15 years in bookkeeping.
Every client loved me for the first 6 months. By year two? At each other's throats.


I ran a fractional bookkeeping business. In the beginning? I was great. New clients, 
new systems, new problems. But once the novelty wore off—same reconciliations, 
same reports, same emails asking for the same missing documents.
I thought the problem was the clients. The work. Me.
Then I got diagnosed with ADHD.
Turns out my brain runs on uniqueness. I need to feel like what I'm doing is special, 
different, mine. Repetition kills that. So I stopped fighting my wiring and started 
building around it.
Now I build AI tools that solve real problems for real businesses—starting with the 
industry I know cold.
First up: OnboardLy. It kills the document chaos that happens before bookkeepers 
can even start their real work. Because the worst part of a bookkeeper's job isn't the 
bookkeeping—it's hunting down missing bank statements at 11pm.
I work in 10-week sprints. Build, market, launch, rotate. It's the only way my brain lets 
me finish anything.
My white whale? The search tool Ezra Klein said newspapers need. Ask a question, 
get a syllabus—not a list of links, but a structured path through the archives with every 
source at your fingertips. I'm the one building it.
I'm documenting the whole journey here. Wins, failures, everything in between.
Fractional bookkeeper drowning in client onboarding? Let's talk.
Building software for an industry you've never worked in? I have thoughts.

Tim O'Rourke

Full Course

At Full Course, we partner with restaurants to optimize operations, develop sustainable growth strategies, and bring the right investor partners to the table. 
To learn more about our mission:  https://www.nrn.com/people/lauren-fernandez-seeks-build-culturally-financially-and-morally-rich-industry

Chief People + Culture Officer 

Full Course Foundation

At Full Course Foundation, we believe that the restaurant industry provides opportunity for a wide variety of people. Our mission is to provide educational resources and high-quality training and coaching designed to shape, strengthen and fortify the future leaders in the restaurant industry.  Our core belief is that education is a key to successful entrepreneurship and growth, and the playbook for growth should be accessible to everyone in the restaurant industry, from the dish pit to the C-suite.

Executive Director

Transforming Talent LLC

Do you need help building a team that will build your business?

We provide talent acquisition and management consultation services to small and emerging businesses primarily in the sales, hospitality and franchising industries. Our services include executive recruiting, sales & management recruiting, hourly staffing strategy and support, talent acquisition consulting, leadership coaching and keynote speaking engagements.

President

Southern Rock Restaurants | McAlister's Deli

Responsible for all aspects of talent acquisition strategy and execution for 90+ location restaurant franchisee, operating in Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi and Missouri.

Director of Talent Acquisition

Owners.com

Responsible for development and management of a team of 12 recruiters and sourcers, 6 onboarding and licensing specialists plus team leadership in a high volume recruiting environment for core roles (Real Estate Agents, Sales Management, Corporate Support) in the real estate/mortgage industry.

Head of Recruiting

Fifth Group Restaurants

Responsible for developing, leading and executing recruiting, leadership development, succession planning and associate retention programs to accomplish the company’s mission to hire and retain the most talented people in the hospitality business—ensuring our guests enjoy a dining or catering experience that is a feast for all five senses.

Director of Recruiting & Talent Management

FOCUS Brands

Responsible for creating and deploying talent acquisition strategies to strengthen the FOCUS Brands' capabilities and ensure the organization has the talent to meet current and future business needs. Partner with hiring managers and brand leaders to play a key role in the design, implementation and management of workforce planning processes.  Compile, analyze and utilize data relating to recruiting, performance and retention to identify opportunities to improve processes and procedures.  Responsible for leading and developing a team of recruiters (and contractors).

Senior Director of Talent Acquisition

The Home Depot

Responsible for leading the design and implementation of highly effective, results-driven recruiting strategies and execution for hiring that provides a diverse, high-quality, world-class talent pipeline for The Home Depot's At Home Services division. These initiatives include creating recruitment strategies and activities, Talent Acquisition tools and guidelines, and building customer-focused and customized talent acquisition processes and support systems. Responsible for managing and leading the team of ten  Recruiters in the execution of the strategic high volume sales talent acquisition model, and developing and managing the recruitment budget.

Sr. Manager, Talent Acquisition

National Restaurant Association

Responsible for all Talent Acquisition and Management for National Association supporting the interests of the restaurant industry through Political Advocacy, Education & Training and Products & Services.

Talent Manager

CentraArchy Restaurant Management Company

Development of Recruiting and Human Resources department, including budgeting, manpower and succession planning, and recruiting performance metrics.
Managed all Marketing, Public Relations, and Advertising for privately owned restaurant group with 22 restaurants and 11 brands.

Director of HR & Recruiting/Operating Partner/Director of Marketing

My obsession with serving others started when my parents gave me an Easy Bake Oven.  I loved making those little light-bulb-baked cakes and giving them to my family - watching their happiness (I realize now they may have been pretending...) and pleasure in accepting my humble gift was incredibly fulfilling even as a little girl.  So, while my career has been more like a rock wall than a ladder (operations, marketing, recruiting, talent management, etc.) it has always been steeped in being of service to others - my guests, my teams, my community, my family.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Strengthsfinder:  Individualization, Relator, Input, Arranger, Ideation
StandOut:  Advisor | Pioneer

Specialties:  
Executive Recruiting
Talent Acquisition
Talent Management
Company Culture
Employee Engagement & Retention
Leadership Development
Employment Branding
Meaningful Analytics/Metrics development
Strategic Workforce Planning
Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (DiSC)

fullcourse.com

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Tim O'Rourke

Lissa Bowen

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