned with our product vision and commercial goals. The process gave us both strategic clarity and practical next steps."
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Chemist & AI Engineer
Super relevant workshop. It changed completely the way I think about running an early stage startup. Thank you! 👍
Michel’s workshop was a game-changer for me. It completely shifted how I think about sales—not as something you do after building, but as a tool to build the right thing. The hands-on approach and AI-driven strategies made it super practical. I walked away ready to test, iterate, and take action. Highly recommend to anyone looking to level up their sales game!
NBT
"Michel's sessions were among the highlights of our Germany Market Entry Program. He brought deep expertise and practical, real-world insights that resonated with our startups. His ability to break down complex corporate dynamics and sales strategies into actionable steps was exactly what our founders needed. We highly recommend working with Michel to anyone looking to go beyond theory and into execution."
"I've known Michel for several years, and I've always admired his and Stun & Awe's ability to step in and help out a client at a moment's notice. Whether it's an hour-long brainstorming session with a founder or CEO, a structured workshop, or a hands-on growth project, they always provide top-quality outcomes. I highly recommend them!"
“I really like how intuitive the SPES model is and how it can be implemented almost instantly in a startup.”
Startup Academy Manager, Technische Universität Berlin
Stun and Awe hosted a workshop on AI-powered sales and marketing; one of the best we’ve had in our Science & Startups Program. Super engaging, full of real, actionable strategies, useful tools and no fluff, just practical insights founders could start using right away. A few participants even said it was the best workshop they’ve ever attended! If you’re looking for a high-impact session on using AI to accelerate sales and growth, I highly recommend working with Michel and Stun and Awe's team!
Investor and MD, Mobexo GmbH
Right from the start, Michel had this amazing way of making complex things feel simple and manageable. He helped us see exactly what opportunities and risks lay ahead, gave us concrete tools and methodologies, helped us save time, money, and energy, and empowered us to make a tough call with confidence. He is highly experienced and truly cares about his clients.
Michel really knows how to help you focus and act on your top priorities. He's action-oriented and draws on a really diverse business expertise to help you challenge your assumptions on what is the most impactful thing to work on.
Co-founder | Data & AI powered products
Great workshop, with so many takeaways, which I could just plug in and optimise my process. Thank you Michel
Product Leader, CEO of Omoqo
"Michel is outstanding. He knows what it takes to move startups from zero to success. Authentic and honest, Michel goes straight to the point, leveraging a wealth of experience and expertise. Working with Michel can help you boost value creation and reduce the odds of failure."_
Michel’s experience in running a company was clear from the first minutes we spoke. Within weeks he helped me prioritize and focus on the most important work, delegate and taught me a full framework to switch from managing tasks to managing my company. Highly recommended!
We'll identify your biggest execution constraint together. You'll leave with a clear five-point action plan you can use immediately — whether you decide to work with us or not.
No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about where your company is losing momentum and what it would take to close that gap.
