Who it fits
Recognize the problem?
- The CEO is the exception handler across too many functions.
- Sales, operations and service teams struggle to coordinate.
- Managers need priorities, scorecards and clear escalation.
The Operator’s Mandate · Fractional COO & Executive Operations
You don’t need more advice if nobody owns the execution.
Hands-on executive operating support for founder-led businesses where decisions stall, teams work at cross-purposes, and too much still depends on the founder. Agree who owns the work, how decisions get made, and how performance is reviewed.
The first step
30-minute fit conversation.
The principal
Alex Buriak.
The commitment
Scoped before work begins.
01 · The operating condition
The business keeps coming back to you.
Decisions stack up at the founder. Teams pursue different priorities. New offices, products or volume have outgrown the way work gets done. More meetings will not repair missing ownership.
What the scope can include
Make the work concrete.
- Operating baseline and a decision-rights map.
- Cross-functional priorities with named owners.
- Management cadence, scorecards and escalation rules.
- A written 30/60/90-day operating plan and progress reporting.
- Documented handoffs and an agreed exit or transition plan.
02 · Ownership and boundaries
Agree the work. Then do it.
Alex is the principal operator. Weekly capacity, remote or onsite access, authority, reporting, exclusions and duration are agreed in writing. The title does not grant personnel or financial powers. A full-time COO may be the better fit when the business needs daily executive coverage.
03 · How the work moves
Diagnosis. Action. Handoff.
Discovery and diagnostic.
Start with the fit conversation, then scope any deeper diagnostic. Confirm the operating constraint, access, baseline and measures that matter.
Agree the mandate.
Define responsibilities, decision rights, capacity, exclusions and reporting in writing. Name the managers accountable for each priority.
Build the 30/60/90-day plan.
Sequence the agreed priorities, owners and milestones. Work alongside the team to address constraints, strengthen handoffs and establish a practical decision cadence.
Report, adjust and hand off.
Review progress against the baseline, surface unresolved decisions and adjust the plan. Document responsibilities and transfer the operating logic to the team. These are proposed phases; timing and outcomes depend on the agreed mandate.
04 · Operator context
Judgment earned inside the operation.
Alex’s experience spans lending operations, sales, analytics, process, CRM, training and technology. His record includes 632 loans personally closed and helping scale annual company lending production from approximately $40 million to $147 million. These are historical operating facts, not a promise of consulting results.
Founder-led lenders, specialty finance, real estate operators and service businesses are natural starting points. Fit still depends on the actual problem and the expertise it requires.
The Second Read provides founder and executive advisory and coaching when you need a thinking partner. The Revenue Throughline scopes sales and revenue systems. The Operator’s Mandate fits when the business needs hands-on executive operating ownership across functions.
Read Alex’s operating record →What might the first 90 days look like?
An illustrative sequence is baseline and access in days 1–15, cadence and owners in days 16–30, prioritized interventions in days 31–60, then measurement and handoff in days 61–90. This is a planning example, not a promised turnaround or mandatory contract term.
What does progress mean?
Agree the baseline, accountable owner and measures before work starts. Review what changed against those measures. Capacity, timing, access, fees and exit are defined in the proposal. An inquiry creates no obligation to buy.
Start with the problem
Bring the condition. We’ll discuss the fit.
Use the existing 30-minute Consult & Information event for an introductory conversation. Describe what is stuck and the outcome you need. A deeper diagnostic or engagement is separately scoped.
Consulting engagements are scoped with Iron Rock Consulting, LLC. Alex is the principal; delivery capacity and responsibilities are agreed for the work.