CORNERMAN MANIFESTO:  I AM WE

Cornerman (def): “A person who helps a boxer win bouts using strategy, tactics, psychology, and inspiration.”

Entrepreneurship is exhilarating.  

It’s also all-encompassing, relentlessly challenging, and lonely.  Building a sustainable organization takes years of effort. Shortcuts don’t exist.  Founders are in for 15 grueling rounds if they survive.  Many are knocked out earlier.  

Company builders need a diverse skill set.  You must recruit, hire, fire, plan, sell, market, publicize, inspire, execute, manage, and, most importantly, persist.  

I’ve run 6 companies: 3 sold, 1 failed, and 2 are hanging tough.   3 years ago, I started operating more as a coach, teacher, and trainer: Now I want to codify this work into a new profession:  The Cornerman.

7 of my former colleagues started their own companies.  3 have exited, and I continue to work with the other 4.  It started as periodic phone calls, graduated to advisory work and expanded to weekly and daily interactions. My relationships have grown more connected and I found that working problems with inspiring people brings me the greatest joy.  I live for the pronoun “WE.”  I want to be in your corner and your company’s trenches.  

A Cornerman helps with:

  • Management challenges

  • Partner identification

  • Deal structuring

  • Compensation negotiations

  • Sales call strategy

  • Customer fiasco

  • Financing

  • M and A

  • Board management

  • Recruiting

  • Firing

Managing happens in real-time inside the ropes. But you have time between rounds to solve problems.  

A Cornerman is not simply an advisor with whom you “check in” every month or quarter.  A  cornerman is day to day.  He takes your calls and immediately counsels, congratulates or commiserates -- as the circumstance demands.

Organization building is riding a never ending rollercoaster that continuously hurls you up, down and around.  Talking with your Cornerman every week smooths the ride.  

Ever go to bed at night anxious about your company?  If you could call anytime you wanted, to get another opinion, contact, marketing idea, press connection what would it be worth to you?  What’s the value of that evening brainstorm, pep talk, therapy session?

My mission is to teach my students and serve my fighters.  You want me in your corner.  Get in touch and let’s talk.