Hi. I'm Ian. Let me tell you a little about myself.
Since 2015 I've been helping founders turn their businesses into scalable assets. People know me as the "Ops guy" — I'm usually talking about systems, structure, and process, or pulling up a framework to solve a problem. But there's a longer story under the job title, and a few hard-won lessons that shape how I show up. This page is the short version.
BasedColorado, USAReachian@vectorba.comSocial(sort of) on LinkedIn
Work mode
What I do
I help founders become owners.
That means eliminating founder dependency, building repeatable systems, and installing the operating infrastructure that turns a business into a scalable asset. I'm an Integrator — I bring the clarity, structure, and process that cuts through the noise and clears the way to your goals. What never changes is my commitment to helping you reach them.
How I got here
A career assembled from the lessons between the mistakes.
I wouldn't change any of it — but that's not at all the same thing as recommending it to you, or wishing to repeat it myself. I failed more times and in more ways than I can remember. I learned something new every time. I use it all to help others skip the mistakes I made, stay focused on what matters, and unlock their impact.
01Wealth management
Care about your craft. Mind the toll it takes.
I started at an independent RIA, serving HNW individuals and families with investment, estate, tax, retirement, and insurance planning. The integrated approach produced better results in every metric. My boss was a genius. He also worked 80 hours a week and had had two heart attacks before age 60.
LessonAlign incentives with your clients and do excellent work. Also: you only scale so far on effort. Invest in operations, or you'll be investing in the hospital.
02Entrepreneurial fervor…and failure
Doing excellent work isn't enough.
Inspired and naive, I quit. Gave all my money to a marketing firm expecting clients; got a instead. Broke and clientless, I taught myself web development — because "if you build it, they will come" is a thing in a baseball movie, not real life.
A few people asked me to build them websites, though. I took the hint, partnered with someone who had sales experience, designed a business model, and built an early web app. The business was working. Then my "partner" was nice enough to include me on his farewell group text after he skipped town with the money.
LessonExcellent work is necessary but not sufficient. Formal contracts matter — but it's better to work with honorable people and never actually need them.
03Mis-adventures as an employee
Security is not where you think it is.
Exhausted of failure and with a young family, I went looking for a nice "secure" job. The I joined fired my boss two weeks after launch; the family members who owned it promptly sued each other. I took an aeronautical engineering job and soon . Temp and contract gigs filled the gap. A non-profit gig started the next chapter.
LessonMy attempt at a "career" was a disaster. These years rewired my understanding of risk, how organizations form and change, how people think — and where real security actually comes from.
04Accidental return to entrepreneurship
Know which game you're playing.
I quit the non-profit when they hired me to run their digital fundraising. I built a digital marketing agency — back when that was still a legitimate business — carving out a niche that united analytical and creative work against . I went deep on Conversion Rate Optimization, got early access to the , and started expanding optimization beyond isolated funnels to find shorter paths to revenue.
Then a VC firm recruited me to run a portfolio company. Before I knew it I was .
LessonThe tech world is noisy. The market bifurcates into a race-to-the-bottom and an ultra-expensive luxury tier. Know which game you're playing, what the competitive dynamics are, and which strategy actually wins it. Otherwise you will lose — and suffer a lot along the way.
05Burnout
It's avoidable. It's not necessary. It's never worth it.
I burned out, hard. Left the VC firm (which didn't matter at all to the firm — they slotted someone else into each portfolio company and carried on). I sold the marketing agency into a trusted friend's business and stepped into a strategy-only role. I rode my bicycle a lot.
LessonDon't burn out. , so let me say it better: burnout is avoidable, it's not necessary for success, and it's never worth it. Personally, I don't recommend it.
06Vector
Grow your business toward your considered goals.
I started Vector as an embedded fractional Ops leader inside my clients' businesses. As the same patterns kept showing up, I formalized the framework, tools, and treatments into what's now the Vector Sprint model — the Ops Clarity Intensive, the OS Install Sprint, and the Co-Operator Advisory.
That's (the gist of) how I got here. I use everything the hard road taught me to help other founders skip it.
Why "Vector"
A quantity having both direction and magnitude.
That definition is central to what I do: I help you grow your business (magnitude) toward your considered goals (direction). Despite what culture suggests, magnitude is not itself direction. Calling, identity, purpose, vision, mission matter — in human terms, of course, but also in real, practical "solving business problems" terms.
Direction
Purpose, vision, and mission as operational inputs — not poster art.
Vectoring
Air-traffic control: I don't fly the plane or pick the destination. I help you navigate the journey and the stormy weather en route.
Vector graphic
Scales without distortion — so your business grows without warping the vision, culture, or impact that started it.
By the numbers
A decade of reps with founders.
50+Startups worked with as operator, advisor, or investor.
3Clients on the Inc. Magazine fastest-growing list.
2Non-profits founded.
1Wife and a couple of kids who (reportedly) don't hate me.
An endorsement
"Ian is a rare combination of strategist and get-er-done ability. Without the Integrator experience, strategy becomes unhinged; without the strategic thinking, integration is directionless. With both — and Ian brings a large quality and quantity of both — you get extremely effective action, high value, and results."
Philip MorganCEO, Opportunity Labs
Off-hours
Mostly mountains. Some bicycles. A lot of the Alps.
When I'm not in work mode I'm likely outside with the people I love. Hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc in 2022 and the Walker's Haute Route in 2024 with my family — the Alps are my favorite place on earth. I cycle Mt. Evans / Mt. Blue Sky most years. The rest is Colorado trails, long rides, and the occasional ocean view when the work season opens a window.
WHR, family editionThe AlpsBackcountry, COAdventure RetreatsQuiche-cabin oasisCommute mode
What's next
On the horizon.
Vector is my #1 priority and fills my workdays. Outside of that, these are the projects I'm moving on next.
Scaling the Sprint modelRefining Ops Clarity, OS Install, and Co-Operator Advisory so more founder-led businesses can build real operational infrastructure.
WritingPublishing my collected writing on business systems, founder identity, and the intersection of faith and work.
Century ridesRiding bicycles less fast but more far — at least 100 miles.
Adventure retreatsLeading clients and friends on transformative experiences in desolate places that will exhaust the body and vivify the soul.
Let's talk
Now you've heard my side. I'd like to hear yours.
Pick a time on the calendar, or send a few sentences my way. I'm serious about fit — I'll give you my best advice either way.
