When Growth Feels Heavy

You started a company because you saw something others didn’t and you wanted freedom.

You built it with instinct, grit, and force of will.

Now you have:

Employees
Meaningful revenue
Real complexity
A leadership team that depends on you

But growth feels different than it used to.

Instead of freedom, you feel pulled into everything.

Instead of momentum, you feel friction.

Instead of vision, you’re managing people, priorities, and problems.

You don’t want to be the hero anymore.

You want a company that runs.

You want your time back.

You want leaders who truly own their seats.

You want execution that doesn’t rely on you pushing every initiative forward.

That shift requires more than motivation.

It requires operational leadership, clarity, and accountability.

If this describes you, we should talk.

Meet Eric

Eric V. Holtzclaw is a seasoned operator, founder, and growth strategist with more than 30 years of experience building and scaling businesses.

He has founded multiple companies — including one of the first profitable internet enterprises — and led two organizations to the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing list three consecutive years each.

Along the way, he has learned what many founders discover the hard way: growth requires structure, accountability, and the right leadership rhythm.

Eric specializes in companies interested in moving from founder-driven to team-driven. He works alongside visionary CEOs to bring clarity to strategy, install accountability, and ensure execution actually happens.

His background in technology, customer research, and organizational design allows him to assist leadership teams with implementing structure like EOS effectively, strengthen their accountability, and create systems that free the founder from the daily grind.

Eric is a strategist at Liger, the author of Laddering: Unlocking the Potential of Consumer Behavior and host of The Claw podcast, where he interviews entrepreneurs about what truly drives business growth.

In 2025, he founded the ThirdFire Foundation, supporting practicing artists at pivotal moments in their creative journeys - a reflection of his belief that entrepreneurial spirit lives far beyond the boardroom.

Of all the ventures he has built, Eric says is talented child, Yve remains his greatest achievement.