The operating
model.

My values, my process, and what I expect from the people I work with. It's here so we can figure out whether we're a good fit before either of us commits.

Fabrice Talbot
How I work
01

Alignment before commitment

Before we sign anything, we have a direct conversation, not a sales call, just an honest check on whether the conditions for success are in place. I've seen good work fail because that conversation didn't happen early enough.

We align on three things:

What does success actually look like? What's in scope, and what's not? Who needs to be genuinely involved, with real time committed?

If those conditions aren't in place, we say so before anyone commits. That's the conversation.

02

All in, one problem at a time

When I'm on your problem, that's all I'm doing. Deep, uninterrupted thinking on your specific situation, your market, your constraints. That's how the best work happens.

I share early and often, even when the thinking is rough. A direction that's 70% formed and testable is more valuable than a polished answer to the wrong question. Expect working drafts, early hypotheses, and direct asks for your reaction, not a big reveal at the end.

For that to work, I need direct access to your people: a shared Slack or equivalent to keep the work moving between formal touchpoints. Meetings are tools. I keep them short, agenda-driven, and replaceable with async when possible. Come prepared to discuss, not to catch up.

03

Co-authored, not outsourced

You know your business better than I do. I know product strategy, pricing, GTM, technical feasibility, and the patterns that repeat across B2B software companies. Neither of us is complete without the other.

I work with your team. Your subject matter experts shape the thinking; I bring structure and outside perspective. When the engagement ends, you and your team own the strategy, the decisions, and the plan. I am an enabler.

04

No manufactured work

I won't create scope to extend an engagement. When the job is done, it's done. My preferred format is a concise written document: clear, direct, no unnecessary slides. You're not paying for a deck that looks good in a boardroom. You're paying for thinking that holds up when reality pushes back.

Straight talk: if I disagree with a direction, I'll say so, and explain why. If this isn't working, say so. I'll do the same. No hard feelings, no complicated exit. What you share stays with me. Full stop. I'd behave the same way without the NDA.
How I think
01

Specifics over frameworks

Concrete tradeoffs, clear next steps, measurable progress. "Synergy" and "stakeholder alignment" aren't in my vocabulary. I deal in reality, not decks.

02

Subtraction as strategy

I put as much weight on what you shouldn't do as what you should. The best strategic decisions are often subtractions. Scope discipline and a clear "not this" are as valuable as any roadmap.

03

AI as a thinking tool

I use AI to think faster and cover more ground. The analysis and judgment stay mine. I'm not a skeptic or an evangelist. I'm a practitioner who builds with it.

04

Honesty over diplomacy

The quality of my work depends directly on access to real information, including the uncomfortable parts. Failed attempts, internal tensions, constraints you think might limit options: I need to know. In return, you'll hear my honest read, even when it's not what you came in expecting.

What I need from you
01

Real access

The uncomfortable parts: failed attempts, internal tensions, constraints you think might limit options. That's exactly what I need to see.

02

Decision-maker in

An active participant in the hard conversations. That's where the work actually happens.

03

Time committed

Subject matter experts with real time set aside. Good work requires the right people, available.

04

Pushback welcome

Tell me when you disagree. Being challenged sharpens my thinking. The engagement works both ways.

What you walk away with

A pointed, practical analysis from someone who's done this dozens of times at scale. The reasoning, the risks, the concrete next steps, in one long-form document you own. It becomes your source of truth, the core artifact every decision that follows is built on. Other consultants deliver the deck. I deliver what the deck is built from. I stand behind the work.

Not sure where to start? Let's have a working conversation.

30 minutes. I come prepared with observations about your business, not a pitch. We talk through where you are, what decision you're facing, and what kind of engagement actually makes sense. You'll know by the end if it's worth continuing.

Let's talk →