The Lonely Entrepreneur

We are all lonely entrepreneurs

But you are not alone

Wherever you are from $0 to $50 million, there’s a next right step—and a type of support built for what you need.

Explore All Solutions Recommend a solution
Survival Guide$25Dermer Diagnosis$39Clarity Hour$350Playground Report$495Learning Community$999/yearFounder Blueprint$2,500SidekickFrom $2,500/mo
Explore the continuum

Trust is the first decision

Not sure who to trust?
You’re not alone.

You should never trust someone who has never been in your shoes—someone who has never stared at payroll and wondered how it would get made. TLE was built by an entrepreneur who has. Trust should be earned through experience, transparency and real results.

Why founders trust Michael →
500,000+Founders helped
600+CEOs helped by Sidekick
$4.9MAverage client revenue
Numbers matterBut the results are what earn your trust.See real client results

As featured inThe Wall Street JournalCNBCForbesBusiness InsiderFast CompanyEntrepreneur

Built by a founder who’s been through itMichael Dermer

Why founders trust TLE

Advice feels different when it comes from someone who lived it.

Michael Dermer built a company to 800 employees, watched it nearly disappear in ten days, then rebuilt, scaled and sold it. The Lonely Entrepreneur is everything he wished he had while fighting through it.

See real results Discover Michael’s story

Ways we can help

No matter where you are,
we’re here to help.

From the first guide every founder should read to a trusted strategic partner, choose the kind of help you need now—at any revenue level.

Choose a solution

Select any option below to see what it includes, who it is for and the investment.

Book$25The practical guide for the AI era
Start with what every founder should know

Entrepreneur Survival Guide

Learn how to survive—and build an advantage—when AI changes the rules. A practical guide to finding where you can win, focusing limited resources and building the judgment every entrepreneur needs before the stakes get higher.

  • The realities founders face
  • How to focus time and money
  • How to build an advantage in the AI era
Learn More Buy the Guide Best forEntrepreneurs at any revenue level who want a stronger foundation
Complete report$39Free assessment available
Know where you stand

Dermer Diagnosis™

See what is helping—and hurting—your business. A comprehensive assessment that identifies your strongest areas, biggest exposures and the priorities that deserve attention first.

  • Free Business Success Score
  • Full diagnosis for $39
  • Priorities and personalized 30-day plan
Learn More Start Free Best forFounders who want a diagnosis first
1-on-1 session$350One-time · 60 min
Stuck or unclear

Founder Clarity Hour

Bring the problem. Leave with the next moves. A focused 60-minute conversation to cut through the noise around one important decision, opportunity or risk.

  • 60-minute Zoom session
  • Direct strategic guidance
  • Written recap
Learn More Buy Now Best forFounders who need clarity now
Opportunity report$495One-time
Unsure where to compete

Playground Report

Find the best places for your business to play. A fast, directional market-opportunity report that reveals saturation, openings and where your business has the strongest room to win.

  • Five opportunity lenses
  • Competitive saturation view
  • Best openings to pursue
Learn More Get the Report Best forFounders looking for a stronger market opening
Annual membership$999/year$99/month option
Get answers as you build

Learning Community

One place to go for answers you trust. Knowledge, tools, coaching and community for the questions that show up every week as you build your business.

  • 2,500+ learning modules
  • Unlimited group coaching
  • Tools, templates and financing sources
Learn More Join the Community Best forFounders who want ongoing answers and support
5-week program$2,500One-time · 5 weeks
Build the complete plan

Founder Blueprint

Turn every moving part into one action plan. A personalized Blueprint across Customers, Money, Team, CEO and AI—built to show what deserves your attention now.

  • Begin with the free assessment
  • Personalized Blueprint PDF
  • Five 1:1 implementation sessions
Learn More Take the Free Assessment Best forFounders ready to turn complexity into a plan
Ongoing partner
Starting at$2,500per month
Built around the support you need
Accelerate execution

Sidekick

A trusted right hand for a growing company. Hands-on strategic and execution support for CEOs who need senior-level help turning priorities into measurable progress.

  • Senior strategic support
  • Hands-on execution
  • Built around company priorities
Learn More Book a Free Strategy Call Best forCEOs of $5M–$50M companies
Specialized Sidekick ProductsHigh-stakes moments require specialized experience.
AI SIDEKICK

AI must drive 80% of your business. We take you there.

AI is no longer a nice-to-have. Your competitors are using it to lower costs, move faster and create advantages. The question is not whether to use AI. It is how.

Learn More Book a Free Strategy Call Best forBusinesses ready to lower costs, move faster and build an AI advantage.
EXIT SIDEKICK

You only sell your company once. Mistakes can last a lifetime.

Poor preparation, the wrong process or one lost point of leverage can erase years of value—and leave you living with terms you never expected.

We stand beside you from preparation through closing, helping you protect leverage, choose the right buyer and maximize what you have built.

Learn More Book a Free Strategy Call Best forFounders preparing for—or already navigating—the sale of their company.

Results—not promises

Trust is earned.
Results prove it.

Founders have every reason to be cautious. See the businesses, the challenges and the measurable progress behind the numbers.

See real results Hear their stories
01Client outcomes

See the progress companies made with TLE beside them.

Explore results →02Founder stories

Hear directly from entrepreneurs who faced the pressure.

Hear their stories →03The numbers

Understand the scale and experience behind every solution.

See the evidence →

Two books. Two powerful perspectives.

Two books that will change what you believe is possible.

One is the true story of surviving the entrepreneurial impossible. The other is the guide founders wish they had before AI changed the rules.

The true story behind the movement

The Lonely Entrepreneur

If Michael could survive the impossible—and win—so can you.

In 2008, Michael Dermer watched the company he built over a decade nearly collapse in ten days. He fought for three years, rebuilt and ultimately exited. This is the unfiltered story of what it takes to keep going when everything is on the line—and why no entrepreneur is beyond a comeback.

Read the story →
The playbook for the AI era

Entrepreneur Survival Guide

The guide founders wish they had before AI hit.

AI changed the rules while entrepreneurs were still playing the old game. This is the practical system for finding where you can win, building an advantage machines cannot replace and surviving what comes next.

$25Get the guide →

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The Lonely Entrepreneur

We are all lonely entrepreneurs.

But you are not alone. One trusted ecosystem of support for the entire entrepreneurial journey.

Find your next right step