Business Coaching
Executive and business coaching from someone who's sat in your chair.
Two companies built from zero. Two exits. 25+ years running the P&L, closing the deals, building the teams, and making the calls nobody else wanted to make. I coach founders, executives, and leadership teams on the problems that don't have a clean answer.
Not a framework. Not a playbook. A second set of eyes that has actually seen it before.
I'll level with you. I'm not a career coach who read about business. I ran one. Then I ran another one. I built a 35-person firm with no outside capital and no debt, kept it profitable every single year, sold it to a private equity-backed platform, and sat on the board through the integration. I closed every new deal myself for the first five years. I hired people out of college and watched them become the COO, the CTO, and the VP of Sales.
I also lost sleep over payroll, watched clients disappear overnight in 2020, made temporary pay cuts instead of layoffs, and had plenty of days where I didn't know the answer either.
That's the experience I bring to your problem. Not a framework. Not a playbook I sell everyone. A second set of eyes that has actually seen it before, and a first honest opinion on what to do next.
Who this is for
Who I work with
If you're a leader with a real problem and you want a straight answer, we should talk.
- Founders and owner-operators carrying the whole thing on their back and out of people to talk to honestly.
- CEOs and senior executives facing a decision, a transition, or a problem that's stuck.
- Emerging leaders stepping into bigger roles who need to learn fast, with someone who's been there.
- Leadership teams that aren't aligned, aren't communicating, or aren't performing like a team.
- Sales leaders who need to build or fix a revenue engine, not just motivate one.
- PE and VC firms that want the leadership teams in their portfolio stronger, faster, and honest with themselves.
What I help with
What we work on
Every engagement is built around your situation, not a curriculum. These are the areas that come up most.
The core of what I do. The messy, specific problem in front of you right now. We break it down, find the root, and build a path forward that's manageable. More on this below.
The hire, the fire, the pivot, the price change, the deal. When the decision is big and you keep circling it, I help you get to a call you can stand behind.
How you show up, how you communicate, how you delegate, how you hold people accountable without creating fear. I ran an open-door shop with a 91% CEO approval rating. It didn't happen by accident.
Hiring for potential, coaching people up, building your executive bench from within, and knowing when someone isn't going to get there.
Creating an organization where people know who they are, what they're doing, and why. And what to do when the culture has drifted.
Strategy, process, pipeline, closing. I designed the sales engine from scratch, closed the business myself, then built the team that scaled it.
I evolved my firm's model three times to stay ahead of the market. Retainers, service lines, packaging, positioning.
Going from 5 to 15 to 35 breaks things. I've broken most of them.
When the floor drops out. Communication, tough calls, protecting your people, and rebuilding.
Preparing for an exit, integrating after one, board reporting, sponsor relationships. I've been on every side of that table.
With a partner, a co-founder, a board, an underperformer, a key client. We prepare, then you have it.
Anxiety, doubt, isolation, burnout. The stuff that doesn't show up on the org chart but drives everything on it. I carry some of this myself.
Problem solving
Some problems don't have a clean solution. We move forward anyway.
Most business problems aren't hard because the answer is hidden. They're hard because every option costs something. Keep the underperformer or lose the institutional knowledge. Cut the price or lose the client. Fire the partner or keep the peace. You already know there's no perfect move. That's why you're stuck.
Here's how I work through it with you:
Get to the real problem.
The presenting issue is rarely the actual issue. A sales problem is often a positioning problem. A people problem is often a clarity problem. I have a knack for spotting the thing underneath, and I'll be blunt about what I see.
Lay out the actual options.
All of them, including the ones you've been avoiding. With the real costs attached.
Find the manageable move.
Not the perfect fix. The next step you can actually take that moves you forward without blowing up the business or you. Then the step after that.
Own it and go.
You make the call. I make sure you've thought it through, and I hold you to it.
Standing still is the only real failure. Everything else is progress.
Fast, direct, and people-first. I process information quickly and see connections between markets, people, and problems before most people do. I'll give you honest information, a clear opinion, and room to make your own decision.
I also feel what you're feeling. That's not a soft skill I added to the resume. It's how I'm wired, and it's why leaders open up to me faster than they expect to. When you tell me what's going on, I get it on a level that goes beyond the numbers. Then I step back far enough to see what you can't, and we use both to figure out what you actually want and what's actually in the way.
I'm blunt in a nice way. I'll call you out if you need it, because I care about the outcome, not about being right.
How it works
What an engagement looks like
We talk.
A complimentary 15-minute conversation to see if we're a good match. You tell me the situation, I tell you honestly whether I'm the right person for it. This only works as a partnership, so we both need to feel it.
We assess.
Where is the business, really? Where are you in it? What's working, what's broken, what's been accepted that shouldn't be. I ask a lot of questions. I'm listening for the problem underneath the problem.
We identify.
The priorities that matter. The decision that unlocks the others. The strength you're underusing. The next move that's manageable and still moves you forward.
We achieve.
Regular sessions with real accountability. You leave every conversation with a decision made or a next step defined. I follow up. I remember. Then we go again. Wins stack, and each one makes the next one easier.
Engagement formats
Ways to work together
Ongoing, confidential, built around you and your role.
For the person carrying the whole company. Strategy, people, sales, sanity.
Alignment, communication, accountability, and getting a group of strong individuals to operate as one team.
Lighter-touch access for specific decisions, deals, or problems as they come up.
I built the sales process and closed the business. I built the leadership team from entry-level hires. I led the company through 2020 without a layoff.
Founder and CEO for 25+ years across two companies, both of which I sold. Bootstrapped the second one from two people to a 35-person, Inc. 5000 firm serving healthcare, technology, and financial services clients. Profitable every year. Sold to a PE-backed platform, served on its board, led the integration, and sat on the M&A team evaluating the next acquisitions.
And I did all of it while managing my own anxiety and a raw sensitivity to negativity that I eventually turned into the thing I'm best at. Today I also invest in early-stage founders through Archora Ventures, which keeps me close to the problems leaders are actually facing.
Read my story →From someone who'd know
“He's someone whose judgment I trust deeply.
Andrew and I worked together for more than 15 years. I started my career in digital marketing with Andrew as my boss and ultimately became an equity partner and COO. But throughout all of it, he has been, and continues to be, a mentor to me.
Over that time, he taught me the tactics and philosophy behind great marketing, how to build and grow a business, lead teams, recognize opportunities, and turn ambitious ideas into something real.
We also went through the entire process of selling a company together, from finding the right buyer and working with bankers to due diligence, negotiations, legal, and ultimately closing the sale.
I've had the unique opportunity to see Andrew as a mentor, partner, entrepreneur, and leader, and his experience and instincts are truly exceptional. He's someone whose judgment I trust deeply.
In my own words
Watch Andrew's journey through the acquisition of Digital Impulse.
A full conversation about building the company, deciding to sell, and what happened after. Not a highlight reel. The real thing.
Interview courtesy of Second Bite Podcast.
Questions founders ask
Before we talk, a few answers.
Who do you work with?
Founders and owner-operators carrying the whole thing on their back, CEOs and senior executives facing a decision or a transition, emerging leaders stepping into bigger roles, leadership teams that aren't performing like a team, and sales leaders who need to build or fix a revenue engine. I also work with private equity and venture capital firms that want the leadership teams in their portfolio stronger and more honest with themselves.
What makes this different from other executive coaching?
I'm not a career coach who read about business. I built a 35-person firm with no outside capital, kept it profitable every year, sold it to a private equity-backed platform, and sat on the board through the integration. You get a second set of eyes that has actually seen your problem before, and a first honest opinion on what to do next.
What kinds of problems do you help with?
The messy, specific one in front of you right now. Decisions like the hire, the fire, the pivot, the price change, or the deal. Leadership and management. Building your team. Culture. Sales and revenue. Business model and pricing. Growth pains. Crisis leadership. M&A, integration, and working with private equity. And the personal side of leading: anxiety, doubt, isolation, burnout.
How does an engagement work?
We talk (a free 15-minute call), we assess where the business and you really are, we identify the priorities and the next manageable move, and then we achieve: regular sessions with real accountability. Formats include one-on-one executive coaching, founder coaching, leadership team coaching, and a lighter-touch advisory role.
Do you guarantee results?
No. I won't promise revenue numbers or guarantee outcomes, and I won't pretend to know your industry better than you do. What I will do is make sure you're seeing the whole picture, making a decision you can stand behind, and moving forward.
A few honest things
I won't tell you what you want to hear.
I won't pretend to know your industry better than you do. I'll know the patterns, and I'll ask the questions.
I won't promise revenue numbers or guarantee outcomes. What I will do is make sure you're seeing the whole picture, making a decision you can stand behind, and moving forward.
At a glance
Andrew Kolidas provides executive and business coaching to founders, CEOs, senior executives, emerging leaders, leadership teams, sales leaders, and private equity and venture capital firms that want stronger leadership teams across their portfolios. He founded and sold two companies, grew Digital Impulse to a 35-person, Inc. 5000 firm with no outside capital, sold it to a private equity-backed platform, and served on its board through integration. He also founded Archora Ventures, an early-stage investment and company-building firm. Sessions are in person or virtual, nationwide.
Let's talk
Ready to talk? Pick a time that works.
A complimentary 15-minute conversation. No pitch, no prep.