Coaching
Executive Coaching
Nolan works with mission-driven startup founders and product leaders who want to build effective teams and be the best version of themselves while doing so.
Common Challenges
Starting a company and leading a team are some of the most challenging jobs out there. They also can be very rewarding. You may be grappling with one of these questions:
How do I…
- Navigate the relationship with my co-founder?
- Raise a round from a position of strength?
- Build a culture of accountability without micromanaging?
- Stress the urgency we need?
- Hire the right people, and let go of the wrong ones?
- Develop a stronger product mindset among my team?
“Working with Nolan helped me create a more self-accountable team. It has boosted my confidence, reduced my stress, and allowed me to focus on what matters most to me and my company’s success.”
Benefits of an Executive Coach
A great coach helps you make better decisions faster. Ultimately, you will:
- Grow your company faster
- Delight your customers
- Increase clarity in your communications
- Move forward with confidence
— Ancient proverb, circa 2024
“I thrive in the technical details, but navigating the broader challenges of entrepreneurship requires a different skill set. Nolan’s exceptional ability to balance strategic insight with genuine empathy has been invaluable in helping me identify and prioritize what truly matters. He’s an indispensable coach for any startup founder.”
About Nolan
Nolan combines domain expertise as an operator with a coaching framework that helps you discover and transform internal obstacles. Nolan’s domain expertise as CEO and leader of product, customer success, and operations brings a perspective and operator empathy.
In Startups…
As a startup operator, he has built products from the ground up that have delivered tens of millions in ARR, scaled content-development operations 100x, and powered educational assessments for nearly half of all public school students in California. As CEO, he led a company founded and invested in by Sid Sijbrandij, the founder of GitLab and Y-Combinator alum.
In Enterprise…
As a consultant for enterprise companies, he has led change management initiatives with major publishers like McGraw-Hill and Pearson, deployed operations training programs in Starbucks and McDonalds, and led GTM and Product improvement initiatives at Manscaped, Chamberlain Group.
Background and Influences…
Nolan has worked with a coach for 15 years and knows how transformative the experience can be. He is trained in the Co-Active methodology. He holds 3 patents and a computer science degree from Harvard. He loves music — plays violin, guitar, and piano.
See books that inspire his coaching practice.
How Coaching Works
Great coaching is about working with both content (the challenges or opportunity presented) and the context (who you are and what you value).
The best way to explore is to consider something you want to work on and book a free session.
Further Reading
Various other pages related to me and my coaching practice…