WHO WE ARE
We are an operational design and systems consulting firm that helps second-stage service businesses turn growth-related chaos into clarity. We work with $5–15M companies that are scaling fast and need a stronger operating backbone. By focusing on how we diagnose, design, and build your core systems, we help your team move from scattered ideas and ad-hoc execution to clear, repeatable ways of working. Our approach blends creative thinking with practical structures, so every initiative is understandable, actionable, and aligned with where you want the business to go next.
Our Mission
We help second-stage businesses turn growth chaos into a business that can scale. We diagnose where work breaks down, design operating systems that fit their next phase, and implement the roles and workflows that make execution predictable.
Our Vision
We envision a world where second-stage businesses scale without chaos or burnout. Where work gets diagnosed honestly, systems get designed intentionally, and structures get built to last. Where founders lead instead of firefight, teams execute with clarity, and businesses create lasting value for their people, customers, and communities.
How We Came to Be
Brilliant Corners started with a pattern I kept seeing: businesses hitting their stride, then hitting a wall. Growth was happening, but systems weren't keeping up. Founders were working harder than ever but feeling less in control.
For more than 25 years, I've been the person business owners call when the vision outgrows the structure. I founded Brilliant Corners to give second-stage businesses a partner who understands that getting to the next level requires different systems, roles, and ways of working than what got them here.
We believe strategy without execution is just talk, and execution without clarity is just noise. Our work connects the two: we diagnose what's really happening, design the operating system you need next, and help build the structures that make growth sustainable.
Clients describe working with us as both steady and catalytic. We listen deeply, name the truths others tiptoe around, and create clear paths forward when things feel tangled. That's the work we love – reducing founder overwhelm, helping teams step into their roles, and turning complexity into systems that actually work.
The name comes from Thelonious Monk's 1957 album Brilliant Corners – music known for daring complexity and unexpected clarity. Monk once said, 'The piano ain't got no wrong notes.' We believe the same about growing companies. The raw material is already there. Clarity comes from shaping complexity into something that works.
Soyini T. Abdul-Mateen
Brilliant Corners Innovations LLC
Founder & Principal Consultant
Certifications: NC HUB · SBA HUBZone