Founder • Builder • Advisor
Helping founders build businesses that survive, scale, and create lasting value. Not theory. Not motivation. Real experience from building international companies.
Why founders work with me
I'm not a business coach. I'm an entrepreneur actively building companies.
Everything I share comes from real-world experience — operating across travel technology, fintech, corporate travel, and expense management, in international markets.
I answer many questions publicly for free because knowledge should be accessible. Private advisory exists for founders who need tailored guidance for their own businesses.
Read the full storyPrinciples I return to
A working set. Refined by building companies, revised whenever reality demands.
Build systems, not dependence
The founder should eventually become unnecessary. Design the company to run without you.
Cash flow before valuation
Revenue and margin are truth. Everything else is a story you tell to raise money.
Solve painful problems
The size of a business is bounded by the size of the pain it removes.
Scale when foundations are ready
Premature scaling amplifies broken systems. Fix the machine before feeding it fuel.
Long-term over short-term
Ten-year decisions rarely resemble ten-week decisions. Optimize accordingly.
Technology removes complexity
If your stack creates more work than it removes, it is a liability, not an asset.
Ask a question. Upvote the ones that matter.
Anyone can post a business question here. Questions with the most upvotes get answered publicly — for free.
Selected work
Anonymized where required. Full stories in the archive.
Rebuilding corporate travel operations across three markets
Consolidated four vendors into a unified booking + expense stack.
Repositioning a payments product after loss of a key partner
Recovered 92% of processing volume through a channel shift in six months.
Preparing a services business for acquisition
Founder-independent operations and a 40% margin lift ahead of close.
Recent articles
"Tan helped us rebuild the operational core of our business in months. Every conversation came with real experience behind it — not frameworks, not motivation, just clear thinking."
Every business is different. Every engagement is tailored.
Book a discovery call to discuss your challenges. If I believe I can genuinely help, my team will follow up to arrange the next conversation.