The Operator Founders Call When They've Outgrown Their Systems

Joe Fenten

COO  |  Integrator  |  Operating Partner

Best fit: Founder-led, PE-backed, and search-fund-owned businesses between $5M–$50M revenue that have outgrown their operating infrastructure.

Most founder-led companies don't stall because of strategy. They stall because growth has outpaced the infrastructure needed to support it. That's where I do my best work.

Contact Joe Connect on LinkedIn
Joe Fenten

Selected Results

Different industries. Same operating problems. Same pattern.

83%

ARR Growth

Reduced cash burn 50% while driving 83% annualized ARR growth at a high-growth cybersecurity SaaS company.

$250K+

Cash Visibility Restored

Surfaced over $250,000 in collectible receivables and identified $37K/month in expense reductions at a roofing contractor.

$1M+

Financial Exposure Identified

Surfaced over $1M in materials exposure, recovered vendor overpayments, and implemented financial controls that didn't previously exist.

$250K+

Capital Raise Supported

Originated the investor relationships that led to a successful funding transaction at a $5M+ revenue roofing contractor — including direct introduction to LB Capital.

$20K/mo

Division Turned Around

Diagnosed and reversed a division burning $20K/month, driving it to breakeven within five months.

7-Figure

PE Exit

Founded South Carolina's first craft distillery, scaled to a $10M P&L, and positioned for a successful private equity exit.

What I Do

I'm the operator founders bring in when they've built something real but can't scale it — because the foundation isn't there yet.

Find the Constraint

Growth problems are rarely growth problems. I identify what's actually limiting performance before prescribing solutions.

Build the Infrastructure

Financial controls, accountability systems, leadership cadence, operating rhythm, and execution discipline — built from scratch and designed to outlast my involvement.

Create Operating Leverage

The CEO stops carrying everything. Teams execute. Decisions move faster. Growth becomes sustainable.

Why Founders Bring Me In

They've Outgrown Their Infrastructure

Growth is creating complexity faster than systems can handle. What worked at $5M is breaking at $15M.

The CEO Is Still The Operating System

Every decision flows through one person. The founder is the bottleneck and everyone knows it but nobody says it.

Nobody Can See What's Actually Limiting Growth

Symptoms are everywhere — missed targets, team friction, cash surprises — but the structural cause stays hidden.

I've solved this pattern repeatedly across SaaS, construction, hospitality, manufacturing, marketing, and home services.

Different industries. Same underlying constraint: growth outpaces infrastructure.

Unlike most operators, I've sat on both sides of the table. I built and exited my own company, then spent eight years operating in a private-equity-backed business through growth, restructuring, and operational transformation.

What Changes

Founders don't hire operators because they want better KPIs. They hire operators because they're exhausted — and they know something has to give.

Before

  • CEO is the operating system
  • Decisions bottleneck at the top
  • Accountability is unclear or absent
  • Growth creates more chaos, not more momentum
  • Nobody owns anything end-to-end

After

  • Leaders own outcomes — not just tasks
  • Decisions move faster and farther down
  • Metrics create visibility across the org
  • Growth compounds instead of breaking things
  • CEO gets time back to focus on what only they can do

Experience

Aug 2025 – Jun 2026

Brightline Painting

Chief Operating Officer & Integrator

Brought in as COO for a $21M multi-division contractor pursuing aggressive growth. Built the operating foundation from scratch, surfaced over $1M in financial exposure, turned around a division losing $20K/month, and implemented leadership systems supporting scale across four Southeast markets.

2024 – 2025

TechCXO — Fractional COO Practice

Fractional COO & Operating Partner

Concurrent Fractional COO engagements across five founder-led businesses spanning roofing, marketing, hospitality, technology, and manufacturing. Focused on identifying growth constraints, building operating infrastructure, and improving execution capacity.

2023

Hook Security

Chief Operating Officer & Integrator

Led operational and financial transformation at a high-growth cybersecurity SaaS company. 83% ARR growth. 50% reduction in cash burn. 30 core processes implemented in four months.

2010 – 2022

Brass Ring Spirits Brands

Founder & President

Founded and scaled South Carolina's first craft distillery across two locations. $10M P&L, 40 employees, 200% profit growth in peak years. Executed a seven-figure private equity exit after 12 years.

2007 – 2020

Engineering Leadership

Electrical Engineer & Consultant

Engineering roles across Jacobs, Shaw Group, Duke Energy, and others. Power, industrial, and manufacturing sectors. Clemson University, BS Electrical Engineering. Licensed PE.

Let's Talk

Open to select COO, Operating Partner, and executive leadership opportunities — full-time, fractional, and interim.

Connect on LinkedIn joe@joefenten.com
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Greenville, SC  |  Southeast US  |  Remote Considered