Dan Paulson

Business Advisor, Author, and Executive Coach

Dan Paulson is a business advisor, executive coach, author, and speaker who helps business owners escape the daily grind of running their companies and build organizations that perform without constant oversight. With more than two decades of experience working across leadership, operations, and organizational development, Dan specializes in helping privately held construction, manufacturing, and trades-based businesses strengthen execution, accountability, and culture.

Dan is the creator of the MAAX™ framework – Management, Accounting, Accountability, and eXcellence, a practical, behavior-driven operating system designed to help leaders move beyond surface-level tools and create lasting performance habits. His work focuses on how leaders make decisions, set standards, and respond under pressure, rather than relying on dashboards or meetings alone. The result is a company that operates with clarity, consistency, and resilience.

In addition to his advisory work, Dan is the author of Escape the Owner’s Trap, a book that explores why capable owners become bottlenecks in their own businesses and what it takes to build a company that can scale without burning out its leadership. He is also the host of the Books & The Biz podcast, where he examines real-world business challenges through conversations with owners, executives, and industry leaders.

Dan’s approach blends practical systems thinking with a deep understanding of human behavior, making his work both actionable and durable. He is known for challenging conventional thinking, cutting through operational noise, and helping leaders turn intention into execution.