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Real leadership begins when you face what you’ve been avoiding

— Erich Nussbaumer

You’ve built what most people only dream about.

And yet, the higher you climb, the more the real challenges reveal themselves, the ones you can’t outwork, outrun, or delegate away.

Once you’re here, you already know the next level won’t come from pushing harder. It will come from leading differently.

About You

My clients are founders and teams operating in fast-moving, high-stakes environments. They’re building companies that reshape industries and navigate complexity few outside their world truly understand.

They are:

• Moved by a mission that transcends individual success.
• Committed to excellence in themselves and their teams.
• Brave enough to see that scaling the company starts with them.
• Ambitious, imperfect, and deeply human.

They are the kinds of leaders you’d bet a decade on.

An hour with Erich is worth 10 hours with most other people. He’s thoughtful, sharp, dedicated, and deeply empathetic - all at once. When I’m facing a big challenge, he’s one of the first people I want to speak to. Give it a try: it might be the best investment you’ll make all year.

Pablo Simko Co-founder at Coleap

What Changes When We Work Together

I work with founders on the challenges they avoid: the delayed decisions, the avoided conversations, the patterns that quietly drain energy and momentum. Our work turns resistance, conflict, and uncertainty into clarity, conviction, and courageous action.

My clients shift in ways that change the arc of their company:

• From hesitant to bold decision-making — clear even when the future isn’t.
• From avoiding hard conversations to initiating them with clarity and heart.
• From reacting to every fire to designing the conversations that shape culture.

This isn’t about tools or productivity. It’s about facing what you’ve avoided with courage. Everyone else will follow.

Erich helped us understand the one true point of focus for our leadership team - trust. He created a space for us to have hard but powerful conversations and fundamentally change our way of working for the better.

Alex Kostecki Founder & President at Clair

About me

My name is Erich Nussbaumer. I coach founders to transform their most painful challenges into breakthroughs redefine their company’s trajectory.

I’ve been a co-founder and board member of a fintech startup, and I’ve led teams on three continents.

I know what it feels like to carry the full weight of responsibility, to build something that matters, to fear becoming the constraint, to lead when the path isn’t obvious.

My work is helping founders see what’s actually in their way and shift the mindsets, behaviors, and dynamics that define how they lead.

I’m not here to offer easy answers. I’m here for the conversation that changes everything.

Good words from clients

My biggest fear was failure during the transition to my new role as CEO of the company. I was anxious about having the tools and framework to bring out the best of the team and the company.

I knew coaching would be critical for my success, but I still hesitated. Was this money well spent? Would I actually learn what I need to better manage the company and my senior leadership team? My role already demanded so much, and adding coaching, including the self-study and reflection, was not something I wanted to take on lightly.

Looking back, I’m grateful I did this investment. Coaching with Erich provided powerful ‘Aha’ moments and it created a steady stream of meaningful insights and adjustments that made me a more effective leader. These insights helped me approach challenges more strategically, and navigate my transition with greater confidence. The improvement is real and tangible - I can see the impact every day in how I lead my team and the company.

CEO, 20M+ Revenue company in the Remote Staffing and EOR industry

Before beginning to work with Erich, I was feeling stuck at work, and not really knowing exactly why. I had a clear sense of personal values in theory, but was struggling to leverage them to make actual decisions about my career and how I lived my life outside of work. I tried talking to friends and my partner. While their input was well-meaning, it often left me more confused, as it reflected their priorities rather than my own. I lacked the structure and accountability to make real progress. It felt like I was spinning my wheels and getting used to negativity, and what I later identified as unhelpful patterns of venting and judging.

With Erich’s coaching, my most meaningful achievement is being able to rely on a constant sense of agency - even in the moments where nothing is up to me, I know I still can make a choice about how I show up. On the more practical side, I’ve learned the importance of tuning into my body, posture and breath to prepare for big moments.

FinTech executive and mother of 2

Erich's guidance was invaluable to me during a critical phase in my new leadership role. He helped me navigate complex situations and provided me with the tools and strategies I needed to lead my team effectively. One aspect of Erich's coaching that I particularly loved was his emphasis on physical preparation for difficult conversations and facing challenges. With this holistic approach, I uncovered powerful practices on how to manage stress and anxiety, which enabled me to perform at my best during high-pressure situations. Erich’s coaching is tailored and full of humanity. He made a significant impact on my personal and professional growth, and I am grateful for the support he has provided me on my leadership journey.

Cosima Lefranc CPO at Liiva