Testimonials

I've worked with Jim for eight years and across three companies. Jim has been instrumental in my transformation from a tactical execution-focused manager to a well-rounded leader with the right balance to build large high performing teams. Jim's attention and focus on each client and truly understanding all facets of life, work, and goals are unique. I owe a good proportion of my career success to Jim.

— Emmanuelle Skala, SVP Customer Success, Toast

We brought Jim in to help coach myself and my two co-founders (COO and CTO) a few months prior to closing a new funding round that we knew was going to accelerate our growth and hiring plans (needed to level up). We saw tremendous value in having Jim coordinate both group and individual coaching sessions because he had the complete picture of our company, our Exec team dynamic, and the data from running 360 degree feedback surveys across a large % of the company and our board. We’ve decided to extend the initial engagement with Jim for the foreseeable future as his value is felt both in long term strategy & development, and also in short term situations and challenges that come up. Having been a former operator, Jim doesn’t sugar coat anything and doesn’t just talk about strategies he read in book, he’s lived it and understands the grit needed to really scale. I highly recommend working with him.

— Kevin Frechette, Co-Founder & CEO, Fairmarkit

When I started working with Jim, he helped me embrace the tough feedback I received from a 360. I learned to see things from others' points of view which brought a whole new perspective and enormous changes in my behavior.

I was recently named CEO of TheFork, and I credit this, in part, to my work with Jim. With this, the focus of our coaching has shifted to transforming the organization. Again, I can see the results we're getting.

— Almir Ambeskovic, CEO TheFork, a TripAdvisor company

Jim's approach to coaching is holistic, genuinely addressing the whole person, not merely a surface-level performance goal. In my line of work, it is a given that intellectual curiosity and continuous learning are key traits of the most successful VCs. However, we too rarely apply the same rigor we bring to our theses and portfolio to ourselves, remaining equally curious and assessing what is and isn't working for us both professionally and personally. Jim gave me the opportunity to do just that, and along the way, he reframed what success and true partnership look like.

— Heather Widman, Partner, Building Ventures

Working with Jim changed the way I approached the work I was doing. He helped me unlock the capability to be effective that I couldn't quite channel until working with him. His approach is extremely mindful when working with clients and is great at asking the questions that untangle the way you are blocking yourself from achieving your goals as an individual and organization. The added plus is that Jim knows the startup industry and the business we are in as a former entrepreneur himself, which really helps with the context of how to be effective in that setting. Without a doubt, I'd recommend Jim as a coach that is impactful and has personally changed my life for the better and made our firm have an impact more quickly than we would have without his help.

— Richard Dulude, Co-founder & Partner, Underscore VC

Jim has the rare ability to uncover hidden opportunities that help his clients step up. He delicately balances the need for both executive coaching and guided internal work to overcome obstacles. I’ve worked with numerous coaches to learn that there’s no one better than Jim for executive leadership development.

— Jake Reisch, Co-founder & CEO, Eversound

“Jim has been an executive coach and trainer at Yesware. As such, he’s been incredibly helpful on both an individual and on a team-wide basis. I would highly recommend Jim for any person or company looking to improve the way they work with others to reach their professional potential.”

— Matthew Bellows, Founder and CEO, Yesware

“I set out to create a culture of authenticity, entrepreneurship and continuous improvement at Disruptor Beam—but rapid growth is always accompanied by organizational challenges. Our company has had to learn new skills. Jim’s coaching has helped us navigate our growth and gain awareness of how things have evolved from the time we’ve gone from a tiny startup to a growing enterprise of over a hundred people. Living our values consciously has resulted in improvements in team effectiveness and business results.”

— Jon Radoff, CEO, Disruptor Beam