Structure that holds without you.
Operational structure, leadership-team development, and deliberate technology positioning for founder-led businesses between $500k and $15M — in professional services, legal, agencies, and construction.
I help founders see clearly where the business is leaking time, money and authority, then install the structure to fix it.
The bottleneck is structural, not personal
Most founders do not stall from bad decisions. They stall because responsibility grows faster than structure — until the business depends on one person to hold it together. Purpose In Action installs the operating structure and develops the leadership team to hold it, so the business becomes structurally independent of its founder.
The Firm Foundation Framework
Four pillars. Each maps a human symptom to a structural correction, installed in sequence.
Financial Visibility
You find out about a cash problem when it has already happened.
Predictive 30–90 day forward cash flow and margin-by-service-line tracking.
Decision Authority
Every discount, hire and purchase still waits for your yes.
Threshold-Based Authority Maps — who decides what, without the founder.
Leadership Rhythm
The weekly meeting happens. Nothing changes because of it.
Decision-First Cadences that replace activity-reporting meetings.
Accountability Design
Everyone agrees it matters. No-one's name is against it.
Outcome Governance — one accountable owner for every critical KPI.
Two ways to work together
Most engagements start with a 4-Week Operational Assessment — a paid, no-obligation look at exactly how I work, ending in a prioritised plan that's yours to keep. From there, two ways to continue:
Founder Operational Advisory
Installs operational structure and develops the leadership team to hold it, then hands ownership back — install, stabilise, exit.
Right when revenue is $500k–$2M and the right systems do not yet exist.
$3,500–$7,500 / month
Read more →Fractional COO
Embedded operational leadership for businesses that need ongoing governance rather than time-limited correction.
Right when drift keeps returning and revenue is $1M+ with compounding complexity.
$8,500–$15,000 / month
Read more →Proven outcomes
What founders say
AAWe love working with David. It may end up being the most impactful decision we have made in our business.
Law firm partner
LTHe builds operating rhythm. Getting a leadership team to meet consistently, with a real agenda and a place for issues to land, sounds simple. It isn't. David makes it stick, and the results show.
Lloyd T · Founder, business consultancy
TTDavid has a rare ability to help you cut through the noise and focus on what actually matters.
Tomáš Tašić · CEO
MWHe turns operational insight into meaningful change. I recommend him to any founder looking for not only measurable efficiencies, but sustainable top-line revenue growth.
Max Warren · Fractional COO & CRO
Who it is for
Founder-led businesses between $500k and $15M where growth has outpaced internal structure — and the founder has become the single point of failure.
Professional services
Firms scaling past the point informal coordination can hold.
Law firms
Billing, collections, and capacity under structural strain.
Digital agencies
Margin and delivery predictability as headcount grows.
Construction
Delivery and ownership as the team scales under pressure.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fractional COO?
A fractional COO is an experienced operations leader who works with a business part-time — installing operating structure, developing the leadership team, and governing performance — without the cost or permanence of a full-time hire.
How is this different from a management consultant?
A consultant typically diagnoses and reports. Purpose In Action is a Systems Designer: it installs the structure, develops the people to hold it, and hands ownership back — so the improvement stays after the engagement ends.
Who do you work with?
Founder-led businesses between $500k and $15M in professional services, legal practices, digital agencies, consultancies and construction, across the UK and United States.
Begin with a conversation
A focused 30-minute Operational Clarity Call — a direct read of where the business stands, not a sales pitch. Time-boxed work, ownership handed back, no obligation.
Book an Operational Clarity Call →