01
Explore
What is happening and what does the company need now? I listen to the owner, team and clients before taking anything over. The assignment becomes clear and we both know whether it fits.
Back to MensFortiaInterim management
Interim leadership for SMEs · Dordogne · Corrèze · Lot
Interim management
Temporarily at the helm.
A departure, rapid growth, a decision that keeps waiting or a leadership team short of capacity. I take on the role your business needs now — as an interim director, practical and without grand promises. First understand, then lead, and always prepare a handover that works without me.
Arrange a conversationInterim leadership for SMEsAlways tailoredStructure · commercial activity · leadership
What decreases
Stress and workload
A role carried temporarily takes pressure off the owner, team or leadership group.
What returns
Energy and enjoyment
There is room to look ahead again: work on the future of your company rather than only keep it running.
Does this sound familiar?
A vacancy does not solve a leadership question.
Sometimes a leadership role is empty, sometimes everything depends on one person, and sometimes a period asks for more leadership than is available. Recruiting someone for the sake of filling the chair can cost time you do not have. You need someone who takes on the role, understands what is happening and works with the organisation. There is work to do, and not everything can be controlled.
“What does your company need at the helm right now?”
- 01A director has left and the organisation is waiting.
- 02Everything depends on you; there is no second person at the helm.
- 03A decision has been postponed for months.
- 04The company is growing faster than its organisation can support.
- 05Roles, processes and agreements lack clarity.
- 06Commercial activity needs renewed attention.
Familiar situations
When an interim director makes a difference.
A director suddenly leaves
Illness, departure or conflict leaves an empty chair. The business must continue and decisions need to be made.
A handover or succession
You want to hand over, but the successor is not yet ready. I take the helm while the transition is prepared.
Growth has become difficult
The company has grown, but the organisation has not. Everything still comes back to you.
The owner needs to step back
You are too caught up in the daily work. Someone takes on operational leadership so you can see the bigger picture.
Where I work
Interim leadership around Brive.
Based in Lissac-sur-Couze, near Brive-la-Gaillarde, I work with SMEs in the Dordogne, Corrèze and Lot, and more widely in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. We discuss where the role is needed during our first conversation.
- Brive-la-Gaillarde
- Tulle
- Périgueux
- Sarlat
- Bergerac
- Cahors
- Figeac
- Limoges
- Aurillac
The approach
First understand. Then lead.
Before taking on a role, I want to understand what is happening, what has happened and what your company needs. Learning remains the starting point. Then I take the agreed responsibility, working on structure and organisation, commercial activity and leadership, with attention to the people doing the work.
02
Understand what is happening
Look at figures, structure, people and agreements. Where are the dependencies and which decisions have been postponed? Difficult experiences can be discussed without assigning blame.
03
Take on the role
I take the agreed responsibility: lead, decide, connect people and have the necessary conversations. Bring clarity to roles and processes and give commercial activity and leadership practical attention.
04
Hand over
Prepare a situation that works without me: agreements, structure and people who can carry it. Knowledge stays in the company rather than leaving with the interim director.
What you work on
What you learn stays with you.
- 01A leadership role filled without everything resting on your shoulders.
- 02Calm and continuity in the organisation.
- 03Clearer roles, processes and agreements.
- 04Attention to commercial activity and sales.
- 05Leadership people can carry after the handover.
- 06Decisions made rather than continually postponed.
- 07An honest view of what is happening and what your company needs.
In your company · present day to day
Why work on site
The role happens in your company.
Interim management is not about stepping away: I work on site, with the team and in the conversations that have been postponed. MensFortia is based in Lissac-sur-Couze, on the border of the Dordogne and Corrèze. I work with SMEs in the Dordogne, Corrèze and Lot and more widely in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
- Format
- Always tailored, agreed together
- Duration
- Depends on the question and assignment
- Location
- At your workplace
- Start
- After a first conversation
- Investment
- Tailored
Ruud Meulenberg · founder of MensFortia
This is MensFortia
Learning matters, even in a temporary role.
Strong people make strong businesses. I bring a practical, positive view of the future to an interim role. I do not come to prove I know better, but to understand how your business works and what it needs now.
Ruud built a company with 75 employees and sold it. He knows the reality of running a business: building, deciding, letting go and starting again. This is a starting point for questions, not a blueprint for your organisation.
A departure, a setback or a long-postponed decision can be discussed honestly. We do not look away or make it sound better than it is. Then we look at the next step, with less noise, more clarity and attention to enjoyment at work.
Real conversations, in your language.
Ruud leads conversations in English, French and Dutch. For international teams too: one person to talk to, with attention to what each person wants to say.
About Ruud
Practical experience. An open mind.
Ruud Meulenberg is an entrepreneur and founder of MensFortia. He built and sold a business with 75 employees in the Netherlands and the United States. He brings that experience of building, leading and handing over to his interim assignments, asking what your company needs to move forward.
Frequently asked questions
What is different about interim management?
I take on a role and responsibility inside your organisation: making decisions, leading and being accountable. This is not advice from the sidelines.
How long does an assignment last?
It depends on the question. We estimate the duration during a first conversation and agree on a clear assignment with regular moments to review it.
Where do you work?
Primarily in the Dordogne, Corrèze and Lot, and more widely in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The role is carried out on site in your business.
What if the role does not fit?
We work with a clear assignment and agreed review moments. If it does not fit, we say so. An interim role needs to work for the people involved.
Do I stay involved as the owner?
Yes. We agree beforehand on decision-making, consultation and what you want to keep doing yourself.
Need an interim director?
Tell us what is happening in your company.
Briefly describe the situation and its urgency. Ruud will call or email you within 24 hours for a first conversation.