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The first 90 days of a portfolio‑company turnaround
What an operating partner should expect — and demand — from an interim leader in the first quarter.
03 · Leadership
Someone in the chair by Monday.
A branch without a leader loses a little every day — deals, people, discipline. Steve grew a branch from under $11M to $27M+ and was recruited to lead five offices at once. He can steady yours while you find the permanent answer.
- $11M → $27M+branch sales as VP
- VP of the Year2022
- #1 EBITDASoutheast region, 2024
What is fractional and interim leadership?
Fractional & Interim Leadership places Steven C. Lindstrom into a service business as interim Vice President, General Manager or Regional Director — typically for 90 to 180 days — or as a fractional leader alongside a new or developing manager.
The engagement stabilizes the branch, fixes the P&L, rebuilds the sales and operations cadence, hires where needed and hands off to the permanent leader. Built for private-equity portfolio companies and multi-branch operators in the trades.
Sound familiar?
When the chair is empty.
- Our GM left and the branch is running on autopilot.
- We acquired the company and the founder is checking out.
- The new manager is talented but has never run a P&L.
- We need EBITDA back in two quarters, not a search that takes three.
- The team needs a steady hand before we promote from within.
- Corporate is 900 miles away and nobody owns the number locally.
What we do
What does the interim leader do?
Day-one stabilization
Meet the team, the customers and the numbers in week one. Stop the bleeding: cash, key accounts, key people, safety, schedule.
The 90-day plan
One page: what we will fix, in what order, with what result. Reviewed with ownership weekly.
Sales and operations cadence
The weekly pipeline meeting, the job-margin review, the monthly P&L. Installed and run until it is habit.
Board-ready reporting
Weekly flash and monthly package in the language of the investment committee: bookings, revenue, GM, indirect costs, EBITDA, cash.
Hiring and succession
Define the permanent role, run the search with you, onboard the hire, and coach them through their first 90 days.
Mentoring the next leader
Steve was the requested mentor for newer VPs across a region. Your rising leader gets the same — a seasoned voice, every week.
How it runs
90 to 180 days, then hand-off.
Interim leadership is a bridge, not a destination. Every engagement ends with a permanent leader in the chair and a cadence they can run.
- Week 1Stabilize
Team, customers, cash, safety, schedule. Quick wins that show the branch someone is steering.
- Weeks 2–4Diagnose and plan
P&L review, pipeline review, people assessment. The 90-day plan, agreed with ownership.
- Months 2–3Fix and run
Sales cadence, job margin, indirect costs, key hires. Weekly flash reporting, monthly package.
- Months 4–6Hire and hand off
Permanent leader selected, onboarded and coached. Steve steps back to fractional, then out.
What changes
What does a stabilized branch look like?
Steady, measured and improving — with a permanent leader who inherited a system rather than a mess.
Key accounts retained
Cash, people and accounts held
Key people and accounts retained, cash and schedule under control.
Weekly flash, on time
A plan ownership trusts
One page, weekly progress, no surprises.
EBITDA trend, inside a quarter
EBITDA trending up inside a quarter
Margin, indirect costs and sales activity moving the right way inside a quarter.
Permanent leader by month 4–6
The right permanent leader
Defined, hired and coached through the first 90 days.
Cadence the successor runs
A cadence that outlives us
Weekly and monthly rhythms the new leader can run.
Turnover down
A calmer team
People who know what good looks like and who is accountable for it.
Questions
Asked often.
Yes. Interim roles are Steve’s primary commitment for their term, on-site as the role requires, with a defined end date. He is based in Tampa and is willing to travel or relocate for the right engagement.
Branches and companies between roughly $5M and $50M in revenue, with a field or service model: restoration, MEP, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, construction, home services.
A day rate for a defined term, agreed up front, with a hand-off plan built into the scope. No open-ended retainers.
The permanent leader inherits the plan, the cadence and the reporting — and can keep Steve on a light fractional or advisory basis if that helps the transition.
Next step
Who is running the branch next Monday?
Thirty minutes. Bring the branch P&L and the org chart if you have them, the situation if you don’t. We will tell you plainly whether Steve is the right person — and how fast he can start.
- You talk to Steve, not a salesperson
- Replies within one business day
- Based in Tampa
- Nationwide
Or write to info@