Building Multi-Unit Platforms From The Ground Up.

A "Results First, People Always" CEO and independent board director focused on rapidly scaling multi-unit private equity-backed consumer and health platforms.

Jeff has led and advised platforms across fitness, aesthetic medicine, waxing, and premium grooming with an emphasis on disciplined operations, unit economics, integration risk, and leadership systems that hold at scale.

Board Director Profile Sponsor & Operator Conversations
Jeff Helfgott
Time to build.

Built for the PE clock

Private equity success is measured by time, operating discipline, and exit outcomes. My focus is helping management teams translate a strong thesis into a repeatable platform that compounds quickly.

That means tightening unit economics early, installing an operating cadence that scales, and building leaders who can execute across dozens of locations without drift.

I step in where the work matters most: pre-close diligence, the 100-day plan, integration, de novo rollout, and exit readiness.

Companies Built, Advised, or Backed

A sample of platforms Jeff has operated and businesses where he is an active investor.

Operator / Advisor / Investor

Platform Growth By The Numbers

Real, lasting value across roles as CEO, COO, and advisor.

M&A14

Transactions Completed

Platform and tuck-in deals from thesis and sourcing through diligence, integration, and post-close operating rhythm.

Exits$1.1B

Aggregate Exit Value

Sponsor-backed platforms scaled to meaningful outcomes, aligning investors, management teams, and frontline leaders.

De Novo61

Locations Built

New locations across multiple concepts, from underwriting and site selection to launch playbooks and ramp.

Operating Thesis

Building Platforms From The Ground Up

Jeff’s work centers on building and scaling platforms where local teams, consistent guest experience, and recurring revenue all reinforce one another. Whether in fitness, aesthetic medicine, or men’s grooming, the starting point is a clear thesis for who the customer is and why they stay.

From there, he helps teams design playbooks that can be replicated across dozens of units: how sites are selected, how new locations open, how leaders are selected and developed, and how field reporting flows into a focused, actionable set of KPIs for the board and investors.

The intent is to match the discipline of highly engineered products with the energy and nuance of hospitality. Done well, the platform becomes a training ground for future leaders and a durable asset for sponsors.

Repeatable CEO Playbook

Three platforms, one operating system.

The pattern is consistent: clarify the thesis, install the cadence, develop leaders, and turn local execution into a scalable platform.

Platform Thesis What Jeff Built Outcome
Excel Fitness Scale a Planet Fitness franchise platform with disciplined unit economics. De novo growth, M&A integration, operating cadence, and leadership systems. Altamont-backed platform scaled toward a meaningful sponsor outcome.
Empower Aesthetics Build a Shore Capital-backed aesthetics platform in a fragmented category. Platform integration, talent infrastructure, field reporting, and sponsor cadence. A multi-location operating platform built for repeatable growth.
Boardroom Reposition a premium grooming brand for franchising and multi-unit growth. Membership focus, franchise readiness, operating playbooks, and brand discipline. A transition from company-led operations toward a scalable franchise platform.

Engagements

How I support sponsors and CEOs

Engagements are practical, high-impact, and designed for multi-unit realities.

Advisory

Board and CEO Advisory

Governance, value creation plans, KPI cadence, leadership bench building, and proactive risk management.

Operating

Targeted Operating Support

100-day plans, M&A integration, de novo rollout playbooks, and unit-economics tuning that holds at scale.

Speaking

Speaking Events

Keynotes and panels on franchising, loyalty, multi-unit execution, culture, and the operator view inside PE portfolios.

Articles / Podcasts

Articles and Podcasts

Selected writing and conversations on multi-unit scale, M&A integration, franchising, loyalty, and leadership.

Jeff’s Story

Jeff’s leadership journey started in the U.S. Army, where he served as a Captain and combat veteran. The experience of leading soldiers in complex environments shaped his views on accountability, clarity, and care for people under pressure.

After the military, he joined McKinsey & Company, where his work centered on longer-term client engagements that bridged strategy with implementation. Those experiences gave him a toolkit for structured problem solving and sparked a lifelong passion for leading the change required to turn value creation plans into operating reality.

He then moved into operating roles, first as Chief Operating Officer at Excel Fitness, an Altamont-backed Planet Fitness franchisee that grew from a regional chain into a multi-state platform, and later as CEO of Empower Aesthetics, a Shore Capital-backed aesthetics platform. These experiences confirmed how much value is created or destroyed by leadership, culture, and the quality of systems supporting frontline teams.

Today, as CEO of Boardroom and an investor in early-stage companies, Jeff focuses on building environments where people can do the best work of their careers and where investors can confidently deploy more capital over time.

Interested in Board, Advisory, or Speaking Conversations?

Jeff welcomes independent director inquiries, advisory work with PE-backed platforms, and speaking invitations where multi-unit execution is central to the conversation.

Contact via Email View Board Profile Connect on LinkedIn

Explore Boardroom Franchise Opportunities

Boardroom is a premium, membership-led men’s grooming concept built for repeat visits, strong unit economics, and long-term multi-unit growth. If you are looking for a hospitality-driven platform with a proven playbook, we should talk.

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