Assess. Decide. Grow Your Business
Get to Your Next Level With Someone Who's Already Been There. More Than Once.
As your advisor, I will bring decades of real-world experience to your business, help you see what you may be too close to see, challenge the decisions that need challenging, and guide you through the strategic choices required to reach your next level. I’ve made the journey to eight figures more than once. You won’t have to make yours alone.
Let’s talk about where your business is today, where you want it to go, and whether I’m the right advisor to help you get there.
Schedule a Complimentary Strategy Call →FEATURED IN:
Getting to the Next Million Requires Different Decisions
The decisions that got your business this far may not be the decisions that take it to the next level.
As your company grows, the decisions become more complex and the consequences more expensive. More employees, more customers, more opportunities, and more money at risk. You may know where you want the business to go. The harder question is what needs to change to get there.
Do Any of These Questions Sound Familiar?
- What is really keeping us from reaching the enxt revenue level?
- Am I focused on the right priorities, or just the most urgent problems?Â
- Do I have the right people and structure for the company I'm tying to build? Â
- Where are we losing profit, time, or opportunities without realizing it?Â
- What risks or weaknesses an I not seeing because I'm too close to the business?Â
- What would someone who has already built an eight-figure company do if they were sitting in my chair?
You don't need someone to run your business. You need someone who can help you see it differently.
Why a Strategic Advisor?
As your business grows, the decisions become more important, more complex, and more expensive. And as CEO, you are often expected to have the answers.
But who do you turn to when you need an answer?
Your leadership team sees the business from inside the company. Vendors have something to sell. Friends and family may not understand the realities of running a multimillion-dollar business.
A strategic advisor gives you something different: an experienced, objective perspective focused on helping you make the best decisions for your business.
As Your Strategic Advisor, I Help You:
- See what you may be too close to see. Get an objective perspective on what's really happening.
- Identify what's holding back growth. Determine what actually needs to change.
- Make better decisions. Evaluate options and consequences before you act.
- Focus on what matters most. Separate strategic priorities from everyday distractions.
- Recognize risks earlier. Find vulnerabilities before they become expensive problems.
- Turn strategy into action. Determine what happens next and keep moving forward.
How I Work With You
This Isn't a Program. It's Your Business.
There is no predetermined curriculum or one-size-fits-all formula. We start with your company, your goals, and the decisions standing between where you are today and where you want to go.
We Assess
We look objectively at your business. What's working? What's holding back growth? Where are profits, opportunities, or resources being lost? And what might you be too close to see?
Sometimes the problem you think you have isn't the problem you actually need to solve.
We Decide
Together, we evaluate your options, challenge assumptions, and establish clear priorities.
You make the decisions. I help you make them with better information, a broader perspective, and the benefit of experience.
We Grow
We focus on what will move the business forward, whether that's growth strategy, profitability, operations, people, positioning, risk, or a new opportunity.
The goal is to build a stronger company capable of reaching and sustaining its next level.
You Have Someone to Call When the Decision Matters
Sometimes we'll work on long-term strategy. Other times, an unexpected problem or opportunity may land on your desk.
That's when having an experienced advisor in your corner matters.
You don't have to make every important decision alone.
This version is better for the page because the reader can almost skim:
We Assess → We Decide → We Grow → I'm here when something happens.
CHOSE YOUR PROGRAM TODAY
Why Darlene?
Because I've Been Where You're Trying to Go.
There are plenty of consultants, coaches, and advisors who can tell you how a business should grow.
I've actually done it. More than once.
I've built four businesses from the ground up, reaching seven and eight figures and representing approximately $250 million, or a quarter of a billion dollars, in today's value. I've managed hundreds of employees, navigated rapid growth and serious setbacks, successfully exited businesses I've built, and spent decades advising business leaders, including executives within Fortune 1000 organizations.
But some of my most valuable experience didn't come from consulting.
It came from sitting in the CEO's chair.
I've made payroll, managed cash flow, hired and fired, dealt with banks, faced aggressive competitors, made expensive mistakes, changed strategies, taken calculated risks, and walked away when the risk wasn't worth taking.
You Get the Perspective of Someone Who Has Lived It.
When you bring me a challenge, I look at it as both a consultant and an entrepreneur who has owned the outcome and lived with the consequences of the decisions.
I won't run your company or simply tell you what you want to hear. I'll challenge your thinking, question assumptions, help you see alternatives, and stand beside you as you make the decisions that determine what comes next.
You've Built the Business. Now Let's Build What's Next.
If your goal is seven figures, eight figures, or beyond, work with someone who's already made the journey. More than once.
SELECT A CONVENIENT PROGRAM AND START TODAYSelect the Level of Strategic Support That Fits You
Whether we meet once or twice each month, you receive the same level of strategic support. We meet privately via Zoom to work through your priorities, challenges, opportunities, and important business decisions.
Our relationship doesn't stop when the Zoom meeting ends. I expect you to text or email me between sessions when questions, concerns, or unexpected challenges arise. If something happens, I want to hear from you.
You may choose a monthly or annual investment option, and every CEO Strategic Advisory relationship includes complimentary membership in my Business Growth Forum.
Choose the level of private access that best fits how you want to work with me.
CEO Strategic Advisory | Twice Monthly
Best for CEOs who want more frequent access to strategic guidance, faster decision support, and greater momentum as they navigate growth, change, and increasingly complex business decisions.
CEO Strategic Advisory |Â Once Monthly
Best for CEOs who want an experienced advisor in their corner for ongoing strategic guidance, important decisions, and a dedicated monthly review of what their business needs next.
Not Ready for Ongoing Advisory?
You may have a specific challenge, opportunity, or important decision you want to work through without committing to an ongoing advisory relationship.
Schedule an in-depth private strategy session with me via Zoom. We'll focus on your business, the issue you're facing, your options, and the next steps I believe you should consider.
If you decide you'd like to continue working with me, enroll in one of my monthly CEO Strategic Advisory plans within 30 days and I will apply the full fee from this strategy session as a one-time credit toward your first payment. One time fee of $397.
Schedule an In-Depth Strategy Session →
Hayward Harris, Jr.Â
CEO & Founder, The Rib Doctor
I hired Darlene to help me develop and implement marketing strategies. She has worked tirelessly to help separate me from my competitors in a competitive marketplace and encouraged me to cover every detail. The greatest compliment I can give anyone is trust, Darlene has indeed earned my trust!
Newell Anderson
CEO, Newell Anderson Enterprises
Darlene is an exceptional businesswoman who has tremendous foresight, credentials and experience. Her work, commitment to excellence, and character make her one of my most valued professionals to work with and I always look for ways to get my network in front of her. She is a good friend and colleague and I strongly recommend Darlene to anyone who demands the top level professionals.
Rosanna Marquez
Board Chair, AARP Foundation
Board President, Impact for Equity
Ms. Ziebell was the incoming Chair of the Board of the Eleanor Foundation when I joined it as President/CEO in September 2002. The organization was in the midst of a fairly radical restructuring that included a wholesale change in strategic direction and the turnover of the Board of Directors needed to effect the change. Ms. Ziebell's directness, leadership, strategic focus, and practical smarts were instrumental to the success of this transformation, which was realized far more quickly than I'd have though possible. Further, Ms. Ziebell also is one of the most entrepreneurial people I have ever met.
Frequently Asked Questions. . .
Who is CEO Strategic Advisory designed for?
What will we work on?
What is the difference between meeting once and twice per month?
Can I contact you between our scheduled meetings?
How do we meet?
What if I'm not ready for an ongoing advisory relationship?
Is the Business Growth Forum included?
How do I know if we're a good fit?
What is your cancellation, rescheduling, and refund policy?
You Don't Have to Make the Journey to Eight Figures Alone.
You've already built a successful business. If you're ready to take it to the next level, let's talk about where you want to go, what's standing in the way, and whether I'm the right strategic advisor to help you get there.
Schedule a Complimentary Strategy Session →