Your Business Has A Ceiling.
We Remove It.
THE REAL PROBLEM
You've built a successful business. Now you're running it in pieces.
At Lafayette & Oak, we partner with proven operators (and the leadership teams behind them) who feel the ceiling but can’t always name it. The business works. The fragmentation underneath it doesn’t.
This isn’t a strategy problem. It’s a coordination problem.
You’ve earned the revenue, the team, and the relationships. We build the systems, intelligence, automation, and capital infrastructure that turn them into one coordinated business. Same business. More output. More margin. More leverage. More options.
The next chapter shouldn’t feel like a gamble. It should feel like the payoff.
THE FIT
Built for operators who've outgrown the playbook.
You’re doing $5M to $50M in revenue. The business works. The team is real. But the engine that got you here is the same engine that’s about to plateau.
We work with proven operators (and the leadership teams behind them) who are done bolting on tools and ready to build the operation that compounds.
This isn’t startup talk. It’s for operators who’ve earned their credibility and are ready to put it to work.
“Working with Lafayette & Oak has been transformative. Their team combines the precision of investment bankers with the creativity of entrepreneurs, making complex growth strategies feel both achievable and exciting. What impressed me most is their ability to see around corners, identifying opportunities and risks others would miss, and then guiding leadership teams with clarity and confidence. For any business owner serious about scaling through acquisitions or unlocking new levels of value, Lafayette & Oak isn’t just a partner, they’re a force multiplier.”
Katrina Falcon
Marketing Director, Comhar Partners
We Partner With Operators Who:
- Build with Discipline
- Know Their Numbers
- Own the Outcome
- Think Beyond the Quarter
- Welcome Scrutiny
- Run As One
THE ARC
Three phases. One trajectory.
The Acceleration Arc is our three-phase build: from profitable to compounding. Architect the foundation. Accelerate with intelligence and automation. Multiply the result.
Everything we build belongs to you. No vendor lock-in. No recurring licenses. The systems keep running long after we’re gone
Architect
Phase 1:
Architect
Design the systems. Build the foundation.
We audit your systems, data flows, and decision chains. Then we build the operational infrastructure your business should have had two years ago. One source of truth. Documented processes. A CRM that finally works. The foundation everything else compounds on.
Accelerate
Phase 2:
Accelerate
Deploy intelligence. Install the engine.
We install custom AI agents on your data. Email drafting, contact enrichment, CRM updates, outreach sequences. Built on your hardware. No vendor lock-in. Your senior people stop doing manual work. Your team gets its seniority back.
Multiply
Phase 3:
Multiply
Same business, dramatically more output.
With the foundation running and the engine compounding, you choose the outcome. Multiply what you've built. Buy what you haven't. Or own the category you've been competing in. The Arc made any of them possible.
Recent client sales volume
Frameworks We've Recycled
AUM scaled across team engagements
When the Best Deal Ideas Hit (We're Still Up)
-
Operator-First. Always.Your business. Your team. Your relationships. Your call. We translate what you've built into a coordinated system. You decide the direction.
-
Infrastructure, Not Decks.Every engagement produces systems the operation keeps. CRM. Attribution. Reporting. AI agents. Investor portal. The deliverable is a running operation, not a binder on a shelf.
-
You Own Everything.Hardware. Intelligence and automations systems. Workflows. Data. All of it, yours outright. No recurring licenses. No vendor lock-in. The systems are fully documented and fully yours from day one.
-
In the Foxhole.Not billing the hour. Not consulting from a distance. Operator-to-operator, in the room, in the build, until the system runs.
-
Built to Compound.What we build today should still be running when you scale, acquire, raise, or hand it off. The work pays back across years, not in a single engagement window.
“Lafayette & Oak brings a rare combination of strategic sophistication and real-world practicality. They don’t just talk about growth, they engineer it. From the very first conversation, I could see their depth of experience in structuring deals, unlocking capital, and driving operational excellence. What stood out was their ability to meet owners exactly where they are, then chart a path that feels ambitious yet achievable. With L&O, you’re not just getting advisors, you’re gaining partners who are as invested in your success as you are.”
Miguel Roman
2x Exited Entrepreneur
Meet the operators behind your next level
-
ABHI GOLHAR
Abhi has built seven companies, closed more than thirty investments, and spent three and a half years working alongside the FBI after discovering he was a victim of mortgage fraud at twenty-two.
The wreckage taught him what most consultants never learn: the difference between motion and momentum. Between being busy and actually building. Between projecting confidence and having ground under your feet.
He turned that lesson into three nationally touring keynotes, a portfolio of operating companies through Meridian 84, and Lafayette & Oak. At L&O, Abhi leads the Architect phase and the cross-phase work that turns three phases into one engagement.
Motion is busy. Momentum is built. That’s where Abhi operates.
-
Kevin Aschman
Kevin is a capital markets marketing operator with 25+ years inside high-growth firms. He scaled AUM from $750M to $2.3B at DLP Capital, drove $800M in sales and 10x conversion improvement at Patch of Land, and cut costs and conversion timelines by 40% at Ashcroft Capital ($2B+ AUM, 100,000+ investors). He’s also Founder of Aschman Growth Partners and a board member at Precision Components.
At Lafayette & Oak, Kevin leads the Growth pillar. He builds the demand infrastructure, CRM and attribution systems, investor communications, and content programming that turn operator ambition into compounding revenue and capital readiness.
Clarity creates capital. Structure creates scale. That’s where Kevin operates.
-
Susan Goebel
Susan is a strategist who builds order out of complexity. With decades of global leadership experience in healthcare, biotech, and high-growth companies, she has scaled businesses to 8-figure revenues in under 18 months, secured $35M in government funding, and led commercialization strategies across continents.
At Lafayette & Oak, Susan partners with owners to bring structure, accountability, and measurable results to the table. Her specialty: transforming scattered operations into systems that drive EBITDA, stabilize leadership, and unlock efficiency without unnecessary complexity.
Known for her ability to cut through noise and align people, processes, and strategy, Susan helps leaders move with clarity and confidence, turning potential into sustainable enterprise value.
-
Melissa Nazareno
Melissa is a hands-on growth partner who helps owners scale without losing control. She blends operational improvement, finance leadership, and technology implementation to turn ambitious growth plans into repeatable execution. With two decades across high-growth SaaS and service businesses, she has led major platform rollouts, strengthened cash discipline, and supported organizations through rapid expansion, including a $240M Series C raise. At Lafayette & Oak, Melissa works shoulder-to-shoulder with owners to build an operating rhythm that keeps priorities moving through growth, change, and integration so progress feels intentional, not exhausting.
-
Miguel Roman
Miguel serves as an Ambassador at Lafayette & Oak, where he helps business owners take the next leap from steady growth to strategic scale. As an entrepreneur with a background in strategic transformation and building sales teams, Miguel helps owners unlock pathways to acquisition-led growth, optimize performance, and prepare their businesses to compete at a higher level.
Prior to Lafayette & Oak, Miguel spent over a decade leading operations, integrations, and growth initiatives across his real estate business. He’s known for his ability to simplify complexity, drive alignment, and deliver results that scale.
Miguel embodies Lafayette & Oak’s mission: to serve as a force multiplier for owners who aren’t done building, but want a smarter way to grow.
-
Kelley Wilber
Kelley Wilber serves as a strategiest at Lafayette & Oak, where she leads the diligence efforts with a sharp eye for risk, value, and operational integrity. With 15+ years of experience in operating businesses, Kelley brings depth, precision, and a strong operator’s mindset to every deal.
At Lafayette & Oak, Kelley plays a pivotal role in evaluating acquisition targets, uncovering hidden risks, and validating opportunities for growth-minded business owners. Her underwriting process goes beyond spreadsheets—she digs into what really drives performance: customer concentration, team dynamics, vendor relationships, and operational scalability. Her work ensures that every deal we pursue is not only financially sound, but operationally executable.
Kelley’s diligence isn’t just about protecting capital, it’s about setting the stage for confident, strategic growth. Her work is foundational to Lafayette & Oak’s mission: helping established business owners grow through smart acquisitions, efficient capital structures, and operational excellence.
Our Values
Uncover the story of Lafayette & Oak
Scale smarter. Grow faster. Keep control.
If you’re a proven operator thinking about growth capital, acquisitions, or your next phase, don’t walk into that room until the work is done. Lafayette & Oak builds the foundation that makes capital show up on your terms.
We take on a limited number of engagements each quarter. Every operator we work with gets direct access to our team, our framework, and our capital relationships. No cohorts. No group calls. Just focused, disciplined preparation for the conversations that matter most.
OUR PROCESS
How it Works
Your next chapter begins with intention, and the right partner. This isn’t about checking a box. It’s about scaling purposefully, with strategy, capital, and a trusted team beside you. At Lafayette & Oak, we don’t just facilitate deals. We forge long-term partnerships with operators who’ve earned their expertise and are ready to own what’s next.
Tell us about your business, your goals, and your timeline. We assess alignment and whether the Capital Readiness Framework is the right fit.
BeginWe evaluate your opportunity across Operator Strength, Narrative, Underwriting, and Deal Structure. You'll know exactly what needs to be built.
BeginWe go to work. Narrative development, financial modeling, operations enhancement, deal structuring, and (if applicable) targeted capital introductions. You enter every conversation prepared.
BeginFAQs
You asked.
We answered.
-
Who is Lafayette & Oak designed for?
We work with proven operators running businesses between $3M and $25M in revenue who are ready to scale through acquisitions, institutional capital, or platform growth. You’ve already built something real. We help you translate that into an opportunity the capital markets can evaluate, trust, and fund.
-
What makes Lafayette & Oak different from an investment bank?
Investment banks enter once the deal is defined and capital is ready to be placed. We work earlier in the lifecycle, helping operators build the narrative, underwriting, and deal structure that make those conversations productive in the first place. By the time you engage a banker, the foundational work is already done.
-
How do I know if I'm a good fit?
You have a real business with real revenue. You’ve been operating for 5+ years. You’re thinking about acquisitions, growth capital, or scaling beyond where you are today, but you know the next phase requires more than just execution. If that sounds like you, let’s talk.
-
What does "capital-ready" actually mean?
It means your opportunity is structured for institutional evaluation. Your operator story is clear, your narrative is compelling, your financials withstand scrutiny, and your deal structure aligns incentives between you and your capital partners. Most businesses aren’t capital-ready. That’s the gap we close.
-
How does Lafayette & Oak help with capital?
We prepare you to approach capital from a position of strength. That includes narrative development, financial modeling, deal structuring, and investment materials. For operators in our Activation Partnership, we also make targeted introductions to capital providers aligned with your industry, size, and growth thesis.
-
How long does the process take?
Capital Readiness engagements typically take 60 to 90 days. Activation Partnerships, which include capital introductions and deal management, run 120 to 180 days. Timeline depends on the complexity of the opportunity and how much foundational work needs to be built.
-
How do I get started?
Reach out through the site or email us directly. We’ll have an initial conversation about your business, your goals, and your timeline. From there, we’ll tell you honestly whether the Capital Readiness Framework is the right fit.
“Lafayette & Oak has a unique gift for translating complexity into clarity. They don’t just look at numbers, they look at people, culture, and vision, and then align all three to create sustainable growth. As someone who has spent my career in leadership and organizational development, I’ve rarely seen a team so adept at balancing the human side of business with the financial and operational rigor required to scale. Partnering with L&O means you’re building more than enterprise value, you’re building a lasting legacy.”
Dr. Phillip Hearn, Ed.D.
READY?