Simon Elliston Ball

The playbook that got you here won’t get you there.

Every product stage demands different leadership. I’ve shipped products from discovery to deprecation, from tiny startups to Amazon Web Servcies (AWS), and I coach leaders through the transitions that don’t come with a playbook.

Is This You?

Every stage of the product lifecycle demands a different playbook. The leadership that works at launch will break at scale.

Launch

Building your first product team

You're a founder or technical leader about to hire your first PM or build out a product function, and you need to get it right.

Growth

Scaling past what got you here

Your product is growing fast and the processes that got you here are breaking. You need someone who's operated at the next scale.

New Scale

Changing company scale

You've jumped from a startup to a public company -- or vice versa -- and the rules are completely different.

Maturity

Making a mature product pay

You're managing a mature product and the business expects revenue, not experiments. You need to find growth in a cash cow.

AI & Innovation

Building a real AI strategy

Your board wants an AI strategy and you're not sure what's real vs. hype. You need someone who's actually built this, not just advised on it.

Moving past bolt-on AI

You've added AI to your product but it's not moving the needle. You suspect the integration needs to go deeper, and you're right.

M&A

Navigating an acquisition

You've been acquired (or are acquiring) and need to integrate products without destroying what works.

Sunset

Sunsetting a product

You need to deprecate a product and nobody wants to have that conversation. You need someone who's done it before.

What I Bring to the Conversation

Every Stage of the Lifecycle

I've shipped products from napkin sketch to sunset, and made money at every stage in between. Discovery, growth, live services, cash cow, acquisition, deprecation -- I've led through all of them.

Every Scale of Company

From tiny startups where I was the product team, to mid-size companies like Red Gate, pre-IPO rocketships like Hortonworks, and hyperscalers like Amazon Web Servcies (AWS). The advice you need at 10 people is wrong at 10,000. I've operated at both.

Hundreds of Enterprises

Through roles at Hortonworks, Cloudera, and Amazon Web Servcies (AWS), I've worked with hundreds of enterprises on data and development strategy. My advice is pattern recognition from real organizations, not frameworks from a textbook.

AI That's Real, Not Bolted On

I've built ML pipelines with my own hands, led AI teams, and made the strategic calls about where AI belongs in a product, and where it doesn't. I can tell the difference between AI that transforms a product and AI that's just a demo.

How We Work Together

Catalyst

Single deep-dive session

A 90-minute intensive session focused on a specific challenge. You’ll get a pre-session questionnaire to focus our time and a written action plan afterwards.

Best for:

  • ✓One-off strategic decisions
  • ✓Career crossroads
  • ✓AI strategy gut-check
  • ✓Product direction pressure-test
Most Popular

Partnership

Ongoing 1:1 coaching

Bi-weekly 60-minute sessions with async support between. Minimum 6-month engagement. Includes quarterly strategic reviews.

Best for:

  • ✓Leaders in transition
  • ✓Sustained capability growth
  • ✓Building AI into your product or team
  • ✓Navigating company-scale change

Embedded

Advisory + coaching hybrid

Weekly sessions combined with team observation and stakeholder interviews. Personal coaching meets organizational consulting.

Best for:

  • ✓Executives leading transformation
  • ✓Companies shifting from bolt-on to deep AI integration
  • ✓Product org restructuring
  • ✓Post-acquisition integration
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What to Expect

1

Discovery Call

A 30-minute conversation to understand your situation. No pitch, no pressure, just figuring out if there's a fit.

2

Chemistry Session

A longer session where we dig into your actual challenges. You'll get a feel for how I coach, and I'll understand what you need.

3

Coaching Agreement

If we're both in, we'll agree on format, cadence, and goals. Clear expectations from day one.

4

Ongoing Partnership

Regular sessions, async support, and honest conversation. I'll push you when you need pushing and support you when you need support.

I take on a limited number of coaching clients at a time to ensure depth and focus. If I’m not the right fit, I’ll refer you to someone who is.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between coaching and consulting?

Consulting solves a specific problem: I come in, analyse, recommend, and sometimes build. Coaching develops you as a leader, your judgment, your decision-making, and your ability to navigate what comes next. I do both, but they serve different purposes.

How do I know if I need a coach?

If you're facing a transition you haven't navigated before like a new role, new scale, new technology, new market and you want someone who's been there, coaching accelerates the learning curve significantly.

What if we're not a good fit?

We'll know quickly. The discovery call and chemistry session exist for exactly this reason. If I'm not the right coach for you, I'll tell you honestly and point you toward someone who might be.

Do you only work with senior leaders?

My coaching is designed for leaders at Director level and above, or founders. If you're earlier in your career, my blog, resources, and speaking content are designed to be useful.

What's your methodology?

I don't follow a rigid framework. My approach is grounded in real experience across the full product lifecycle, multiple company scales, and deep technical domains. Every engagement is shaped around your specific context and needs.

Interested in Coaching?

Book a 30-minute discovery call. No pitch, no pressure, just a conversation about where you are and whether coaching is the right move.