ABOUT ASH & CEDAR
Build a Business That Thrives, With or Without You in the Room
Ash & Cedar helps business owners, executives, and leadership teams cut through the chaos of growth.
We bring clarity, structure, and strategy, helping leaders build strong teams and scalable systems so their companies can grow and run smoothly, with or without their direct involvement.
Running a business is one of the most rewarding and most demanding challenges a person can take on.
Too often, leaders juggle every role, constantly put out fires, and make decisions reactively instead of strategically.
Over time, what began as a bold vision can become overwhelming and unsustainable.
At Ash & Cedar, we believe business ownership should create freedom, not stress.
We guide owners and executives to step out of survival mode and build companies that operate with clarity and purpose, leaving businesses that run smoothly, grow sustainably, and make a lasting impact on their team, clients, and community.
Who we work with
At Ash & Cedar, we partner with growth-minded business owners who are ready to take their companies to the next level.
Our clients have moved past the early startup phase and want to replace chaos with clarity, building a business that runs smoothly and grows sustainably.
The business owners and leaders we serve typically:
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Have proven revenue and a clear vision for the future.
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Are committed to growth and willing to invest in building stronger systems and teams.
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Want to step back from day-to-day firefighting to focus on strategy and leadership.
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Value clarity and accountability in their organization.
While our primary focus is business owners, we also work alongside executives and leadership teams to streamline operations and align growing organizations for sustainable success.
About the Founder
Meet the dedicated professionals behind Ash & Cedar Consulting.
Michael H.
Founder and Principal
Michael is the founder of Ash and Cedar Consulting, a boutique advisory firm that helps business owners turn growth into structure without breaking what already works. His work centers on operational clarity, leadership leverage, and building businesses that can scale beyond the founder.
Michael brings more than a decade of experience across entrepreneurship, operations, and financial leadership.
Before launching Ash and Cedar, he built and sold IV Tea Co., growing it from a single storefront into a multi-channel business with wholesale partnerships, a profitable e-commerce arm, and differentiated offerings, including a line of tea cocktails. Building, operating, and exiting his own company gave him firsthand experience with the real constraints owners face, from hiring and cash flow to channel expansion and preparing a business to run without constant involvement.
In parallel, Michael spent years in business banking as a Business Relationship Manager, managing two full books of business across multiple markets and partnering closely with ownership teams. Over that time, he worked alongside more than 20 bankers, supported multi-million-dollar growth initiatives, and advised hundreds of owners, operators, and C-suite leaders through meetings, field calls, and structured engagements. That combination of volume and depth sharpened his ability to identify what makes companies scale sustainably.
Michael’s leadership journey began early. At 18, he launched and operated U.S. Landscaping Washington, managing both residential and commercial clients. Those formative years shaped his bias toward clear plans, accountable execution, and owner-level stewardship.
At Ash and Cedar, Michael partners with companies as a fractional executive and strategic operator, providing the leverage of senior leadership without the cost of a full-time hire. His work is designed to reduce founder dependency, strengthen teams, and build durable operating systems that support long-term growth.
Michael believes leadership is not measured by what you build, but by what continues to perform when you are no longer in the room.