Most founder-led businesses grow faster than their systems do. Finance stays manual. Operations run on tribal knowledge. Decisions get made on instinct because the data isn't reliable.
Scale and AI require the same thing: data you can trust and processes that run consistently. Left unaddressed, that gap becomes the ceiling.
That shows up in two places — how the business tracks and reports performance, and how it executes day to day.
We step in to run finance or operations, build the underlying systems, and monitor performance over time — so the numbers reflect reality and the business runs predictably.
The full financial picture — accurate books looking back, and a model that guides what's ahead.
Accounting — Chart of accounts, transaction coding, AP/AR, expense management & payroll
Finance — Financial operating model, monthly forecasting & compensation structures
The processes and frameworks that make execution consistent and scalable.
Process Design — SOPs, workflow mapping & cross-functional handoffs
Frameworks, Cadence & Metrics — Operating frameworks, standardized meetings, reporting & KPI tracking
Structured systems and data built to hold up under scale.
Business systems are made up of three elements — and when they're aligned, the business runs with clarity and efficiency. When they're not, friction compounds.
Who or what does the work.
What happens before and after each step.
The tools used to execute.
We work with founder-led businesses at the point where complexity starts to outpace the systems underneath it.
It's a familiar pattern. The business grows. Financials get harder to read. Processes that worked stop working. Decisions that used to be easy start taking longer.
At that point, the highest-value work for a founder isn't operations or system design — it's vision, relationships, and the decisions only they can make.
That's where FCP comes in.
We step in where the business needs us and stay as long as we add value.
We work through two models:
Defined scope. Clear outcome.
Execute the work, design the system, or monitor and maintain — on an ongoing basis.
These layers can be used independently or together, and evolve over time.
Technology — whether classical software or AI — is only one part of the equation. The people running it and the processes surrounding it matter just as much. Get those three things aligned, and technology becomes a multiplier. Without that foundation, new tools create new complexity.
FCP helps you find the right blend — modern where it makes sense, proven where it doesn't, and always built around how your business actually runs.
Fountain City Partners (FCP) was founded by Ben Schultz and Jared Schnefke, entrepreneurs and operators with decades of experience building systems inside growing businesses.
Before FCP, the team worked together at a fast-growing company Ben founded. As the business scaled, they built the systems and operations that took it from entrepreneurial chaos to a structured, high-performing organization. That business was acquired by a publicly traded company in 2021.
They have experience in both top-tier consulting environments and real operating roles, and understand the difference between designing systems and actually running them. Today, they bring that experience directly into the businesses they work with, operating and improving the systems those businesses depend on.
Ben is an entrepreneur who thinks in systems. He has founded and led multiple businesses — and along the way developed a deep conviction that the right systems are what separate companies that compound from those that plateau. He brings that lens directly to FCP's clients.
LinkedIn →Jared brings deep expertise in strategy, operations, and finance to every engagement. He is at his best serving as a systems expert and operator — helping purpose-driven businesses solve hard operational problems and unlock their potential.
LinkedIn →