ADVISORY · JARKARA STRATEGIES
A senior operator for the stage where growth outruns structure.
I work with CEOs of seed and Series A companies who need operating discipline installed, not described, whether the next raise is coming or the last one just closed. I build the cadence, the systems, and the plan, run them alongside your team, and hand them off in a state your people can own.
WHO I WORK WITH
You will probably recognize the situation
Seed and Series A CEOs
Headcount has doubled, and decisions still route through you.
The board wants a plan, a budget, and reporting that reconciles.
Your next raise is 6 to 12 months out, and the numbers won't hold up in diligence as they stand.
You just closed a round, and the board expects a plan for spending it.
You know you need a COO, but not yet at full time, or not before you know what the role should own.
Enterprise leaders
A new executive inheriting an organization and an operating model that no longer fits.
A transformation that needs a program office with authority, not another status deck.
A C-suite leader who needs a Chief of Staff with real operating depth, for a defined period.
A pricing, margin, or controls problem that needs someone who can read both the numbers and the organization.
WHAT I DO
Three areas of work
Most engagements lead with one and touch the other two. Each ends with something your team keeps running.
01
Operating leadership
TYPICALLY INCLUDES
Weekly, monthly, and quarterly operating cadence
Annual plan, budget, and P&L review
OKRs and performance systems that separate strong performance from activity
Cross-functional prioritization and decision rights
WHAT YOU HAVE AT THE END
A leadership team that runs the plan without the CEO in every meeting, and a CEO who can see the business clearly every week.
02
Organizational infrastructure
TYPICALLY INCLUDES
Org design, spans, and leadership structure
Role architecture for senior hires, including the COO or Chief of Staff seat
Hiring systems, from job architecture and sourcing to assessment and onboarding
People operations foundations: benefits, compliance, and policy
WHAT YOU HAVE AT THE END
An organization where each new hire adds capacity, not coordination cost. One hiring system I set up at a startup is still in use after the company's Series B.
03
Investor and board readiness
TYPICALLY INCLUDES
Financial models, scenarios, and three-year plans
Board reporting packages and governance cadence
Diligence materials and data room preparation
Investor and exit narratives, including the deck
WHAT YOU HAVE AT THE END
Board meetings spent on decisions instead of reconciling numbers, and a story for investors that holds up under diligence.
HOW AN ENGAGEMENT RUNS
Diagnose, build, then hand off
WEEKS 1 TO 3
Diagnose
Interviews across the leadership team, a review of the numbers and the operating rhythm, and a readout of what is actually constraining the business. You get findings and priorities before any building starts.
WEEKS 4 TO 10
Build
Design and install the cadence, structure, and systems the diagnosis calls for. I run them with your team, not beside it, so they are tested against real decisions from week one.
WEEKS 11 TO 13
Hand off
Your team runs the system with me alongside, and ownership moves to an internal leader by day 90. Where you are hiring a full-time COO, I help define the role and bring that person up to speed.
ENGAGEMENTS
Sized to the problem
Each engagement runs 90 days against a defined scope. It is priced as a whole and invoiced in three monthly installments, with expenses and travel billed at cost. If the work grows, we agree on the change before it happens. Work beyond 90 days is scoped as a renewal.
Raise Readiness
From $30K
90 DAYS, BEFORE A RAISE
A financial model, diligence-ready metrics, a board reporting package, and a data room.
Post-Raise Build
From $60K
90 DAYS, AFTER A RAISE
A hiring plan, budgets by function, a leadership cadence, and the metrics the next round will be judged on.
Interim COO
From $90K
90 DAYS, RENEWABLE
An operator in the seat for a leadership gap, a restructuring, or a critical build.
Enterprise projects
Scoped individually
DEFINED SCOPE AND TIMELINE
Operating model redesign, transformation offices, and interim Chief of Staff support.
A strong fit when
The company has traction, but the operating model has not kept up
The CEO wants the system built and run, not just recommended
There is a sponsor with the authority to change how decisions get made
Probably not the right fit when
The need is an operations generalist to absorb overflow work
The goal is a report to file, with no appetite to implement it
The company is still searching for product-market fit
Common questions
How is this different from hiring a full-time COO?
You get senior operating judgment from week one, scoped to a defined outcome, at a fraction of a full-time executive's loaded cost. An engagement can also define the COO role before you hire for it.
Do you work with our existing leadership team?
Always. I report to the CEO, as a COO would, and the work runs through your leaders rather than around them. That keeps the chain of command clear and leaves a team that owns the system when I step back.
Where do you work?
I am based in the New York area and work remotely with on-site time as the engagement requires. I have operated across the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
How are engagements contracted?
Through Jarkara Strategies LLC, under a statement of work with defined scope, deliverables, a 90-day term, and confidentiality terms. Fees are invoiced monthly, and expenses are billed at cost.
Bring me the operating problem.
The first conversation is about the problem, not the proposal.