After 20 years as COO of a contract manufacturer, I know every trap, every shortcut, every compliance risk, and every negotiation lever — because I was on the other side of the table.
Most consultants advise from the outside. I spent 20 years inside the manufacturing operation — overseeing regulatory, formulation, production, supply chain, and finance simultaneously. That's the vantage point your brand needs.
Most small brands sign away formula ownership without realizing it. I know every clause manufacturers use to retain control — and how to get it back, or never lose it in the first place.
Rare capabilityI've been on the side that sets the pricing. I know exactly where margins are buried, what levers exist, and how to structure negotiations that reduce your COGS without damaging the relationship.
Insider leverageI conduct facility audits that match the rigor of renowned third-party certification bodies — NSF, USDA Organic, and similar standards — without the cost or wait time of a full certification audit.
Certification-gradeWhether it's a failed batch, a supplier adulteration issue, out-of-spec actives, contamination, or a cGMP deviation — I've resolved every category of manufacturing quality problem at scale.
Full-spectrum QAThese two categories have different regulatory frameworks, different manufacturing requirements, and different supply chains. Very few advisors have deep COO-level expertise in both. I do.
Dual-categoryA team of six specialized AI agents handles documentation, analysis, supplier research, compliance checklists, and COGS modeling — so you get enterprise-grade output on a consulting timeline.
Scale advantageWhether you need an embedded operational leader, a focused project, done-for-you deliverables, or training for your team — there's a model for where you are right now.
| Engagement type | What's included | Model |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional COO retainer | Embedded monthly advisory — attending calls, reviewing manufacturers, catching compliance gaps before they become FDA letters, and driving your operations roadmap as your de facto COO. | Monthly |
| Project-based consulting | Defined-scope engagements: product launch audits, manufacturer selection, regulatory gap analysis, on-site facility audits, formula ownership recovery, supply chain restructuring, or post-warning-letter remediation. | Fixed scope |
| Done-for-you deliverables | My AI agent team produces: SOP packages, COGS models, supplier qualification reports, label compliance audits, GMP checklists, formula ownership agreement templates, and manufacturer scorecard analysis — fast and to spec. | AI-powered |
| Brand team training | Half-day or full-day workshops covering GMP fundamentals, supplier qualification, regulatory claims, formulation basics, and building scalable ops infrastructure. Live or async delivery. | Workshop |
30-minute conversation to understand where your brand is, what's breaking, and where the highest-value gaps are.
Rapid review of your current manufacturer agreements, regulatory standing, supply chain, and cost structure.
A prioritized action plan with the top 5–10 issues ranked by risk and revenue impact — ready to execute.
Retainer, project, or done-for-you — whichever model fits. Most clients start with a project and move to retainer.
Each agent is purpose-built around a discipline. Together they handle the execution work that would require a 10-person ops team — so advisory scales without adding headcount.
Monitors 21 CFR Part 111 and cGMP requirements, flags label claims violations, generates audit-ready checklists, drafts corrective action plans, and tracks FDA enforcement actions relevant to your category.
Reviews COAs, cross-references ingredient databases, identifies stability and compatibility risks, generates spec comparison reports, and flags ingredient substitution opportunities that reduce cost without sacrificing efficacy.
Builds supplier qualification packages, tracks lead times and raw material pricing, identifies dual-source opportunities, and flags single-source concentration risk before it becomes a supply disruption.
Builds COGS models, runs MOQ scenario analysis, benchmarks manufacturing cost structures against industry norms, and prepares investor-ready unit economics. Identifies hidden cost levers inside CM agreements.
Drafts SOPs, generates GMP audit prep materials, scores and compares contract manufacturer proposals, builds QA system templates, and creates deviation and CAPA documentation packages.
Researches target brands for operational pain signals, tracks industry news and FDA enforcement actions that create consulting opportunities, drafts personalized outreach, and maintains competitive market intelligence.
Hosted on Digital Ocean. All six agents run on a secure, dedicated Digital Ocean infrastructure — giving you a private, always-available operations team that handles execution work between advisory sessions, 24/7.
Across both supplements and skincare, there are six client categories where 20 years of manufacturing-side experience creates the most immediate, measurable impact.
First-time founders launching their first SKU. They don't know what they don't know — about GMP requirements, formula ownership, manufacturer vetting, or label compliance.
Brands hit with FDA warning letters, 483 observations, or failed GMP audits. They need expert remediation before enforcement action escalates or their manufacturer relationship breaks down.
Brands that outgrew their original ops setup. Systems built for $500K are breaking under $5M volume — they need SOPs, real quality infrastructure, and COO-level thinking to reach the next tier.
Brands who don't own their formula, can't switch manufacturers, or are stuck in unfavorable pricing structures they didn't know they signed. Negotiation and contract restructuring is a core specialty.
Private equity firms acquiring supplement or skincare brands need operational due diligence that goes beyond financials — and post-acquisition COO support to stabilize and scale manufacturing ops.
Creator-led brands entering supplements or skincare with massive distribution potential and zero operational infrastructure. They need everything built from scratch — fast, compliantly, and cost-effectively.
Every engagement is scoped to what your brand actually needs. These are starting points — project work and done-for-you deliverables are priced separately based on scope.
A 30-minute discovery call usually surfaces 3–5 issues your brand didn't know it had. No pitch, no commitment — just a clear-eyed look at where the risk and the opportunity sit in your operation.