NEXT / PHASE
The next jump is closer than you think.
Before they built businesses, they built winning records.
Jake Deane and Joe LaRocque spent over a decade competing at the professional level before building national companies, closing 180+ M&A deals, and selling to private equity. That same discipline, toughness, and refusal to lose now drives how they build businesses.
Affiliated with & Distributed Through
Two Operators. One Playbook.
Between them: two professional sports careers, two PE-backed exits, and 180+ transactions. They've been exactly where you are — and they know exactly how to get you where you want to go.
JAKE
DEANE
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Division I All-American and 8-year professional lacrosse athlete turned founder-operator. Built True Lacrosse from $100 to $40M+ in revenue across 24 states before completing a majority recapitalization with TZP Group in 2025.
- $40M revenue at PE recap · $3.5M EBITDA
- 60+ M&A transactions closed over 10 years
- 150+ FT employees, 24 states, 1,000+ coaches
- Division I All-American · 8 years pro lacrosse
JOE
LAROCQUE
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
NFL linebacker drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 2008 NFL Draft. Founder of Gridiron Football ($13M+ revenue, 26 states, 88,000+ participants) and ROCKSOLID, a nationally distributed football safety equipment brand.
- 2008 NFL Draft · Chicago Bears · 7th round, pick 243
- Gridiron Football: 126 leagues acquired & integrated
- 4-Star Virginia Tech Helmet Lab rating (ROCKSOLID)
- Second-Team All-Pac-10 · Oregon State University
- MBA · Indiana University Kelley School (NFL Alumni Program)
Your business isn't the problem. Clarity is.
We work with founders between $500K–$20M who've proven the model but are hitting the ceiling. If any of these sound familiar, we should talk.
REVENUE HAS STALLED
You're busy but not profitable. EBITDA is declining. Nobody owns the number and nobody is being held to it. You've tried fixing it yourself and nothing sticks.
OPERATIONS ARE DUCT TAPE
Processes live in people's heads. Every new hire creates more chaos, not more capacity. You're scaling the problems right along with the business.
YOU'RE THE BOTTLENECK
You're the smartest person in every room — and that's the problem. Nothing moves without you. You can't take a vacation, let alone scale.
A MAJOR MOMENT IS COMING
A raise, an exit, a PE conversation. You know the business needs to be tighter, leaner, and more defensible before that conversation happens.
Most founders think growth comes from more leads. It actually comes from fixing what's already broken inside the business.
— Jake Deane & Joe LaRocque
31 Years. Two Platforms. One Exit Each.
They're not selling theory. They're selling the exact playbook that built $53M+ in combined revenue, survived PE scrutiny, and came out the other side with equity.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
THE 100-DAY GROWTH PLAN
No fluff. No frameworks. No theoretical slides. We build a custom operating plan for your specific business — and then we actually execute it alongside you. This is the same process that took True Lacrosse from bootstrapped to $40M and Gridiron Football to 26 states.
Full Business Diagnostic
Deep dive into revenue model, operations, team, EBITDA, and processes. We get into everything — including what founders don't want to look at.
Strategic Alignment
Identify the highest-leverage opportunities and biggest constraints. We agree on exactly what winning looks like in 100 days — specifically and measurably.
KPIs & Accountability
Clear metrics, scorecards, and ownership across the org. A business without scorecards is a business running blind. That ends on day one.
Execute & Accelerate
We work alongside your leadership to implement. Revenue opportunities. Process upgrades. Partnership openings. In the room, not on email.
DELIVERABLES
BOTH SIDES OF THE TABLE. MULTIPLE TIMES.
Jake sold his company to PE. Joe merged Gridiron Football. Together they've sourced, structured, and closed 180+ transactions. When it's time to grow, raise, or exit — they've done it.
- CIM preparation and full go-to-market execution
- Buyer identification, qualification, and outreach
- Purchase price and deal economics negotiation
- Legal terms, structure, and closing management
- PE diligence, management presentations, and closing
- Private Equity partnerships and recapitalizations
- Friends & Family, Credit Facilities, and Venture Capital
- Equity rollover, earnout structuring, post-close transition
- Add-on acquisitions to increase platform value pre-exit
We have both sold companies and bought many others. We know what's on the other side of every one of these tables — and we'll make sure you're ready for it.
— Jake Deane & Joe LaRocque
Sell-Side Advisory — Your Banker
We act as your banker. Full process management from positioning to close — negotiating economics, legal, structure, and price on your behalf.
Capital Raising
PE, Friends & Family, Credit Facilities, or Venture. We know the process, the players, and how to position a business to get a yes.
Buy-Side & M&A Sourcing
Operator-driven acquisition sourcing, diligence, and integration. 180+ transactions across both founders.
Exit Readiness
12–24 month pre-exit preparation: tighten operations, improve EBITDA, build the narrative that commands a premium valuation.
THREE WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER
Choose the level of engagement that matches where your business is. All three come with full commitment and direct access.
STRATEGIC ADVISOR
Full-Time Growth Partner
- Monthly 1:1 strategy sessions
- Ongoing business feedback and direction
- Revenue model and pricing review
- KPI and accountability framework
- Network introductions
- Async access for time-sensitive decisions
- Annual growth roadmap
- Best for: Founders who need a battle-tested operator in their corner to pressure-test every major decision
GROWTH PARTNER
Full-Time Operator — Chief Growth Officer
- Full business diagnostic
- Custom 100-Day Growth Plan
- Weekly strategy sessions
- Active sales and pipeline involvement
- Org design and hiring priorities
- Revenue model and new stream development
- Process and ops infrastructure buildout
- Available for client and investor calls
- PE and strategic buyer introductions
- Best for: Operators who need someone embedded in the business driving growth with full-time urgency
OPERATING ADVISOR
C-Suite — CEO / COO / CGO
- Full company diagnostic
- Complete strategic roadmap
- Active C-Suite operating role
- Full P&L oversight
- M&A strategy and execution
- CIM and go-to-market for capital events
- PE and board-level support
- Exit readiness and buyer identification
- Platform expansion strategy
- Best for: Founders targeting a PE partnership, capital event, or full exit in 24–36 months
We treat every engagement like a full-time job. To protect the commitment, we limit our combined roster to 5 clients at any one time. No exceptions — if the fit is right, we move quickly.
WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY BUYING
- Figure it out through expensive trial and error
- Hire consultants who've never operated a business
- Lose 2–3 years learning lessons that already have answers
- Miss the window on a capital event or PE exit
- Scale chaos instead of building a real platform
- Advisors who disappear after the first slide deck
- 31 combined years of tested operating patterns applied to your business
- Two operators who built, scaled, and exited national platforms to PE
- A 100-day plan that actually gets executed — not just delivered
- Access to PE firms, investors, and a real operator network
- Partners who pick up the phone and get in the room
- Two professional athletes who don't know how to quit
He doesn't fold when it gets hard. He built something real from nothing — and he'll do the same for you. He is the most driven, relentless person I know.
— CLIENT, NEXT PHASE GROWTH PARTNERS
FIVE /
CLIENTS.
NO /
EXCEPTIONS.
If you're a founder between $500K and $20M who is serious about growth, process, and building something that lasts — this conversation is worth your time.
REQUEST AN ASSESSMENT CALL →Spots are intentionally limited. We only take on 5 clients at a time — not because we have to, but because that's what real commitment requires.