Operator Advisory for Scaling Consumer Businesses

I help consumer businesses make better decisions at scale—especially where CX, operations, and AI investments intersect.

The Problem

Growth doesn’t usually fail because of bad people. It fails because leadership maturity lags complexity.

As consumer businesses scale, the same patterns show up again and again:

CX absorbs product and operational tension
Leaders carry responsibility without clear authority
Decisions get slower, louder, and more emotional
AI and automation investments don’t deliver real ROI
Teams feel reactive instead of strategic

Replacing people is expensive. More process rarely helps. And tooling alone doesn’t fix decision quality.

What’s usually missing is operating clarity at scale.

How I help

I help consumer businesses make better decisions at scale—especially where CX, operations, and AI investments intersect by bringing experienced operator judgment into moments where complexity is rising, decisions are getting harder, and the cost of being wrong is high.

This work focuses on:

Using CX as a strategic signal
Helping leaders interpret what CX data is actually telling them about product, operations, and organizational health—rather than treating CX as a reactive function or cost center.
Improving decision quality under scale
Clarifying ownership, tradeoffs, and decision rights so leaders can move forward with confidence instead of noise, escalation, or second-guessing.
AI, automation, and ROI clarity
Pressure-testing AI and automation investments against real operational outcomes, avoiding “AI theater,” and designing human-in-the-loop models that actually work.
Leadership and operating maturity
Supporting senior CX and operations leaders as they step into next-stage leadership—reducing reactivity, burnout, and cross-functional friction as the business grows.
Resourcing tradeoffs
Helping teams think clearly about onshore vs. offshore vs. automation decisions, balancing cost, experience, resilience, and long-term impact.

I work upstream of delivery—where clearer thinking prevents expensive mistakes downstream.

CX, AI, & Operating Clarity Diagnostic

A short, executive-sponsored engagement designed to prepare leadership for real decisions.
What it does
Identifies where CX, operations, and AI investments are misaligned, surfaces risks leadership is currently carrying, and clarifies which decisions must be made in the next 3–6 months.
How it works
I review CX data, workflows, tooling, and AI usage, engage in conversations with CX leadership and decision-making executives, and build a concise but comprehensive Decision Brief outlining tradeoffs and recommendations.
Best for
Teams that need clarity before committing to larger changes.
Leadership Acceleration Advisory

A fixed-term advisory partnership focused on one or two senior CX or operations leaders, with executive sponsorship.
What we work on
Leadership judgment under scale, decision clarity, boundaries, and ownership. Reducing reactive CX and ops patterns while translating CX signal into product, AI, and operating decisions.
How it works
Weekly working sessions (heavier in the first month) with monthly executive alignment meetings. No deliverables; insight is applied live.
Best for
Companies that want to retain and strengthen strong leaders by equipping them with the tools to grow with the business, instead of replacing them or hiring more senior leadership.
Fractional CX & AI Strategy Advisor

A retained advisory role providing senior CX and AI judgment at the executive level.
What it does
Advises on CX strategy and operating-model decisions, pressure-tests AI and automation investments for real ROI, and supports executive decision-making around resourcing and scale, while applying CX signal to inform leadership and board-level conversations.
How it works
Weekly or biweekly advisory sessions with an executive decision-maker, with ongoing availability for sensemaking and decision support.
Best for
Leadership teams navigating CX, AI, or operating-model decisions who need senior judgment without adding a full-time executive.

How I work

I design my work to be focused, finite, and high-leverage. I work best in moments of transition—when a business is growing, decisions are getting harder to unwind, and leaders need clarity more than activity.

Across all engagements, you can expect:

Executive sponsorship
The work is most effective when a decision-making stakeholder is involved. My role is to support clearer thinking at the leadership level, not operate in isolation.
Finite engagements with clear shape
I favor defined scopes and time-bound work. This keeps the focus on decision quality and momentum, rather than dependency.
Judgment over output
The value comes from pattern recognition, sensemaking, and experienced perspective—applied in real time—not from deliverables or documentation.
Direct, thoughtful collaboration
I ask good questions, surface tradeoffs, and name what’s getting in the way. The work is candid, grounded, and practical.
Clean exits
My goal is to help leaders reach a point where outside support is no longer necessary. When the work is done, it ends cleanly.

This approach allows me to do a small amount of meaningful work each year—while giving clients focused attention and clear value.

About Sarah

A woman with short brown hair and light skin, smiling and sitting on a black chair, holding a beige ceramic mug with both hands. She is wearing a maroon sweater, blue jeans, and brown boots, with a large green potted plant in the background.

I’ve spent nearly two decades leading customer experience and operations inside fast-scaling consumer businesses—often at the moment when growth exposes cracks in systems, leadership, and decision-making.

Across global consumer, travel, and entertainment brands, I’ve built and scaled CX organizations from zero to more than 250 people across four continents, rebuilt legacy systems from the studs up, and delivered results that had to hold up under real pressure: automation at scale without sacrificing quality, cost per transaction cut in half, millions in incremental revenue, and customer trust built alongside growth—not after the fact.

What I learned early is that the most effective CX work is preventative. Most companies treat customer experience as a crisis response. The real leverage comes from designing systems, decisions, and operating models that prevent the crisis in the first place—using automation and AI thoughtfully, ethically, and in service of both customers and the business.

Over the years, I’ve advised executive teams through acquisitions, rapid growth, product launches, and the messy middle of building something that’s meant to last. I’m known for bringing calm clarity to complex environments, helping leaders make better decisions without inflaming politics, and translating CX signal into choices about people, process, and technology that actually scale. I’m also frequently invited to speak at industry conferences and closed-door executive forums on CX, AI, and leadership during periods of growth.

Wise Bloom Advisory exists to do a small amount of high-leverage work each year—partnering with leaders at moments where judgment matters more than activity, alongside my writing and creative work.

If you’re scaling and want a thoughtful partner who’s actually lived these tradeoffs—not just studied them—I’d love to talk.