Operating partner support
You need EBITDA back in two quarters, not a strategy deck.
Off-plan trades companies fail for four reasons — nobody owns the branch P&L, indirect costs go unbilled, sales stopped hunting, the founder checked out at close. Steve has fixed each one, as the operator.
What does Coach to Success do for private-equity firms?
Coach to Success provides operator-led turnaround support to private-equity firms with service and trades portfolio companies between $5M and $50M in revenue: interim VP/GM leadership, a 90-day stabilization sprint, Profit Leak Audits and sales-team rebuilds, with weekly board-ready reporting.
- Led by
- Steven C. Lindstrom, President
- Track record
- <$11M → $27M+ in branch sales; 211% of EBITDA goal
- Reports to
- The operating partner, weekly
Why an operator
The branch does not need advice. It needs someone to run it.
Consultants describe the problem. Operators own the result. As Vice President & Director of Operations, Steve took a branch corporate had left to sink or swim — under $11M in sales, minimal EBITDA — and more than doubled every goal by 2022.
He did it with the same levers your portfolio company has: a sales team taught to hunt, indirect costs billed to the jobs that used them, contracts renegotiated, a warehouse counted, and a weekly cadence nobody could hide from. Then he was asked to mentor newer VPs across the East Coast on how to do the same.
- Branch sales
- $11M → $27M+
- EBITDA, 2022
- $3.47M · 2× goal
- Industry down year, 2023
- 169% of goal
- Trailing twelve, 2025
- 211% of EBITDA goal
- Region, 2024
- #1 EBITDA branch
BluSky Restoration Contractors, Tampa branch P&L, 2019–2025 · Full track record
The first 90 days
What happens in the first 90 days?
A stabilization plan is only credible if it names dates, dollars and owners. Here is the one we run.
- Days 1–10Stabilize and see
Team, key accounts, cash, safety, schedule. Read the trailing-twelve, walk the warehouse, ride with sales. First flash report to the operating partner in week two.
- Days 11–30Name the leaks and the plan
Ranked leak list with dollar values. Pipeline truth. People assessment. A one-page 90-day plan agreed with the deal team.
- Days 31–60Fix what moves EBITDA fastest
Contracts renegotiated, indirect costs billed, job costing standardized, sales cadence running, key hires in motion.
- Days 61–90Prove it and hand off
EBITDA trending, weekly cadence owned by the local leader, permanent hire onboarded or the fractional plan agreed.
Engagement structures
How do PE firms deploy an operator?
All three report weekly to the operating partner and end with a permanent leader running a cadence they can sustain.
Interim GM / VP
Steve takes the chair. Full accountability for the branch P&L, the team and the plan, reporting weekly to the operating partner.
Stabilization Sprint
The CEO or GM stays; Steve runs the diagnostic, the leak recovery and the sales sprint alongside them and coaches the cadence in.
Advisor to the new GM
You hired a strong operator who has never run this kind of P&L. Steve becomes the seasoned voice at the table every week.
Fit
Which portfolio companies are a fit?
Strong fit
- Trades and field services: restoration, MEP, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, GC, design-build, home services
- $5M–$50M revenue, single or multi-branch
- Off plan on bookings, gross margin or EBITDA
- Leadership gap: departed GM, disengaged founder, first-time manager
- Founder-led sales culture that has to become a team
Not the right tool
- Pure software, SaaS or e-commerce businesses
- Financial restructuring, refinancing or legal workouts
- ERP or CRM implementations
- Situations that need a bank, not an operator
Borderline? Send the situation — we answer within one business day.
Questions from deal teams
Asked before the first call.
Service and trades businesses between roughly $5M and $50M in revenue, single or multi-branch: disaster restoration, MEP, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, general contracting, design-build and home services.
Discovery call this week; on-site the following week for a stabilization or interim engagement. A Profit Leak Audit can begin as soon as we have the trailing-twelve P&L and GL detail.
A one-page weekly flash (bookings, revenue, gross margin, indirect costs, EBITDA, cash, people) and a monthly package with variance commentary, in whatever format your investment committee already uses.
That is the model. We report to the operating partner, work shoulder-to-shoulder with the CEO or GM, and coach the local leader so the improvement holds after we leave.
Most trades turnarounds are half operations, half sales. Where bookings are the issue we run the 90-Day Sales Sprint in parallel: process, DISC-based selling, pipeline discipline and manager coaching.
Next step
Send us the trailing-twelve. We will say what we see.
A thirty-minute call with the operating partner and the CEO. We will read the statement in advance and come with questions, not slides.
- You talk to Steve, not a salesperson
- Replies within one business day
- Based in Tampa
- Nationwide
Or write to info@