In this conversation, I catch up with longtime friend and operator, Stephanie Quay—a five-time acquisition veteran who recently launched Five Experts, a platform matching early-stage companies with proven operators to drive value creation in the first five years. We trace her zig-zag path from film school and TV.com (hi, CNET days!) to growth-stage leadership across PE- and VC-backed companies, and the playbooks she now packages for founders, investors, and fractional experts.

Stephanie opens the hood on the 5×5×5 framework—from the first 90 days through year five—and how to pull the right levers (margin, operations, capital efficiency, customer success, revenue) without losing your culture or your North Star. We also get into what makes someone an expert (outcomes + the ability to teach), why “warm demander” leadership works, and how to protect your focus by controlling what you can (sprinters, we see you).

What you’ll learn

• How to diagnose growth inflection points in the first five years—and what to do in each phase
• The 5 value levers that move EBITDA (with real examples from PE-backed turnarounds)
• Why breaking apart sales vs. customer success can unlock outsized growth
• The difference between experience and expertise (hint: repeatable outcomes + coaching)
• How to set a clear mission/ICP so teams row in the same direction
• “Warm demander” management: high standards + high support
• Mindset for founders: doubt is normal—return to your mission fast

Who this is for:

Founders, operators, and investors navigating resource-constrained growth; women in leadership building high-performing teams; and anyone curious about turning career zigzags into a superpower.

Connect with Stephanie:

• LinkedIn
• Five Experts
• Email: [email protected]
  
  

Favorite lines

• “An expert has proven the outcome—and can teach the path back.”
• “Culture and mission aren’t posters; they’re the daily operating system.”
• “Control the controllables. Ignore the rest.”