Emma King
Co-founder, The Engine Room
CEO of a founder-led business, Emma has spent years developing operational leaders and building the systems that let founders step out of the day-to-day.
A community for second-in-commands
It’s not lonely at the top.
It’s not lonely at the top.
It’s lonely in the middle.
The Engine Room is a practical development community for the operational leaders in founder-led businesses, COOs, Ops Managers, Integrators, Chiefs of Staff, and Senior EAs.
Built for
COO
Operations Manager
General Manager
Head of Ops
Integrator
Chief of Staff
Senior EA
The problem
Founders get coaches. Founders get mentors. Second-in-commands are expected to just figure it out.
You’re the person in the middle of the business. The founder has the vision. The team needs direction. And you are the one expected to turn ideas, conversations and decisions into action.
You keep things moving. You solve problems. You protect the founder’s time. You hold the team together.
But who supports you?
The Engine Room was built to change that — a room built for the person in the middle.
What you’ll build
Real leverage, not just another task list.
Inside The Engine Room, you’ll build the skills, confidence and commercial thinking to lead — not just deliver.
01
Translate the founder’s vision into a clear plan the team can actually execute.
02
Lead the team with more confidence — even in the difficult conversations.
03
Hold people accountable without feeling awkward or heavy-handed.
04
Make better decisions without constantly needing the founder’s approval.
05
Spot operational gaps and risks before they become bigger problems.
06
Sharpen the systems, processes and communication that move the business.
07
Step out of reactive mode and into stronger, calmer leadership.
08
Feel less isolated in a role that not everyone in the business understands.
Is this you?
The Engine Room is for you if…
- You are the person people come to when things need fixing.
- You want to step up as a stronger, more commercial leader.
- You sometimes feel caught between the founder and the team.
- You want more confidence in difficult conversations.
- You’re tired of carrying things alone.
- You want practical tools and people who understand the role.
What’s inside the room
Practical training, honest conversations, tools that actually get used.
01 · Live sessions
Development, not lectures
Live monthly sessions on leadership, accountability, operations and commercial thinking — run by people who’ve done the role.
02 · The community
Peers who get it
Ask real questions to other second-in-commands. No corporate posturing. No LinkedIn theatre. Just people who understand the pressure.
03 · Tools & templates
Steal what works
Meeting agendas, accountability frameworks, one-to-one templates, decision logs — the operating kit for a strong 2iC.
04 · Coaching moments
Sharpen your thinking
Hot-seats, deep-dives and Q&A with Emma and Julie on the situations you’re actually navigating this month.
Your hosts
Emma & Julie — both sides of the desk.
They’ve sat in the founder’s seat and in the second-in-command’s seat. They know the pressure, the politics and the potential of the role — and they built The Engine Room for the person in the middle.
Julie
Co-founder, The Engine Room
Julie brings decades of experience coaching, mentoring and developing the second-in-commands who quietly hold their businesses together.
Ready to step into the room?
Book a Joint Decision Session with Emma & Julie.
30 minutes. Honest conversation. We’ll help you work out whether The Engine Room is the right room for you — and be straight if it isn’t.
“Being a great second-in-command doesn’t mean doing everything yourself. It means learning how to lead.”