--- title: Home date: 2023-07-24T20:08:03Z modified: 2026-07-09T07:24:25Z permalink: "https://www.mallardhq.com/" type: page status: publish excerpt: "" wpid: 39740 timestamp: 2026-07-09T07:24:25Z tags: [] --- OPERATING PARTNERS FOR FOUNDER-LED TEAMS # Your business, running without you. Mallard builds the operating system beneath your business – the people, practices and technology that do the paddling – so things run calmly on the surface and without you in every conversation. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") ## What happens when your operating system actually works Most founders don’t need another strategy deck. They need the day-to-day to stop depending on them. That’s the work Mallard does alongside your team. The difference shows up quickly in ways you and your leadership can feel. Here’s what changes once it’s genuinely running better: ### Faster decision-making Strategic and operational decisions move forward faster without founder approval needed on everything. Team members make decisions with the right guardrails. ### Better delivery Your leadership team works together to execute at pace with clarity and confidence. ### Less time wasted Operational complexity stops overwhelming founders and your team freeing up capacity. ### Scale more easily The business scales much more smoothly without needing constant firefighting from founders to stay on track. ### People learn quicker New people get up to speed quickly because the knowledge lives in your systems, not just in people’s heads. ### Reduced founder dependency You can step away from the business confident that things will keep moving. Your time and focus is freed up to focus on the things that you want to do. The enterprise value of your business is increased. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") ### Free founder review call A clear initial diagnosis of the operational maturity of your business. Get practical insights that you can act on immediately with an honest operator perspective on where to focus. ### Mallard’s _Find_ audit Proven diagnostic spanning 262 operational data points delivered in 14 days. Get a scored benchmark, prioritised roadmap and clear next steps from an expert COO, eliminating months of trial and error. ### Our _Improve_ sprints Your biggest operational bottlenecks fixed in 90 day improvement sprints with an expert fractional COO embedded in your business plus operational subject matter experts as needed. ### Your operating partner Once we know your business, Mallard can keep working alongside you on quarterly reviews, further _Improve_ sprints or ongoing fractional COO support. The depth of relationship is yours to choose. HOW WE WORK ## Take the first step to getting control of your business Mallard helps founders who are trapped by operational chaos in growing businesses to build their [business operating system](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/what-is-a-business-operating-system.md) – getting their people, practices and technology to work seamlessly together to remove blockers and accelerate scaling. Mallard creates lasting transformation, transferring capability to your team and building systems that run without you, freeing you to focus where you want as a founder. [**BOOK YOUR FREE 30 MINUTE FOUNDER REVIEW CALL**](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/book-a-free-founder-review-call.md) ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") ## Real results from real people Our results come from an experienced team that has actually built and scaled businesses, augmented by AI-first thinking that does the hard work beneath the surface. So what looks calm on top is genuinely under control – and that’s the difference Mallard’s clients feel. They break complex problems into digestible chunks that give people clarity, accountability and help teams thrive. A level of level-headedness, integrity and empathy that’s rare. Made a lasting impact. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/georgia2-1-300x300-1-150x150-1.jpeg "georgia2-1-300x300-1-150x150") Georgia Branch Co-founder & CEO at We Create Popular Brings a diligence, pragmatism and focus rarely seen, matches this with an open mind to change, which means we can adapt plans at pace, often required in the fast changing world of a SME. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/jess-300x300-1-150x150-1.jpeg "jess-300x300-1-150x150") Jess Gregson Founder at Extra Brain Consummate skill at collaborative improvement. Made a big difference in my e-commerce SaaS business by re-directing the team and re-energizing – and really got things done. 100% recommended. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/deri-300x300-1-150x150-1.jpeg "deri-300x300-1-150x150") Deri Jones Founder & CEO at ThinkTribe Designed and implemented new processes that have significantly improved our operational efficiency. Collaborative and supportive. We had trust and confidence from the start. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/peter-obrien-300x300-1-150x150-1.jpeg "peter-obrien-300x300-1-150x150") Peter O’Brien Co-founder & Creative Director at Hidden Creative Outstanding skillsets and extensive experience in technology and business operations. Easy to work with and can effectively draw on skills and experience to help solve problems with calm authority and creativity. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/neil-benson-150x150-1.jpeg "neil-benson-150x150") Neil Benson Founder at Xenologiq and Quantlmed A serious company builder. Brings a collaborative and thoughtful approach to leading teams and getting things done. Recommended if you want a trusted founder partner in scaling your business. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tim-deeson-300x300-1-150x150-1.jpeg "tim-deeson-300x300-1-150x150") Tim Deeson Founder at Deeson and Co-founder at OpenDialog.ai ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Simon-Wakeman-Founder-and-Principal-Consultant-at-Mallard.jpg "Simon Wakeman - Founder and Principal Consultant at Mallard") ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Simon-Wakeman-Founder-and-Principal-Consultant-at-Mallard-2025.jpg "Simon Wakeman - Founder and Principal Consultant at Mallard 2025") ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Simon-Wakeman-Founder-and-Principal-Consultant-at-Mallard-2025v2.jpg "Simon Wakeman - Founder and Principal Consultant at Mallard 2025v2") About OUR FOUNDER ## Introducing Simon Wakeman I’m an independent COO, working as a consultant and fractional COO with founder-led businesses globally. Since I began my career in 1998 I’ve been a founder, an operator and the person called in to fix what’s broken many times. I created Mallard to help founders design and run business operating systems that actually work. This means they can scale without becoming a permanent bottleneck in their businesses, helping them enjoy their work more and achieve better valuations at exit. [**Learn More**](https://www.simonwakeman.com) ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") ## What can founders expect from working with Mallard? Working with Mallard means getting an operating partner who rolls up their sleeves alongside your team, not just an adviser with a deck and a list of recommendations. We start by finding what’s really holding your scale-up back across people, practices and technology, then help you improve the things that matter most and run them with you until the change actually sticks. Whether you need a clear diagnosis, hands-on delivery, or someone to keep things moving, we meet you where you are and get you to where you’re going. ### Some commonly asked questions from founders… Who does Mallard work with? We work with founder led scale-ups – businesses that have proven the model and are now growing fast enough that the old ways of operating are starting to creak. If you’re past the start-up scramble but not yet a polished corporate, and the business increasingly depends on you personally, that’s exactly where we help most. What’s the difference between _Find_ and _Improve_? _Find_ is a focused diagnostic that pinpoints what’s really holding the business back across people, practices and technology. _Improve_ is hands-on work to fix the priorities we uncover. Most Mallard clients start with _Find_, then choose how far they want to go. It’s deliberately flexible. How is this different from just hiring a consultant? Consultants tend to hand over a report and leave. We’re operators, not just advisers – we work inside your business alongside your team to actually make the changes happen. You get practical experience from people who’ve run and scaled companies, not a deck of recommendations you’re left to implement on your own. Because we’re a team of operating experts, you get the right blend of skills from different people to match your needs. Do you actually do the work or just advise? Both, but the emphasis is really on doing. We’re happy to diagnose and advise, but the real value comes from rolling up our sleeves and delivering change with your team. We stay involved until new ways of working stick, rather than leaving you with a to-do list and a load of good intentions. How long does an engagement take? It depends on where you’re starting and how far you want to go. A _Find_ diagnostic is short and sharp – delivered in 14 days. _Improve_ work runs in three month sprints. _Run_ is an ongoing relationship with regular review points. We always agree clear timelines and outcomes up front so you know exactly what to expect. What areas of the business does Mallard cover? We look at the whole operating picture through three lenses: people (your team, structure and leadership), practices (how work actually gets done) and technology (the tools and systems that support it). Problems usually sit across all three, so we join the dots rather than fixing one thing in isolation. Do we have to commit to everything up front? 100% no! Most clients start with a _Find_ diagnostic, which is a low-commitment way to get clarity on what matters most. From there you decide whether to take on _Improve_ work or walk away with valuable insights that you can action yourselves – you choose what’s right for the business. How quickly will we see results? You’ll get clarity almost immediately – a _Find_ diagnostic surfaces the real issues within two weeks. Tangible operational improvements follow as we deliver the work in _Improve_. We focus on the priorities that move the needle first, so you feel meaningful progress early rather than waiting months for a big reveal at the end. Can you help with just one area? Yes. While we look at the whole picture of how your business operates , plenty of _Improve_ clients bring us in for a specific challenge – a team that isn’t scaling, a process that keeps breaking, or technology that’s holding things back. We’ll always flag if something connected needs attention, but you set the scope. How do we get started? The best first step is our free 30 minute ops review call. We’ll talk through where your business is, what’s getting in the way and whether we’re the right fit. If it makes sense, we’ll usually recommend starting with a _Find_ diagnostic to get a clear, shared picture before committing to anything bigger. [Book your free ops review call now](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/contact-us.md). ### Stop being a bottleneck in your own business [**BOOK YOUR FREE 30 MINUTE FOUNDER REVIEW CALL**](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/book-a-free-founder-review-call.md)