ADVISORY
Operating advisory. Structured, with exit gates.
I work with post-PMF founders, when the company is still growing but something feels off that you can't quite name yet. I diagnose at the governance layer using Đông Rùa Theory, then work with you until the results show up on the P&L, in the team, in you.
Four principles
Skin in the game first.
I don't advise on things I haven't built myself, or invested in long enough to have conviction. If your problem sits outside that, I'll say so and point you to someone better.
Diagnosis before prescription.
No advice before I understand the root cause. The early diagnostic time is on me, unbilled. Solving the wrong problem costs you more than it costs me.
Always an Engagement Charter.
Every engagement opens with a Charter: the problem to solve, measurable success criteria, a committed timeline, exit gates at each milestone. Nobody gets stuck in it.
Ecosystem over ego.
Need deep AI, executive development, legal, finance or HR? I pull vetted specialist partners in for exactly that. I don't hold everything myself and do it all half-well.
A four-phase process
Discovery · Free
A 45-minute conversation.
To check whether your problem sits at the layer I solve, and whether we fit. No slides, no proposal.
Diagnostic · 2-4 weeks
I do the work directly, no hand-off.
Output: a Governance Health Report and intervention options for you to choose the path.
Implementation · 3-6 months
Milestone by milestone, each an exit gate.
Myself plus vetted specialist partners. At each gate, both sides decide: continue, adjust, or stop.
Retainer · Optional
A monthly advisory cadence.
After the last gate, if it helps: hold momentum and catch new problems early, before they become symptoms.
Real bandwidth
- 5Companies in Diagnostic at once, max
- 15Active engagements at once, max
- 100%Engagements briefed and reviewed by me directly
When bandwidth is full, I don't take more. This isn't scarcity marketing, it's a commitment to the quality of the diagnosis.
Straight talk
At this stage, I lead every engagement directly. A Managing Director and Associates are a 24-month roadmap, not a day-one reality. I'm transparent with every client about that.
Are we a fit
I work best with: companies past product-market fit, revenue from $2M/year, a team of 20+, a founder/CEO in the driver's seat, HQ in Vietnam (including SEA expansion), ready to put in 10-20 hours a month.
Sectors where I have authority
- D2C
- Ecommerce
- SaaS
- Media
- Ecom Enabler
- Game & App Studio
- Consumer Product
- O2O / Retail
Outside these (traditional manufacturing, banking, pharma, non-digital F&B, pre-commercial deep tech), I'll point you to someone better. A warm intro through the network gets a reply within 48 hours. No intro yet? Send it anyway, I read every request.
Is your problem at the governance layer?
Let's talk for 45 minutes.
Free, no slides. You tell me what keeps you up at night; I ask questions. If I'm not the right fit, I'll say so and point you to someone better.