Meet Jonathan Goldsmith: Executive Coaching
Before I introduce you to the first of our five founding coaches, I have to say something about how seriously I took this.
I DON'T LIKE BUSINESS COACHES
The quality of my work and the quality of the people behind it matter deeply to me. That standard doesn't bend for the sake of growth. It's not separate from the ethical commitment at the core of this business, which is that Szabó Services exists for people, never at their expense. That's not a tagline. It's the line I won't cross.
So when I set out to find an executive coach, I was looking for someone with a resume completely different from mine, and coaching skills very similar to mine.
I met a lot of coaches. I never mentioned my plans to any of them. I was just watching, listening, and waiting to feel what I needed to feel.
When I met Jonathan in August of 2025, I immediately told him I'd like to talk more because I genuinely liked him, which was weird, because I had not liked most business coaches. When we sat down, he asked me what I meant by that. I told him that most business coaches value business over people. He looked at me like I had said something obvious, because to him, it was. We shared the same conviction without having to convince each other of it.
When Jonathan Goldsmith took his collaborative spot on this team, the entire ecosystem got stronger.
DIFFERENT RESUMES. SAME CONVICTION.
Jonathan and I have been collaborating, not competing, for nearly a year. What makes it work is both how different we are and how similar we are.
Jonathan is the owner of Refine Ops and brings over 20 years of experience working inside startup and scale-up businesses. He has lived the operational reality of building and running businesses, including serving as COO of a health-tech company that he helped prime for a successful acquisition. His resume says "COO" more times than I've ever spoken the acronym. He's scaled businesses to multi-million dollar acquisitions, something I've never done and have no plans to do. We are so delightfully different in the lived experience we bring to our coaching, and yet we coach in a very similar way.
We listen. We hear. We gently guide clients toward a closer alignment with themselves and what they actually want. We believe the people are more important than the business, and that the business exists to serve the people, not the other way around. If that sounds familiar, it should. It's the same conviction this practice was built on.
The main difference is that he's going to share spreadsheets and talk financials, operations, marketing, sales, teams, and growth in a way I do not. What he does at Refine Ops is precise and practical; he helps entrepreneurs and business leaders get clear on their goals and build the kind of structure that lets a business actually grow without burning the person at the top down in the process.
The through line in all of it is that small, well-executed changes produce big outcomes. That philosophy fits this practice, it fits our clients, and it fits the standard I hold for every coach in this ecosystem.
Jonathan will be leading our REFINE community, which will meet Thursdays at 2:00 PM EST.
EXECUTIVE COACHING UNDER $500/MONTH
I designed four coaching communities, all of which meet two very specific needs for my clients: they offer consistent access to quality coaching at our lowest entry point with frequent, weekly touches, while also providing the invaluable perspective of a room full of peers. Seriously, this type of access to an executive coach for under $500/month is wild, and the fact that he is willing to offer it through my company is even wilder.
BUILD YOUR OWN SUPPORT STRUCTURE
Jonathan is also available for private 1:1 executive coaching through Szabó Services. With the Balanced Executive Membership, clients enjoy both weekly access in REFINE and monthly 1:1s with Jonathan for deeper work. Immersive Executives have a third selection each month and may choose to use that for private time with me.
The beauty of this ecosystem is how flexible and highly responsive it is. It allows you, no matter which level, to work directly with me to design a strategy that meets you exactly where you are -- whether that's finding your seat in a group, starting 1:1 sessions, or moving between the two as your needs evolve.
LAUNCH STRONG IN JUNE
I'm proud to have Jonathan on this team. Not just because it adds a service line that my clients needed, but because it adds the right person to this seat of the ecosystem.
If you want to explore how Jonathan, the REFINE community, or the broader ecosystem fits what you're building, I invite you to schedule a Starting Point Conversation with me. Enroll before the end of May and use the code MAY26 at checkout this month to lock in 12-month rates with only a 6-month commitment.
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