We’re in the middle of a massive mindset shift in how businesses are built, scaled, and led

The old playbooks are straining under the weight of too much noise, too little attention, and a dramatically changed landscape: 🤖 Businesses have amazing new tools and capabilities but are playing old games 🤝 Consumer behavior is shifting — people want connection and value, not just convenience 💸 Capital is expensive, risk tolerance is low, and inflation anxiety is still real.

All of this makes execution harder — but the right questions, asked clearly, still cut through at the end of last year, I stepped away from my operating role at Saltbox, the company I co-founded and helped build over six years. Creating and scaling a business from zero to a national platform—while supporting thousands of small businesses along the way—was one of the most rewarding challenges of my life. I’m incredibly proud of where Saltbox is today, and none of it would have been possible without the many teammates, partners, and friends who helped build it alongside us. There are too many to name — but if you were part of that journey, thank you. I’m deeply grateful.

Since then, I’ve taken time to travel, reflect, and reset. I'm not rushing into what’s next. Instead, I’m spending time working through a few deeply held hypotheses—assessing how I can have real, lasting impact in this changing environment. I’m asking: what's truly fundamental vs. what’s just a short-term ripple? Where do I want to build, and what problems are worth compounding into?

In parallel, I’m launching a new advisory and fractional offering for founders and executive teams navigating growth, complexity, and change. Whether it’s sharpening your GTM, improving LTV, fixing strategic misalignment, or bringing outside perspective to an inflection point—I’d love to help.

If you're trying to make sense of what these fundamental shifts mean for your business, that’s the work I’m in right now. ✉️ maxwell@archeroad.co  

Looking forward to reconnecting with many of you — and excited to step into this next chapter with more clarity than ever.