Where founder energy meets FTSE 250 discipline
I help founder-led and PE-backed businesses navigate the transition from start-up to scale-up.
Scaling is hard. Don’t do it alone.
Founders scaling from start-up to scale-up hit a tough reality: what used to work no longer does.
You need operational leadership, execution power, and trusted support, but not always full-time. Through hands-on support, operational expertise, and people development, I help founders and PE-backed teams scale smarter, faster, and with less risk.
As the business grows, you are stuck in constant firefighting, stretched thin across everything. Burnout is creeping in, and there’s no space to think strategically.
I free up your bandwidth by stepping into operational leadership - running key functions, driving projects and giving you back the headspace to focus on growth.
What used to work as a scrappy start-up now breaks at scale. Keeping teams aligned gets harder. You need operational maturity, but a full-time COO hire feels too soon or too expensive.
I step in part-time as a fractional COO, providing real leadership, team accountability, and operational structure without the cost and risk of a permanent hire.
As investors get more involved, expectations rise. You feel exposed and know you need to de-risk and professionalise, but aren't sure where to start.
I bring an experienced external perspective, improving systems, reporting and operational rigour so you stay ahead of investor expectations and reduce business risk.
You realise you're short of the right people and leadership layers to deliver at scale. Gaps in execution are dragging the business down.
I help you build operational capacity, mentoring internal leaders, filling critical gaps with trusted interim talent, and setting up a team that can deliver today and grow tomorrow.
How I work with businesses like yours.
I work with a mix of collaboration, care, a strong support network, and a get-it-done attitude. The journey isn't always easy, with ups, downs, and tough decisions. But the outcome is consistent: genuine progress and momentum.
Fractional
I work directly inside your leadership team 1–3 days a week, fully embedded in roles like COO, Chief of Staff or Chief Customer Officer. I lead teams, drive projects, shape operations, represent your business externally, and move the whole company forward. Hands-on, not advisory.
Consultant
I quickly get to the bottom of what’s holding your business back. I audit how things are really working, cut through the noise, and give you practical recommendations you can act on. We can then fix it together – whether it’s boosting profitability, tightening operations, or delivering a tech projects that actually stick.
Coach
This is hands-on operational coaching -"Shadow Ops" for newly promoted or first-time multisite managers. Instead of hiring in, you get experienced leadership cover to grow your people from within. I act as a coach, guide, safety net and strategic partner, shadowing your internal candidates for 2–6 months, either during an interim period or as part of a step-up promotion. Giving your future leaders the best chance to grow without risking business performance.
Advisor
I stay outside your day-to-day, but always in your corner. I bring actual experience across hospitality, leisure and B2B tech, helping you tackle growth challenges faster. You also tap into my trusted network of operators, partners and specialists. We meet regularly for guidance, advice and to find ways to unlock and support your business together.
Previous projects completed

Implementing Tech People Love
Workforce Management System Change
Partnered with the RAC to deliver a major change to their mission-critical Workforce Management system. Led the project from the vendor side — scoping bespoke development, managing cross-functional delivery, and supporting thorough testing and deployment. Worked closely with enterprise teams to ensure smooth rollout, training, and long-term adoption across the organisation.

Labour Model Reset
A cultural rethink and reset of labour management
Led a full overhaul of labour budgeting and forecasting to give operators clarity, control, and confidence. Built accurate hours-based budgets tailored per site, separated out training and one-off costs, and introduced clear management of base vs flex hours. Improved daily sales forecasting and rota visibility, tightened T&A practices, and drove a cultural shift - moving labour from a weekly stress point to a well-managed part of the operation. The result? Fewer hours used, less waste, and a more consistent, sustainable way of working.
Working with me
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CEO @ Comptoir Group Plc
Nick Ayerst
"Travis was an excellent hire into Comptoir Group, he is a great leader and communicator and has pro-actively tackled priorities that are really making a difference."

CEO & Founder @ Ballie Ballerson
Wenny Armstrong
"I had the delight of employing Travis at my business for 18 months. As a founder, I had many chunky projects kicking around my head that I was able to delegate. Travis could start and finish a wide range of projects, and ultimately decomplexified and improved the business. I can not recommend him more highly and it is with regret he no longer works for me."

People Director @ NQ64 Arcade Bars
Chantal Wilson
"Travis is a real innovator; always willing to find different solutions to age old problems. I love that! He is a thinking partner that I admire and learn from, the impossible is always possible. If you want insight from a new and different perspective, call Travis."

Director of Operations (UK) @ Vapiano
Steve Collard
"I gained a lot from working alongside Travis, not least from his creative thinking and unique insight, but also his professionalism, positivity, consistency and of course from his sense of fun - he’s a good guy to be around; an energy giver. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Travis at any senior level within our industry, he is very capable."

CEO @ Rotageek
Chris McCullough
"I worked with Travis for nearly 4 years at Rotageek. Travis brings experience, logic and energy to any role. He has the ability to turn his hand to any task and is able to pragmatically break down a problem into component parts and step through them, to achieve a result. This is a rare skill set and for scaling companies, a valuable one. Travis is a great 'people person'. He motivates others and his energy and enthusiasm are infectious. We were lucky to have Travis join us at Rotageek and I have no doubt that he'll be ridiculously successful in his career. If you have the opportunity to appoint Travis to your team, take it. He will make an impact and show others what 'good' looks like."

Founder @ BabaBoom
Eve Bugler
“Travis has the experience and mindset of an owner that sets him apart from other advisors.
His ability to work out what matters to your team and to live and breathe a culture is first-class. He’s a natural and dextrous problem solver, with a really broad skill set covering tech, ops, food & and general management so he can wear many hats with credibility and provide a holistic perspective. He is the person who you want by your side when as a founder you are going through the tough pivotal moments, not only because he will deliver the results, but also because he’ll make the journey more enjoyable."

Director
Zero Carbon Forum
"Travis combines a perfect blend of being lovely to work with and ruthlessly efficient at getting stuff done. Always a pleasure!"
Grow with Thrifty
Happy Customers
Sales Calls
Team members
Global Revenue
Over the last 20 years, we have achieved exceptional results across various stages and sectors within the hospitality and leisure industry, including restaurants, pubs, bars, and nightclubs as well as competitive socialising. Our expertise covers all aspects of a business operation with an experienced down-to-earth cross-functional approach.
Performance
Create and foster a fast-moving, open, goal-focused, accountability culture that gets real revenue and EBITDA results
People
Full lifecycle advisory ability from attraction to alumni. People Ops. Employee Relations and org design
Product
Concept and offer creation, customer journey and experience design, operational and profitable delivery of food and drink
Property
Site selection, operational design that works, PPM and R&M setup and management processes. Keeping operations safe and legal
Growth Strategy
5, 3, 1 year mission, goal, actions strategy framework, quarterly and annual business planning facilitation, OKR and other goal setting methodologies, EOS
Technology
Systems evaluation and recommendations, implementation partner, project management and systems administration
Processes
SME business operating cadences, meeting structures, accountability, efficient automated processes to eradicate low-value work
Sales + Marketing
Advisory across digital marketing, campaigns, brand, pre-booked sales, customer service, support and events
Pricing Packages
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Standard
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Premium
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Ultimate
Get in touch
I love supporting you with quick advice knowledge or connections across my network. There's no hard sell, ever.
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