The office briefing — Second Order

1Service overview

Second Order sits behind your existing people, not in front of them. Only decisions travel up to you.

Second Order is a private, multidisciplinary execution team for founders and principals. It works alongside an existing organization — chief of staff, executives, family office and advisers — and takes written ownership of agreed work across business and personal operations.

The firm sells capacity and follow-through, not recommendations or software. A private system supports communication and approvals; the service is the team.

2Team and operating model

One lead, a named deputy, three to five operators — and a lead takes on no more than three principals (proposed rule).

Each engagement has one relationship lead, named in the engagement letter, and a pod of three to five operators sized to the mandate. Specialists — legal liaison, finance operations, property, events, security — are engaged by the pod for defined work.

Proposed capacity rule: a relationship lead works with no more than three principals at a time. New engagements open only when they can be staffed to that standard.

3What can be delegated

Every request is sorted before work starts: owned, coordinated, routed through your licensed professionals, brought to you — or declined.

Accepted and owned: Executive operations, strategic initiatives (expansions, vendor transitions, partnerships), personal-office projects, research, follow-through on commitments.
Coordinated: Work that belongs to your executives, family office or house staff — run beside them on a shared timeline.
Through licensed professionals: Legal, tax, investment, medical and other regulated matters. We brief and manage your professionals; we do not advise.
Requires your approval: Commitments above agreed limits, contracts, hires, anything reputational or irreversible.
Excluded: Regulated advice, holding client funds, acting as a signatory, anything unlawful or outside the mandate.
Separately scoped: Large one-off programmes — relocations, major acquisitions, significant events — agreed as specialist mandates.

4Working with existing staff

A weekly session with your Chief of Staff, one written note to you on Friday, and an agreed channel for anything urgent.

Every existing role keeps its authority. The chief of staff decides what the team takes on and remains the principal’s first counterpart. Executives receive structured requests and a shared timeline instead of ad-hoc questions. Advisers keep their professional opinion and sign-off.

Rhythm: a weekly working session with the chief of staff, a short written note to the principal, and an agreed channel for urgent matters.

5Authority and escalation

Spend inside the mandate limit is approved by your office. Above it, by you. Contracts, hires and anything irreversible always come to you.

Action	Second Order	Your office	The principal
Coordinate, schedule, brief advisers	Acts	Informed	—
Spend within the agreed mandate limit	Proposes	Approves	Informed
Spend or commitments above the limit	Proposes	Reviews	Approves
Contracts, hires, signatures	Prepares	Reviews	Signs
Anything reputational or irreversible	Escalates	Reviews	Decides

Limits and named approvers are set per mandate, in writing, and change only in writing.

6Confidentiality and information

Each engagement runs in its own workspace. Specialists see only what their task needs. Nothing about you is used in marketing.

NDA before any substantive conversation, if preferred. Each engagement runs in a segregated workspace; access is granted per person and reviewed with the chief of staff. Specialists receive only what their task needs, under their own confidentiality terms.

Second Order does not name clients, does not use client situations in marketing, and does not keep client material after an engagement ends beyond what law requires.

7Providers and conflicts of interest

One payer: you. Providers never pay us — no commissions, rebates or referral fees. Their costs pass through to you at cost.

One payer: the principal. No commissions, referral fees, rebates or markups from any provider, adviser or vendor. Third-party costs pass through at cost and are itemized. Any relationship between Second Order and a provider is disclosed before that provider is engaged.

8When something goes wrong

Problems are reported in writing when found — cause, cost and remedy — and stay on a record your office can see.

Problems are reported in writing when found — with cause, cost and remedy — not saved for the next review. Mistakes stay on a record the principal’s office can see. Escalation beyond the relationship lead reaches the firm’s principals directly.

9Continuity

Every mandate has a named deputy in the weekly session who holds the working record. If the lead is away, the deputy carries on.

Every mandate has a named deputy inside the team who attends the weekly session and holds the working record. If the lead is unavailable, the deputy carries the relationship. A permanent change of lead is agreed with the principal’s office, with a written handover.

10The first thirty days

Thirty days from first conversation to a decision — continue on a fixed cadence, or part as agreed in advance.

Days 1–5Private conversation. Needs, friction and fit — honestly, in both directions.
Days 5–12The responsibility map: what we own, what we coordinate, what needs the principal.
Days 12–18Integration with the chief of staff, CFO, counsel and EA. Access and rhythm set up.
Days 18–27First two or three mandates carried to done.
Days 27–30Cadence fixed — or a parting, agreed in advance.

11Commercial structure

Illustrative shape of an engagement: a fixed standing-up period, then a monthly team sized to the scope. Specialist mandates are scoped separately.

Standing up$60,000 fixed: Four to six weeks. Responsibility map, integration, first mandates. Ends with a decision to continue or part.
Focused teamfrom $45,000 / month: A lead and a small team for a defined scope.
Expanded teamfrom $95,000 / month: A full team across business and personal-office operations, with time-zone coverage.
Specialist mandatesScoped separately: Larger programmes, agreed in writing first.

Illustrative figures for this concept. Real engagements are scoped individually. Third-party costs at cost, itemized. Notice terms and liability limits would be set out in the engagement letter.

Next step

Request an introduction on the principal’s behalf. A relationship lead replies personally within two business days, and can hold a confidential conversation with you before the principal is involved.

Request an introduction See sample materials