// ABOUT / SUBJECT 01 — operator, founder, ex-intel

Built by an operator, not a guru.

// SUBJECT 01 · ID TK-001 Trevor Kincy FOUNDER / OPERATOR
Based
Switzerland
Working
Internationally
Status
Available Q3 '26
Now
Bad Management

I'm Trevor. I'm a founder and operator based in Switzerland, working internationally. Over the last decade I've worked across technology, transformation, operations, commercial strategy, and a long list of high-pressure decision-making environments where bad management quietly costs everyone everything.

I started Bad Management because I kept watching the same thing happen: good people, good products, good intentions — wrecked by an operating model nobody designed on purpose. Strategy died between the deck and the standup. Decisions stalled in meetings that produced more meetings. Founders became their own bottleneck and called it "being hands-on."

So I built a practice around the boring, useful parts: ownership, decision rights, operating rhythm, meetings, prioritization, accountability. The infrastructure under the work. I help founders, operators, creatives, and teams diagnose the management failures creating chaos — and install practical systems for better execution.

I am not a guru. I don't have a manifesto. I am allergic to the kind of leadership content that's mostly graphic design. My version of coaching looks more like a working session than a podcast.

If that sounds like what you need — tell me what's broken. I'll tell you straight whether I'm the right person to help. If I'm not, I'll tell you who is.

[02] The short version how I got here
2026// NOW

Bad Management — founder / lead operator

Coaching, classes, speaking and media platform helping founders, operators and creatives stop scaling chaos and build operating systems that hold under pressure.

CoachingClassesSpeakingPodcast
2022—25// FRACTIONAL COO

Embedded operator across seed–Series C teams

Ran ops, installed operating rhythm, and rebuilt leadership cadence at a portfolio of venture-backed teams — from 8-person studios to 200-person platforms.

SaaSCreative StudiosFintechAI
2018—22// TECH + TRANSFORM

Operations & commercial strategy lead

Ran transformation programs and commercial strategy across technology orgs going through scale, restructure, or both at the same time. Got very good at re-pricing the work.

TransformationGTMOps design
2013—18// EARLIER

High-tempo operational background

Before tech, I came up in environments that ran on briefings, structured analysis, and decisions under pressure. That's where I learned what real "operating tempo" looks like — and why most companies confuse motion for momentum.

Decision-makingBriefingTempo
[03] What I actually do in plain language

A practice in three things.

PRACTICE / 01

Coach founders & operators

1:1 work with founders, operators, creatives and emerging leaders who need clarity, better systems and sharper decisions — without corporate jargon.

PRACTICE / 02

Diagnose & install

Short engagements: read your operating model, write the diagnosis, install the fixes. Decision rights, meeting structure, operating rhythm, prioritization.

PRACTICE / 03

Talk & teach

Speaking, classes, podcast, Twitch. A media surface for the work — so the people who need it can find it before things get expensive.

// CLIENTS TO DATE
62+
// TALKS / 2025
11
// NEWSLETTER READERS
8.4k
// EPISODES SHIPPED
14
[04] Working with me the honest version

Good fit, bad fit.

// GOOD FIT

  • You're a founder or operator drowning in operational chaos.
  • You'd rather change one real thing than read another framework.
  • You want direct, plain feedback — and can do something with it.
  • Your team is small enough that one decision actually matters.
  • You think "best practice" is a phrase people use to avoid thinking.
  • You're willing to delete meetings, not just rename them.

// BAD FIT

  • You want a thought-partner who agrees with you on Zoom.
  • You're looking for inspiration, motivation, or a vibe shift.
  • Your problem is "I just need to align on culture."
  • You're pre-revenue and the real issue is customers, not systems.
  • You need someone to perform consulting at your board.
  • You want a deck. I will not make you a deck.

If you've read this far, you probably want a first session.

First call is a real conversation, not a sales pitch. 90 minutes. Then a written diagnosis and a 30-day plan you can actually run.