Management consulting — for the messy middle.
Operating advice for founders and executives who are big enough to be carrying real weight but lean enough that every decision touches the calendar. Premium-tier thinking, productized packaging, implementation-heavy delivery.
Who this is for
Founders, CEOs, COOs, and operating partners in companies between roughly five and two hundred people who are facing one of three situations:
- Growth pressure. Revenue is moving faster than management capacity. The team is exhausted, the calendar is melting, and decisions are getting deferred or delegated badly.
- A directional choice. A capital event, a build-vs-buy decision, a product line that needs to shut or scale, a holding-structure question, a co-founder transition, a market expansion.
- A hard quarter. Something broke. Cash, talent, a key partnership, a regulatory letter, a public-facing incident. You need clear-eyed counsel that sees the operating picture without the politics.
This service is not for: companies that need a slide deck for a fundraise (we are not a fundraising adviser), companies looking for a full-time interim executive (we coach the seat, we do not occupy it), or matters that require litigation representation (we are not a law firm).
Problems we actually solve
| Problem | What that looks like | Where we help |
|---|---|---|
| Operating cadence is broken | Weekly meetings exist but decisions stall; nobody is sure who owns what; reporting goes to the founder by default | Redesign the weekly/monthly rhythm; build operator scorecards; install a decision log |
| Build-vs-buy paralysis | Build a system, hire a vendor, buy a competitor, license tech, or use an agent — and the team has been arguing for three months | Run a structured option analysis with unit economics, dependency risk, and a recommended call within 2–3 weeks |
| Capital strategy is unclear | You have multiple capital sources available (debt, equity, revenue-based, strategic partnership) and no framework for choosing | Capital stack design with scenario modeling; investor communication template; board memo |
| The org chart is wrong for where you are going | Three direct reports were right at $2M ARR. At $8M, they are bottlenecks | Org redesign with role definitions, hiring sequence, comp bands, and a 90-day install plan |
| Multi-entity confusion | You have multiple LLCs, an S-Corp, a holding company, and you are not sure what should live where | Multi-entity holding-structure review with a recommended target state and a sequencing plan |
| Crisis communication | Something has gone wrong. The press, a customer, a regulator, or an employee group is asking. You have 24 hours | Crisis posture coaching; statement drafting (operator language, not legalese); stakeholder map |
Deliverables
We do not ship slide decks for sport. Every Clemons Wright engagement produces a specific set of working artifacts:
- Operating diagnostic memo — what is actually happening, in plain operator language, written so the executive can hand it to a partner or board member without rewriting.
- Decision framework — for the specific question on the table, with options scored on a small number of dimensions that match your situation.
- Operating cadence pack — meeting rhythm, agenda templates, decision log, scorecard format, and the 60-day install plan.
- Capital or org-design memo — when in scope, including comp bands, hiring sequence, and the message the team will hear when it is implemented.
- Live dashboard — built in CW Leaders Studio and updated weekly through the engagement, so progress is visible without status meetings.
- Recorded grilling sessions — every major decision point is recorded as a 30-minute hot-seat call with the founder, so the reasoning is on tape.
How we work
- 15-minute orientation call (free) — we listen, you size us up, we say yes or refer you elsewhere if we are not the right fit.
- 2-week diagnostic — document review, two operator interviews (you and one direct report), and a written diagnostic memo. Fixed fee.
- 4–6 week sprint — the specific decision or redesign on the table. Weekly live dashboard updates, mid-sprint Get-Grilled session, end-of-sprint decision memo. Fixed fee.
- Optional retainer — monthly seat-at-the-table advisor for the next 6–12 months. Quoted on completion of the sprint.
We work behind the founder, not in front of them. Every deliverable is something you can show your team and own — not something with our logo on it that has to be rewritten.
Pricing & timeline
| Format | Timeline | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation call | 15 minutes | $0 |
| Get Grilled by the Founder (decision pressure-test) | 30 minutes | $99 |
| Diagnostic memo | 2 weeks | From $4,500 fixed |
| Decision sprint | 4–6 weeks | From $18,000 fixed |
| Monthly retainer | Rolling | From $6,500 / month |
| Project engagement (custom) | Variable | Quoted |
Diagnostic memos and sprint engagements include the recorded $99 Get Grilled session inside the fee — no separate booking required.
Why us
Most management consultants studied business and then advised it from the outside. Dustin L. Clemons has actually sat in the chair — CIO of a hedge fund, CEO of a technology company, COO of an EdTech consumer app business, President of an entertainment IP shop since 2010, Founder of a food and beverage franchise. He has built operating cadences in five different industries. He has navigated regulators in finance, EdTech, and entertainment. He has fired senior people, raised capital, restructured holdings, and managed reputation under pressure.
And he has done it as someone who is right now in the deep water of his own active litigation matters — which gives him an unusually clear view of how operating decisions become legal exposure, and how to make them in a way that does not.
How to start
For most clients, the right first move is one of two things:
- A $99 Get Grilled session. 30 minutes, private, recorded. You pitch the decision; the founder asks you the questions you have not been asked yet. If a longer engagement makes sense afterwards, the $99 is credited toward it.
- A 15-minute orientation call. Free. Send the contact form, mention "management consulting," and we will schedule it.
One operator. The seat you are already in.
Get Grilled by the Founder — $99, 30 minutes, private. The hot seat that earns its name.