We work with owner-operated businesses
generating $1M–$10M in revenue.
We fix what is actually broken.
Systems · Structure
· Execution
Most consulting firms tell you what to do
and hand you a document.
We stay until the system is running.
If it doesn't work in the real world,
the job isn't done.
Sam Cornelis is an operational leader with direct experience managing multi-division businesses across electrical, high voltage, labour hire, plumbing, HVAC, test and tag, and training and accreditation environments — simultaneously, across separate legal entities, under a single parent company.
At 29, having started on the tools as an electrician, he had progressed to QLD General Manager and Managing Director — overseeing a business group turning $20–28M in annual revenue across six divisions and two labour hire companies. He resigned at 29 to build independently.
His background spans operational management, business restructuring, systems implementation, workforce leadership, and commercial execution — consistently applied across industries where operational underperformance was the core constraint.
Cornelis & Co is an operational consulting firm working with owner-operated businesses that have real demand but are underperforming operationally. We engage at the level most consultants avoid — inside the business, working directly with the decision-maker, building systems that actually get used.
Industry is irrelevant. Operational underperformance follows the same patterns regardless of sector. Our edge is the speed at which we identify those patterns and convert them into structure that holds.
For businesses operating in chaos. We identify where performance, time, and money are leaking — then rebuild the operating foundation. Targeted at businesses where structure has never been built, or where growth has outpaced the systems underneath it.
For businesses with demand they cannot fulfil at margin. We build the systems and structure required to scale without losing control — ensuring the business can grow without the owner becoming the bottleneck.
For businesses preparing for purchase, integration, or exit. We ensure operations are structured, documented, and built to withstand scrutiny — positioning the business to attract serious buyers or absorb new ownership cleanly.
We identify what is broken and where performance is leaking — financially, operationally, and structurally. The output is a clear picture of the problems and a prioritised path to fixing them.
We build the structure, workflows, and control points required to resolve what the diagnostic uncovered. Every system is built for real-world implementation — not theoretical optimisation.
We install the systems directly — working alongside the owner until the structure is running and embedded. We do not hand over a document and disappear. We stay until it works.
Every recommendation comes from direct operational experience. We have sat in the environments we are fixing. That changes the quality of the diagnosis and the speed of the solution.
We move at the pace of a business that needs to perform. Diagnostic to implementation in 2–6 weeks is the model, not the exception.
No account managers. No junior staff. No hand-offs. The person who diagnoses the business is the person who fixes it — direct access at every stage.
Every system we build is tied to a financial outcome. We focus on what it does to margin, capacity, and commercial performance — not operational improvement as an abstract goal.
The engagement ends when the system is running — not when the slide deck is delivered. If it is not working in the real world, the job is not done.
Every engagement is scoped around defined outcomes — not open-ended improvement initiatives that drift without accountability or result.
A business at inception stage with no operational systems, a hard launch deadline, and complex machinery requiring independent implementation. The Vorey VD-320 digital label die-cutter needed to be operational and production-ready within a 2-week window — with no external technical support available.
Independently implemented the Vorey VD-320 die-cutter from the ground up — diagnosing software faults, resolving technical issues, and building operational workflows without external support. Developed growth plans and quality control systems in parallel to ensure the business was production-ready ahead of deadline.
Business required full operational coverage during an 18-day leadership absence, alongside an active product launch. Product formula had quality issues, manufacturer sourcing was incomplete, and commercial relationships across three states needed to be established — with no principal present.
Covered full company management for 18 days. Resolved product formula quality issues. Spent one week on design and manufacturer sourcing across 3–4 suppliers. Executed commercial outreach across Perth, Tasmania, and Adelaide to establish trade relationships and contracts.
If your business has real demand but is underperforming operationally — we should talk. Engagements begin with a straightforward diagnostic conversation.