The founder is still the system.
Every priority, approval, and escalation still runs through one person.
Build the next stage without building a bigger team.
Senior commercial and operating support for resourceful early-stage brands that need clearer priorities, stronger execution, and more from every dollar.
Talk through the bottleneck
One useful conversation.
No hard sell.
Early momentum creates operational drag.
Growth creates more decisions, more coordination, and more ways for important work to stall. The problem is rarely ambition. It is experienced ownership.
Retail arrives before operations are ready.
The opportunity is real, but forecasting, margins, onboarding, and execution need an owner.
Important work has no clear owner.
The work matters now, but another full-time executive does not yet make sense.
Senior ownership without another full-time hire.
Talk through the pressure point ↗
Move the work that is slowing the business down.
The scope follows the bottleneck. We bring senior judgment, hands-on execution, and enough flexibility to work across the priorities that matter now.
Clarity first. Then we move the work.
No long discovery phase and no consultant theater. We identify the pressure point, agree on the right level of support, and get close enough to help carry it.
Tell us what is changing.
We clarify the bottleneck, the stakes, and what useful progress would look like.
Choose the right support.
We agree on dedicated time, priorities, and where experienced ownership belongs.
Work alongside an operator.
Strategy becomes decisions, systems, launches, follow-through, and completed work.
Choose the amount of ownership the work needs.
Start with one month. Cancel before the next renewal. Quarterly and annual commitments can reduce the effective monthly price.
Focused senior support
10 HOURS
Dedicated senior time / month
For founders who need experienced judgment and focused help on the highest-priority work.
What is included
- Senior advisory access
- Focused execution support
- Shared priorities and cadence
Strategy and execution
20 HOURS
Dedicated senior time / month
For teams that need consistent ownership across a focused set of commercial priorities.
What is included
- Strategy and execution
- Weekly operating cadence
- Ownership of priority workstreams
Embedded senior ownership
40 HOURS
Dedicated senior time / month
For businesses that need a senior operator inside the team for sustained ownership and execution.
What is included
- Embedded senior involvement
- Ownership across workstreams
- Weekly leadership cadence
Strategy, design, and development for a stronger online presence.
Scoped to fitDiscuss a website project ↗
Clear terms.
No surprises.
Dedicated operating time should feel flexible, transparent, and easy to manage.
What counts as dedicated time?
Meetings, preparation, research, admin, retailer or distributor onboarding, coordination, documentation, and agreed execution.
How are hours tracked?
We track actual time by workstream and share a clear monthly summary. You receive a heads-up when 80% of the allocation is used.
Do unused hours roll over?
No. Hours reset each billing period. We plan priorities together so the available time is used where it matters.
What happens when the time is used?
We pause, reprioritize, add an approved block, or move to a better-fit plan. There are no surprise charges.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel before the next renewal. Payments are non-refundable, and support continues through the paid period. If the value is not meeting the agreed expectation, we will address it directly and work in good faith to make it right.
How quickly will you respond?
Messages are acknowledged within one business day. Completion timing depends on scope and priority.
Lean teams still deserve senior judgment.
Know where senior judgment matters and where simple execution is enough.
Built by an operator, not a pitch deck.
Sean McDonough has spent more than a decade inside consumer-brand growth, from field sales and ecommerce to retail, distribution, leadership, and emerging-brand launches. Assist Operators puts that experience inside the next decision and the work that follows.
CPG + retailSales + distributionEcommerce + websites
See Sean's operating experience
Gold Medal, Inc.
Vice President of Sales supporting consumer-brand retail growth, commercial planning, distributor economics, and launch execution.
Tru Inc.
Sales and distribution leadership across successive stages of growth, from regional execution to national commercial ownership.
Red Bull Distribution Company
Field sales, account development, product placement, territory growth, and consistent customer execution.
Wears Woody
Sales, retail activations, inventory, merchandising, ecommerce, supply chain, and customer experience.
08
We only take on work where we believe experienced support can make a meaningful difference.
What does your business need next?
Tell us what is changing, what feels stuck, and where experienced operating support could help. We will respond candidly about fit.
Talk through the bottleneck