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For solo founders and small business owners

Your business shouldn't have this much friction.

A business partner in your corner, without giving up equity. Straight answers when you need them, from someone who's built it.

Get the decisions, bottlenecks and problems out of your head, work out what actually matters, and have someone alongside you to make sure it gets sorted.

Andy Cairns
Andy Cairns. Scottish, based in Austin.
20 yrsNetworks & cybersecurity
150+Rental houses portfolio since 2020
My story

I know what it's like when the business starts running you.

I grew up in Scotland. My first real job, while I was still at university in Edinburgh, was being the only IT person for a 25-person building firm spread across five construction sites. Directors, accountants, surveyors, all needing things to just work. I didn't know it then, but that's the job I do now.

Then came twenty years in networks and cybersecurity, across the UK, the US and Australia. Most of it came down to one question: why is this going through all of that when it could go straight there? Find what doesn't need to be there, take it out, and everything runs faster and calmer.

In 2020 I started building a rental business. It grew to more than 150 houses, and somewhere along the way it started running me. Every system, every spreadsheet and every decision came back to me. I was building something for my family and getting less time with them. I know how heavy that gets, and how lonely, because from the outside nobody really sees it.

My business partner says when he wants to go faster, he pedals harder. I look for a different gear.

Then other owners started asking me to look at their businesses. A travel concierge juggling twelve apps. A consultant who couldn't explain what he did. A property business with data everywhere. Every time, the real problem wasn't the technology. It was one person carrying the whole thing on their own.

That's why I do this. I don't think a business should cost you your family, your health or your headspace. If I can help an owner get home for dinner with a clearer head, and a business that's still growing, that's a good day's work.

What I believe

The business should serve the life, not the other way round.

If your kids have started to notice you're not really there, something has to change. Clear the bottlenecks and you get your headspace back: more time with your family, and more focus on the work that actually grows the business.

The question I'll keep asking you

What are you working on today that will bring in revenue 30, 60 and 90 days from now, while you're still present with your family?

How it works

Someone in your corner, between the big decisions.

No proposals, no hourly billing. You bring what's on your plate. We decide what matters, and you act on it with someone checking in.

  1. Audit

    An hour to get everything that's heavy out of your head, then a written plan of what to fix first.

  2. Send it as it comes up

    Send me what's on your mind as it comes up, so you don't have to hold it until our call. I'll respond within one working day.

  3. Weekly check-in

    30 minutes every week: what got done, what you actually did, what's next. Once a month it runs to an hour to plan the next 30, 60 and 90 days.

  4. Quick fixes

    If it's quick, I'll just sort it. Anything bigger, we agree it first.

  5. Three months to start

    It takes time to uncover all the issues. Three months to get past the surface, then month to month.

Running a business can be lonely. Everyone expects you to have the answer. You don't have to carry it on your own.

Talk it through. Get challenged. Take action.

Your team will mostly agree with you. That's not what I'm here for. I'll be your sounding board: someone who knows your business, is on your side, and will push back when it matters.

Between calls, send me what's on your mind as it comes up. Every week we check in for 30 minutes, and once a month we sit down properly for an hour. What did you actually do? What's weighing on you now? You leave with a shorter list, a clearer head, and a push to get it done.

What people bring me

If it's causing friction, bring it.

"Everything lives in my head."Write it down once so someone else can run it.
"I've got too many tools."Cut to the few you need and connect them.
"I can't see my numbers."One page with the five numbers that matter.
"I do the same task every week."Automate it, hand it off, or drop it.
"I can't explain what we do."Simpler words, then a website that says them.
"I don't know what to work on first."A ranked list and one next step.
Recent work

Messy to simple.

Lary · Airfare Consultant · Travel concierge

12+ apps to one place

Client details were spread across apps, spreadsheets and WhatsApp. Now one portal holds every traveller, preference and trip.

"My client information was scattered across too many places. Andy brought it all under one roof. It's given me more structure, more energy and more satisfaction doing the work." Lary, Airfare Consultant
Gary · Neptune · Growth consultancy, Ireland

Hard to explain to clear

The owner knew what the business did but couldn't say it simply. One day together, clear words and a new website. It started as a website job. The real result was clarity.

"I knew what my business did, but I couldn't explain it simply. After a day with Andy, I could. The new website came out of that, but the real result was clarity." Gary, Neptune
Tyler · Property Pirates · Property business

Data everywhere to next steps

Overwhelmed, with no processes and data all over the place. Now there are systems, one app and the data pulled together, so the next action is obvious.

"I was overwhelmed, with data everywhere and no real processes. Andy helped me put systems in place and pull everything into one app, so now I can see what needs to happen next." Tyler, Property Pirates
Andy · Propoview · My own rental business

Buried in reports to clear decisions

Running 150+ houses, the answers I needed were buried in AppFolio reports and spreadsheets: who owes us, which houses make money, where cash is leaking. I built one place that turns those reports into decisions. It's now Propoview, so other owners can use it too.

Pricing

Start with an audit. Then I'm in your corner.

Start with the $500 audit. If we decide to keep working together, it's $1,500 a month for an initial three months, then month to month. No hourly billing.

Step one · Start here

Business audit

  • A 60-minute conversation to get everything that's heavy out of your head
  • A written plan: your top friction points, what to fix first, what to leave alone, and roughly how long each will take
  • An honest recommendation, including "you don't need me" if that's the truth
$500

Credited to your first month if you carry on within 30 days

Buy the audit →
Step two · Three months, then month to month

Your sounding board

  • Send me what's on your mind as it comes up, by text or voice note. I'll respond within one working day
  • A 30-minute check-in call every week: what got done, what's next, what's on your mind
  • Once a month it runs to an hour: re-rank your list and plan the next 30, 60 and 90 days
  • Quick fixes done for you. Anything bigger, we agree it first
  • Someone who knows your business and will challenge you, not just agree

Need something bigger built, like an app, a dashboard or a website? I'll quote it as a separate project.

$1,500 / month

After your audit. Three-month commitment, then month to month.

Why three months? It takes time to uncover all the issues. The first fixes usually reveal the next ones. One month is never enough.

Three months to start, then month to month. No hourly billing. Either way, you're not carrying it on your own.
A good fit
  • You run a business of one to ten people and you're carrying most of the decisions
  • There's more friction in the business than there should be
  • You'd rather act than talk about acting
  • You want the business to support your life, not swallow it
Not a fit
  • You need someone on call for emergencies
  • You want IT support or a help desk
  • You need legal, tax or payroll advice (I'll point you to good people)
  • You want a report that sits in a drawer
Questions

Fair questions, straight answers.

What do you actually help with?

Anything causing friction in the business: tools, processes, numbers, people, messaging, pricing, your own week. Mostly it's helping you see clearly, decide what to do first, and follow through.

Do you do the work, or just advise?

Mostly we decide together and you or your team act, with me checking in. If it's quick, I'll just sort it. Anything bigger, like an app or a website I'll quote separately, so you never pay for hours you didn't need.

How does it work day to day?

Send me what's on your mind as it comes up, by text or voice note, so you don't have to hold it until our call. I'll respond within one working day, Monday to Friday. Every week we have a 30-minute check-in, and once a month it runs to an hour to look at what moved, re-rank the list and plan the next 30, 60 and 90 days.

Why a three-month commitment?

Because it takes time to uncover all the issues. Fix one bottleneck and the next one shows itself. In my own property business we spent two years solving problem after problem before it ran the way we wanted. Three months is the minimum to get past the surface, fix what really matters and feel the difference in your week. After that it's month to month.

Why start with a paid audit?

So we both know what's worth fixing before you commit to anything monthly. You leave with a written plan either way, and the $500 comes off your first month if you carry on.

What if my business is in decent shape?

Good. Then you get a second pair of eyes, confidence you're working on the right things, and someone to think out loud with.

It can be simpler

You don't have to carry it on your own.

Take the 2-minute quiz to see where the friction is, or start with the $500 audit.

2 minutesNo pitchStraight answers