Supporting founders. Backing builders.
Founder, operator, investor, and board member. I advise, invest, and step in, on occasion, when companies need turning around — with a deep specialty in the restaurant and catering industry I’ve lived inside for more than three decades.
“Entrepreneurship is an uncertain path. Every founder needs someone in their corner.”
— Erle
founding & investing
founded
led to completion
exits
created
… and a substantial share of blood, sweat & tears.
A few words.
I’m an entrepreneur and operator turned advisor, investor, and board member. My practice lives at the intersection of startups, family businesses, turnarounds, governance, and growth — I help founders, families, and boards get unstuck, professionalize, and build companies that last.
The habit of fixing businesses started early. In 1996, while finishing my MBA at Simon Fraser University, I started consulting at Tony’s Deli — a well-loved Italian delicatessen on Commercial Drive in Vancouver that had been through half a dozen owners in twenty-five years. Within a year I’d taken an ownership position, restructured the company, and set about turning it into something bigger than a deli. We built a corporate catering program out the back door, invented our own operating systems because none existed off the shelf, and by 2001 Tony’s was doing $2M in sales — half of it through catering — still out of a single 1,700-square-foot storefront.
That operating system became a software product. In 2002 I co-founded MonkeyMedia Software to turn what we’d built at Tony’s into a platform other restaurants could use.
“A very well connected businessman, visionary, with a deep understanding of business fundamentals—with the unique talent of bringing reality and humor into business situations.”
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I sold the deli in 2004 to focus on it full-time, and over the next fifteen years grew MonkeyMedia Software into the leading cloud platform for multi-unit catering, takeout, and delivery — building The Catering Institute, writing Get Catering and Grow Sales!, and authoring the 5 Pillars of Successful Takeout, Delivery & Catering along the way, before selling the business to ezCater in 2019.
Now I bring that operator’s toolkit to a wider set of companies. Restaurants and catering still hold a special place — it’s where my deepest Rolodex lives and where I continue to speak, write, and coach — but I also work with startups, family businesses, founders in transition, and boards that need an independent voice. I hold an MBA from Simon Fraser University and live in Vancouver & Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.
I’ve written a book, given hundreds of talks, and published widely on takeout, delivery & catering for foodservice operators, and founder transitions. See the library →
What I do now.
I work with founders, families, and boards on the messy middle of running a company — the turnarounds, transitions, and strategic pivots that look tidy in a case study but are anything but in real life.
“Erle is one of the most innovative and professional people I have met in this industry. An innovative thinker who has built a great leadership team to carry out and execute.”
The practice spans a handful of related modes: advisory engagements with CEOs and founders, independent board seats and governance, selective investment alongside operators I’d back with my own money, and hands-on turnaround work when a company needs someone in the room. Restaurants and catering are where I have the deepest playbook — but the toolkit travels.
- Advisory
- Turnarounds
- Boards & governance
- Investment
- Family business
- Entrepreneurship
- Restaurants & catering
“Erle’s greatest quality is his calm manner. This shines most when the heat is on.”
“Erle helped guide and shape our off-premises and catering program nearly 10 years ago. We continue to follow many of the principles, structure, and discipline from his program today, and our off-premise business continues to grow by double digits. His impact on our company has been significant, and I have tremendous respect for his knowledge, experience, and approach.”
How I help.
A toolkit I’ve developed over twenty-five years operating, advising, and investing — applied most often to multi-generational family businesses, founder-led companies, and the boards that guide them.
Succession & Continuity Planning
For founders asking what comes next — sale, step-back, or passing the reins to the next generation.
- Succession planning
- Exit strategies
- Estate planning
- Retirement planning
Family Business Governance & Structure
The rules, councils, and advisory boards that keep family enterprises aligned when the business gets complicated.
- Family constitutions
- Family councils & boards
- Conflict resolution & mediation
- Advisory board management
Entrepreneurial Strategy & Growth
Scaling, transforming, or launching the next chapter of a family or founder-led company.
- Strategic planning
- Business transformation
- Family office setup
- Family entrepreneurship
Leadership & Talent Development
Coaching the leaders you have, mentoring the next generation, and finding the non-family executives you need.
- Executive coaching
- Next-gen mentorship
- Non-family executive recruitment
Financial & Advisory Services
Capital, tax, and operational levers that actually move the needle — from tax strategy to performance.
- Tax planning & strategy
- Performance improvement
- Financing & capital
Specialized Consulting
Family-business specialist work — counselling, enterprise advisory, and philanthropic planning.
- Family business counselling
- Family enterprise advisory
- Philanthropy planning
Off the clock.
When I’m not working with founders, families, and boards, you’ll find me in the gym or somewhere on a mountain. Still showing up every day — discipline, coaching, and reps turn out to be a pretty good framework for fixing companies, too. The rest of the year: Skiing, Hiking, Biking & Kayaking.
In the gym.
In the mountains.
Let’s talk.
If you’re a founder thinking about your next move, a board looking for independent counsel, or an operator who needs a second brain in the room — drop me a note below.
Schedule a conversation
Pick a time that works for you.