The company changed.The way it runs didn't.

I'm Michael Zavagno, a fractional COO for founder-led consumer and product companies. I come in after a raise or when growth outpaces the team, fix how the business operates and leave systems your team runs without me.

See how it works Book a 30-minute call
  • Built and exited TopProp
  • $2.2M peak annual revenue
  • Regulatory approval in 30+ states
  • Former M&A attorney, Weil Gotshal

Who I work with

Consumer brands after a raise

You closed a round in the last few months. The board expects the plan to happen. The operating model behind it doesn't exist yet.

Founder-run companies at $3M to $15M

The business works. It has outgrown the way it runs, and you are still the bottleneck on most decisions.

Signs it's time

  • Every priority still routes through you.
  • You have data, but nobody looks at the same numbers each week.
  • Your existing customers are your cheapest growth and nobody owns them.
  • You know you need a senior hire. You don't know which one yet.

How engagements work

  1. 1

    Diagnostic

    I map where execution breaks, what it costs and what to fix first. You get a written operating plan with owners, priorities and metrics.

    From $7,500

  2. 2

    Embedded build

    I own the priority initiatives and build the systems behind them, working directly with you and your team.

    From $4,000 a month

  3. 3

    Handoff

    Documented systems your team runs, plus a clear recommendation on the permanent hire you need next.

What I build

Operating plan and cadence

Priorities, owners and a weekly decision rhythm that doesn't depend on you chasing it.

Live metrics

One dashboard the founder and team actually use to run the week.

Retention and reactivation

Systems that turn existing customers into repeat revenue.

AI workflows

Manual coordination taken off the founder's desk and built to run on its own.

Tools I've built

Working models, not slides. Open one and use it.

Doors to Cash

Retail growth against working capital. Shows when a retail rollout runs you out of cash and the bridge you need to get through it.

Open the model

Hold the Shelf

Velocity, resets and trade spend. Shows the velocity you need to keep your shelf at the next review and what promos and demos it takes to get there.

Open the model

DTC Kill-or-Keep

A product-level decision model. Shows which products earn their place once you count margin, sell-through and founder hours.

Open the model

Raise Engine

A raise run like a pipeline. Investor funnel, raise calendar and capital stack in one model.

Open the model

TopProp

I co-founded TopProp and ran it for four years. We earned regulatory approval in 30+ states and raised $1.25M. When acquisition costs changed, I led the pivot to B2B, signed 10 licensing clients across three continents and closed a technology licensing exit.

$2.2Mpeak annual revenue
11,000+monthly active users
86%month-over-month retention
30+states approved

About

I'm a fractional COO. I work with a small number of founders at a time and own the operating side of their business: the plan, the metrics and the systems.

Before this I built TopProp to $2.2M in revenue and an exit. Before that I did M&A at Weil Gotshal.

  • Co-founder and CEO, TopProp
  • M&A attorney, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
  • JD, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
  • Wharton Certificate in Management
Michael Zavagno

Every engagement ends with something your team runs without me.

If you just raised or you're still the bottleneck on most decisions, let's talk.

Book a 30-minute call

Or email michaelzavagno@mezzoloyalty.com