Want to make better products and extend your runway?
For most startups and bootstrapped companies, bringing on an executive team is a financial challenge. Hiring a full C-Suite just doesn’t work when you have limited runway and a lot to accomplish. Contractors are expensive and don’t look at the full picture. In my role as a fractional exec, I provide the strategy, focus, and direction of a leader with 15 years experience without the full-time salary that goes with it.
How does it work? A bespoke programme is designed for every client, usually lasting 2-4 months, to give you the best start possible, from multiple angles of the business.
Here’s how it works…
It all starts with me putting my “think like a team member” hat on. I’ll get to know your product inside and out, and we’ll scheme together how to bring it to the next level. I always start with an product intro review and report, approaching as a first-time user and gathering feedback from other fresh eyes. This becomes a stream-of-consciousness report with lots of insights.
We'll then have a product workshop to discuss your current goals, challenges, and roadmap. I'll get to know your team's skillsets, so I can help identify your easy wins and goals, and prioritise paths to improvement. We won't just talk about what changes need to happen, but why and how.
From there, I'll perform more intensive product research and recommendations, including analytics, support stats, demographic & competitor research. I’ll provide a full assessment, including technical recommendations and user feedback sessions with items you can act on immediately.
We'll then collaborate on a comprehensive roadmap which accounts for your current challenges, goals, capabilities and limitations. I’ll recommend the best way to move forward with your product decisions, develop a picture of what your runway looks like, and determine how to make it last.
Outcomes and next steps…
Our project ends with one of three possible outcomes:
1) You got what you need.
Awesome! I’ll leave you with wireframes, product plans, research docs, etc. and go on my merry way. If you ever need me again, you know where to find me!
2) You decide you’re ready to hire a full-time product owner to keep up with the roadmap.
You'll come out of our sessions with clear path forward for your new hire. Want help selecting and training the right hire? I'm happy to be there every step of the way, from job descriptions to interviews.
3) This works for us, and we want to keep working together.
Many teams building and releasing in sprints find value in ongoing user research, feature design, prioritisation, and development support. We can design an ongoing package of work together. I’ll even be active on your team’s Slack!
Either way, you and your team feel more informed, confident, and excited to be on the right path.
→ 15 years of proven experience creating high-performing products, launching to B2B and B2C markets, and building healthy teams. I specialise in early-days startups, whether your goal is to get seed funding, achieve profitability, or raise a Series A.
→ Build a stronger product by applying a focus on user research and proven design methods. I can design create your product’s early versions, help you save money on development, and develop the roadmap and strategy that investors want to see.
→ Extend your runway by identifying ways to build more for less, using research and planning to build better early versions of your product, and creating low-code solutions to demonstrate Product-Market Fit.
Some of the companies I’ve worked with and places where my work has been seen
Outcomes to expect
Avoid common startup mistakes
Avoid common mistakes like building for the wrong audience or platform, hiring the wrong development team, getting bogged down in the details, or lacking the focus and prioritisation that your product requires.
Build a data-driven culture
Build a data-rich company from the very start through user research, market analysis, interviews with customers, and analytics. Establish qualitative and quantitative methods that scale as your company does.
Get the most from your team
Build a happy and productive team, no matter how small, by hiring the right people, choosing healthy communication and management strategies, and planning for how you’ll maintain it as you grow.
Adopt processes that scale with you
Work smarter with tried-and-true processes which work for you now, with a clear path to scale and an understanding of what will need to change as you do.
Get immediate value
Customised and actionable strategies from Day One that identify your challenges, highlight opportunities to delegate, and set an exciting path to success from the very first meeting.
Build trust in a true partner
An experienced and goals-oriented sounding board during the overwhelming early days, and a partner through growth. You can even add me to your pitch deck, if you like.
A deep and empathetic understanding of founder needs and concerns
“Our product roadmap was starting to get overwhelming. I wanted to speak with someone with deep product expertise that could relate. Enter Ashley. Our time was incredibly valuable and left me feeling energized and motivated to keep forging forwards! Can't recommend Ashley enough!” - Foti, CEO, GrowthMentor
“As a Founder with no growth experience, Ashley helped me to cut through the noise and focus on the immediate problems.” - Nick, Founder, The Fix
"Ashley provided really great feedback and ideas in a very short space of time. Thank you!" - Barry McDonagh, Founder and Best-Selling Author
"Ashley was so well-prepared and really guided our conversations for me to get the most value. She had great general insight, as well as specific things that I could do for a project I am working on now." - Noorain, Sr Product Designer and Founder
"If you want someone who kills it every time, you better hire this girl!" - Alisa, Director of Operations at UHNW Household
“Ashley has this amazing ability to make multi-tasking and managing a diverse team of people look easy. She never ceases to amaze with her ability to extract the best out of a team. She brought unique ideas and had a vision for the product that without doubt contributed massively to the company's successes.” - Anthony, QA Engineer
Think we could do something awesome together?
