Think for yourself, but don't think alone.
second chair
An invitation to founders
Bring me the ugly version
You know that thing in your business you've been going around in circles about? The decision you keep putting off. The problem you can't quite untangle because every possible solution seems to create another problem. Bring that.
We'll sit down, pull it apart, and dissolve that stuck feeling that's been following you around.
Real one-on-one conversation. No spam. No pitch fest.
"
You can be brilliant at running your business and still have days when you don't know what the hell to do next. You don't have to figure those days out alone.
~ From Astrid Madeleine Wyke, CEO & founder of Second Chair
So, what's been keeping you up at night?
It doesn't have to be a catastrophe. Sometimes it's just a decision you've made, unmade, and made again so many times that it's practically become a member of the family.
The hire you can't quite make.
You need more capacity to grow, but you can't afford more people until you grow. Lovely little catch-22.
The business that's growing but eating your life.
Revenue is up. The team is bigger. So why the hell are you working harder than ever?
The team that still needs you for everything.
You've hired good people. You've delegated. Somehow every important decision still ends up back on your desk.
The opportunity you can't stop thinking about.
It could be brilliant. It could also be a very expensive distraction. And you can make a compelling argument either way.
The thing that isn't working anymore.
The offer, the strategy, the business model you've invested so much in. You know it needs to change. You just don't want to blow the whole thing up in the process.
The decision you've been avoiding.
You probably know which one I'm talking about. The team member that's not working out.
If it's living rent-free in your head like some deadbeat, it's time to evict the little sh*t.
Real one-on-one conversation. No spam. No pitch fest.
Who the hell is Astrid?
Fair question. If you're going to bring me the thing that's been driving you crazy for six months, you probably want to know whose brain you're inviting into the conversation.
I'm not giving you luxury consultancy, tough-love business coaching, or spiritual hand-holding. And definitely not some cold millionaire boss babe sitting above it all, dispensing wisdom from a safe distance.
I'll bring you a sharp mind, deep listening, and no bullshit.
I've been responsible for the people, the money, the decisions, and the consequences when things didn't go quite as planned. I know what it feels like when everyone is looking to you for the answers.
I'm not here to make you feel small or tell you how to run your business. I'm here to bring everything I've learned to the table, sit beside you, and help make the hard stuff a little easier.
The Short Version of 30 years of business,
a few wild rides, and some glorious detours.
1.
It's not my first rodeo...if you know what I mean? Yeeeehaa!
30+ years building, scaling, fixing, and selling businesses. I've been the founder, the operator, the strategist, and the person wondering why the hell something that worked brilliantly last year isn't working anymore.
2.
Yep...I became the bottleneck...so predictable.
My team needed my approval for everything, right down to what fucking font to use on an Instagram graphic. I'd made myself so indispensable that I nearly lost the entire business.
3.
So I pivoted like the MF badass that I am.
I rebuilt the darn thing, the team, the systems, the economics, and the way decisions got made. I sold it for 3.5 times my broker's original valuation, at the highest multiple he'd ever seen, with full payout at the time of sale. Ta-da! Turns out making yourself unnecessary can be rather profitable.
4.
I've helped founders do some pretty extraordinary things.
Double and triple revenue. Rethink entire business models. Build self-managing teams. Prepare companies for record-high exits. But mostly, show them how doing less creates more.
5.
I don't have a business religion.
I don't have a proprietary seven-step framework, a portal stuffed with worksheets, or a methodology I'm determined to squeeze your business into. What I do have is 30+ years of experience, a rather extensive collection of lessons learned the hard way, and absolutely no attachment to where the next good idea comes from.
6.
Reinvention, apparently I've made a hobby out of it.
I'm not particularly interested in building a life other people understand. I am, however, very intentional in building one I love. I've hopped trains across Europe, spent summers at the Montreux Jazz Festival, lived in Haight Ashbury, which of course turned me into a Deadhead. I chased my favorite bands across the US in an RV after selling my business. Arrived in Sweden in the middle of winter, with a carry-on bag of summer clothes, ended up falling in love with the Nordic seasons, and stayed.
I'm here to make the hard stuff a little easier,
the possibilities a little bigger,
and the next move a whole lot clearer.
After reading about some of my more spectacular detours, you might be wondering whether I'm going to suggest you sell everything, buy an RV, and go find yourself somewhere in the desert. Relax. I've already done that, so now you don't have to.
I've invested decades into learning the difference between taking a bold risk and doing something spectacularly stupid. I believe in trusting your instincts, questioning the rules, and having the courage to build a business and a life on your own terms. But that doesn't mean I've abandoned sound strategy, good decisions, and building on what you've worked so damn hard to create.
You don't have to show up with the polished version of your business. The one where every decision was strategic, every hire was brilliant, and everything is going exactly according to plan.
Bring me the version you're actually living. The decision you've been wrestling with. The opportunity you're excited about but can't quite get your head around. The thing you haven't said out loud because you're supposed to be the one with all the answers.
I'll bring my experience, my curiosity, a rather unconventional way of looking at things, and my full attention. We'll talk honestly about what's happening, explore possibilities you might not have considered, and work toward a way forward that makes sense for your business and the life you actually want.
I'm not here to take over. Or to turn you into a miniature version of me. Yuck!
I'm here to make the hard stuff a little easier, the possibilities a little bigger, and the next move a whole lot clearer.
Think for yourself, but don't think alone.
Real one-on-one conversation. No spam. No pitch fest.
From the founders
Fiercely protective of my interests.
I have had the great honor of having Astrid in my corner the last two years. She has catalyzed, supported, initiated, challenged, and been fiercely protective of my interests. Her brilliance is a major asset to any founder.
Elayne Doughty, MA, MFT
Founder
Elegant structure and building the perfect team.
Astrid is more innovative, more strategic, and more creative than anyone when it comes to creating elegant structure and building the perfect team. She brings integrity and dedication.
Jesse Koren & Sharla Jarcobs
Co-Founders
Structuring my business for ease and success.
Partnering with Astrid has been the best decision I've made in structuring my business for ease and success. My only regret is that I didn't hire her sooner.
Mellissa Seaman, JD
Founder
© 2026 Second Chair. All rights reserved.
Written in the land of the midnight sun
