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Fountain City Partners

Businesses run on systems.We build and operate them.

We work with founder-led businesses to build and run the systems behind finance and operations — so leaders can focus on what only they can do.

Why it matters

Growth exposes system weakness.

Breakdowns don't stay isolated — they spread across the business.

The business is growing. Revenue is there. But clarity didn't keep up.

Financials don't tell the full story. Operations rely on tribal knowledge. The systems that got you here weren't built for what's next.

It's not a people problem.
It's a systems problem.

What we do

We build and run the systems behind the business.

Inside finance and operations — where the business runs.

Most businesses don't have a systems problem because they ignored it. They have one because they grew faster than their infrastructure could keep up.

We focus on two areas where that shows up most — how the business tracks performance and how it executes day to day.

We ensure systems, data, and workflows are aligned — so the numbers reflect reality and the business runs predictably. Get those right, and everything else becomes easier to manage.

Financial Systems

Clean books, reliable reporting, and financial structure you can trust.

Operational Systems

Processes and workflows that reduce friction and improve consistency.

Underneath both is the same foundation

Systems and data that are structured and built to hold up under scale.

What is a system

Three elements working together.

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.

People (or Agents)

Who or what does the work.

Process

What happens before and after each step.

Technology

The tools used to execute.

Who we serve

You drive the vision. We run the systems.

We work with founder-led businesses across all industries and stages.

Founders operate in constant uncertainty. The role demands conviction, resilience, and the ability to make decisions with incomplete information.

The highest-value work for a founder is not system design or operations — it's vision, relationships, and decision-making. That's where we come in.

FCP owns and improves the systems that run the business — so founders can stay focused on what they do best.

How we work

We start where you need us. We stay where we add value.

From immediate needs to ongoing system operation.

Most engagements begin with a specific need. A controller to close the books. A system to implement. A process to fix. More reliable data for better decisions.

We step in and do the work. That may be a defined project or ongoing involvement, depending on what the business needs.

As we work, the system becomes visible. Financials connect to operations. Data becomes reliable. Work becomes consistent and repeatable — and either transitions out or continues through ongoing execution, system design, and analysis.

Project

Defined scope. Clear outcome.

01Align
02Execute
03Transition
Ongoing

Ongoing involvement to execute, architect, and analyze systems over time.

Execute
Direct work
Architect
System design
Analyze
Monitor performance

These layers can be used independently or together, and change over time.

The AI moment

AI is only as good as the system it runs on.

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.

About

We've built this before.

Founded by operators. Not advisors.

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, building and operating the systems those businesses depend on.

Ben Schultz
Founding Partner

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.

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Jared Schnefke
Founding Partner

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.

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Ready to build and run systems that scale?

Let's start with a conversation.

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