12 Founding Member Spots · August 1 Soft Launch
You Built the Business.
Now Build the System
That Runs Without You.
Founder to CEO is a 12-month operating program built around the Sales Acceleration Operating System — the only coaching program designed specifically for professional service founders in years 1–5 who are still doing all their own selling.
Owen Van Syckle — Founder, Sales Acceleration Academy
Creator of the SAOS methodology · Author of Stop Closing Deals. Start Building a Business. · Available September 1
Is This You?
You're Not Failing.
You're the Ceiling.
Check the ones that hit. Be honest — not with us, but with yourself.
The Guarantee
We Don't Accept Founders We Don't Believe In.
And We Back That with Three Guarantees.
Most coaching programs ask you to take all the risk. We don't.
Guarantee 01
The Vetting Guarantee
We only accept founders we genuinely believe can succeed in this program. The application and interview process is designed for us — not just for you. If we don't believe this is the right fit, we'll tell you — and we'll tell you why. If we accept you, it's because we're confident in the outcome.
Guarantee 02
The 30-Day No-Questions Entry Guarantee
If you complete your first 30 days and decide this program isn't right for you — for any reason — we'll refund your investment in full. No questions. No hoops. No hard feelings. You keep everything you received in your first month.
Guarantee 03
The 12-Month 50% Revenue Growth Guarantee
If you complete the full program — attend the sessions, run the SAOS, log the Game, show up to the retreats — and don't see at least a 50% increase in revenue over your 12-month baseline, we'll extend your membership for an additional 6 months at no charge. The system works when you work it.
Honest Fit Assessment
This Program Is Not
for Everyone. Intentionally.
You're looking for motivation or inspiration without a commitment to do the work between sessions.
Your business is generating less than $100,000 in annual revenue — the SAOS requires a real pipeline to install into.
You are not willing to be held accountable to daily behavior tracking and weekly commitments in the Game and Pit Crew.
You want a course you can consume at your own pace with no accountability structure around it.
You are not currently doing your own selling — this program is built for founders who are still in the field.
You're looking for a quick fix. The SAOS is a 12-month installation, not a 30-day sprint.
If none of those apply — and you're a professional service founder in years 1–5 who is ready to build the system that replaces you as the engine of your own revenue — you're exactly who this was built for.
Apply for Founding Membership
Apply for Founder to CEO
What Happens Next
Submit your application — takes about 8 minutes. We review every one personally.
If you're a fit, you'll receive a Founders Fit Call invitation within 3 business days.
Owen personally evaluates every application. Clear answer within 24 hours of your call.
Not Ready to Apply? Book a Call First.
If you have questions before you apply, Owen will personally answer them on a 20-minute Founders Fit Call. No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether this is the right fit for where you are right now.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Founder to CEO is designed for professional service founders in years 1–5, earning between $100K and $750K, who are still doing the majority of their own selling. If you’ve crossed $750K or already have a functioning sales team, Stage 2 may be a better fit — and we’ll have that conversation during the Founders Fit Call.
Most coaching programs give you accountability without a methodology — someone to check in with, but no system to install. The SAOS is a documented, sequenced operating system with daily behavior tracking (The Game), peer accountability (Pit Crew), and live events built around the moments where real breakthroughs happen. You’re not buying access to Owen’s calendar. You’re installing a system into your business.
The program runs on a flipped classroom model — you complete curriculum on your own schedule, and the sessions are application and Q&A. Three sessions per month at roughly 90 minutes each, plus your monthly Pit Crew and one daily behavior log. Founders who say they don’t have time are almost always the ones who most need the system — because the system is what creates the time.
If you complete the full program — attend the sessions, run the SAOS, log the Game, show up to the retreats — and don’t see at least a 50% increase in revenue over your 12-month baseline, we’ll extend your membership for 6 additional months at no charge. The guarantee has conditions because the results have conditions. We’ll review them together during your application interview.
Professional services includes financial services, insurance, consulting, law, accounting, real estate, marketing, HR, coaching, technology services, and similar B2B businesses where the primary product is expertise delivered by people. If you’re not sure whether your business qualifies, the Founders Fit Call is the right next step.
Founding members begin August 1 with orientation. Full program launch — aligned with the Fiscal Selling Year — begins October 1. Founding members accepted before August 1 receive access to pre-launch orientation materials and first priority in cohort formation. Applications are reviewed in the order received.
Founder to CEO
Sales Acceleration Academy
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