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WORK WITH ME

You don't need more advice. You need someone in the room.

1:1 executive coaching for founders and CEOs

Deep, 1:1 coaching for founders, execs, and senior leaders who are building something that matters.

300+

founders coached

Currently coaching 4 founders. Taking on 1 more this quarter.

About Michael Batko

WHAT YOU GET

Three layers. One engagement.

Strategy

Where are you going?

Define direction, stress-test against reality. Six-month goals. Twelve-month targets. Three-year ambition. You leave with a clear direction, a prioritised roadmap, and the confidence to decide fast.

Business Operations

How does the machine run?

Everything in your head, in Slack threads, in WhatsApp - we get it out and into a single source of truth. Processes mapped. Knowledge captured. The company scales without you being the answer to every question.

Personal OS

How do you run?

Most founders run their life on 47 open tabs and a vague sense of dread. We redesign how you personally work until chaos becomes a system. Less cognitive load. Faster execution.

INSIDE THE ROOM

What we actually work on

Real engagements with founders I'm coaching right now. Names and identifying details removed - the words are theirs.

Solo founder · property-styling SaaS

Bootstrapped

The situation. Running a multi-million-dollar styling business while building software for it on the side - doing everything herself, and quietly unsure the product was worth taking seriously.

What we did. Mapped goals and a pricing path toward a real ARR target, scoped the MVP, prepped her accelerator application and first investor conversations, and worked through hiring so she could step out of the day-to-day.

The outcome. 100+ on the waitlist, her own crew running the business on the product, and the conviction to treat it as a real company.

Everything in one place has been a life changer. This morning I got up at five and quickly added what we needed, and the boys were finished by 9:30. It was so good.

Try North Star AI

Founder · CX consulting

Bootstrapped

The situation. Around $28K/month tied to a single anchor client she needed to exit, with no clear way to replace the revenue.

What we did. Built a revenue-replacement plan, redirected her energy to the right clients, and showed her how to build her own website and personal brand instead of outsourcing it.

The outcome. New clients signed, a weekly partner-conversation pipeline, and a professional website she built herself in three days.

It taught me more about me and my messaging than anything else I’ve really done previously.

Try North Star AI

Founder · MedTech

Pre-launch

The situation. About to launch publicly and pitch on stage, nervous it wouldn’t land.

What we did. Rebuilt the pitch - memorable open, slide order, where to reveal traction - set a hard launch deadline, and ran a focused traction sprint.

The outcome. 175 pre-order requests from a single post, endorsements from retailers and clinicians, and a Kickstarter date locked in.

It’s almost like relief. You work so hard to ship something and get it right, and it’s nice to see other people actually want it.

Try PitchMaster

Founder · network

$400K revenue

The situation. Near break-even, a co-founder on the way out, and a founder who’d drifted out of leading his own company.

What we did. Structured the co-founder exit and equity, moved to flat-rate pricing, set up an offshore team and a cleaner cadence, and pushed him to step back into leadership.

The outcome. A clearer cap table, healthier margins, and a founder leading again instead of firefighting.

You’ve helped reignite a little bit of optimism back into my spirit. This is my company and I need to lead it - and I’m actually leading things now.

Try North Star AI

HOW IT WORKS

No fluff. No frameworks. Just depth.

“If you want surface-level, there are a thousand people for that. If you want someone in the trenches - I'm here.”

MY METHODOLOGY

How I think about building companies

Strategy

Every engagement starts with your North Star. What's the one metric that matters most? From there we build down:

  • North Star Metrics

    The single number that tells you if you're winning

  • Vision, Mission & Goals

    Where you're going and why it matters

  • NCTs (Narratives, Commitments, Tasks)

    The goal-setting framework I use with every founder. Narratives give context, Commitments are the outcomes, Tasks are the actions.

Explore frameworks →

Operations

Most founders run their company from their head. That works until it doesn't.

  • Single source of truth

    Everything documented, accessible, findable

  • Process mapping

    Make the invisible visible

  • Knowledge capture

    So the company scales without you being the answer

Personal Operating System

How you work determines how your company works.

  • Reflection Stacking

    Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly reflection cadence

  • Edrolo OS

    The weekly ritual that keeps you focused on what matters

  • Elephants

    Name the things nobody's talking about

Explore frameworks →

MY FRAMEWORKS, PRODUCTISED

Not ready for 1:1? Start with the tools.

The same methods I run in coaching sessions, built so you can use them yourself - today, on your own time.

PROOF

What they say

To say Batko left Startmate in a better place than when he took the reins would be an embarrassing understatement. Batko literally re-founded Startmate, and Australia thanks him for it.

Niki Scevak

Niki Scevak

Co-founder, Blackbird Ventures

From founders I'm coaching right now

I’m so thankful for you - that would have cost me 10 grand to have someone do it.

Founder, CX consulting

Current 1:1 client

It’s all about the wording. I wish I could have you in my ear.

Solo founder, property-styling SaaS

Current 1:1 client

I feel good that there is a plan, instead of me jumping all over the place. I’m now more focused.

Founder, network

Current 1:1 client

Now the messaging is clear in my head. The last six weeks it wasn’t.

Founder, AI tooling

Current 1:1 client

I’ve become less interested in fundraising. What matters is customers - build something they love and the investor conversation gets easy.

Founder, consumer app

Current 1:1 client

Just having a plan and a sounding board - I think this will be really, really good.

Founder, advocacy SaaS

Current 1:1 client

FIT

Is this right for you?

This is for you if…

  • Founders and senior execs at any stage
  • Execs stepping into bigger roles
  • Senior leaders drowning in operational complexity
  • Anyone who wants a thinking partner, not a lecture

This is not for you if…

  • People looking for a quick fix
  • Anyone who wants to be told what to do
  • Founders not ready to do the work

FAQ

Common questions

How much does coaching cost?

It’s case-by-case depending on your situation. I charge an hourly rate - live sessions are at one rate and asynchronous deep work (reviewing docs, preparing frameworks, written feedback) is at another. Reach out and we’ll work out what makes sense for you.

Can I just use the tools instead of coaching?

Yes. North Star, PitchMaster, and Signal are the same methods I use in 1:1 sessions, productised so you can self-serve. Many founders start there, then reach out for coaching when they hit something a tool can’t solve.

How long do engagements typically last?

Completely up to you. There’s no lock-in. I’m here to help you progress and get the right outcome - we keep going as long as it’s useful.

Can you work with my team, not just me?

Absolutely. You can bring multiple people into the session - your co-founder, leadership team, whoever you’d like in the room. Whatever format works best for you.

Do you work with pre-revenue startups?

Absolutely. I work with founders at every stage - pre-revenue, scaling, or well-established. What matters is high ambition and a willingness to do the work.

Where are you based?

Sydney, Australia. I work with founders and executives across Australia, New Zealand, and internationally over Zoom. Most people actually prefer it.

Ready to start?

Currently coaching 4 founders. Taking on 1 more this quarter.

No booking calls. Just a direct conversation.

Not ready for 1:1? Start with a tool →

5 Frameworks I Use With Every Founder I Coach

The exact frameworks from 300+ coaching sessions - goal-setting, reflection, CEO prioritisation, investor updates, and better 1:1s. Free PDF.

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NEWSLETTER

Batko OS

Writing on startups, leadership, AI, and building a personal operating system.One email, whenever I have something worth saying.

  • Lessons from coaching founders - fundraising, ops, strategy
  • How I use AI to build, write, and think faster
  • Systems for productivity, leadership, and life

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