Don't Let Good Ideas Become Bad Software
Product strategy and AI-powered development for companies that want better and faster results without cutting corners.
We'll evaluate your entire product development process from strategy to deployment and show you exactly where you're leaving speed and money on the table.
Organizations We've Helped
We work with all major AI development tools
Your product operation is underperforming.
You can feel it.
You've invested in people, tools, and technology—but the results aren't matching the investment. Software projects stall. Releases slip. The team is busy, but the needle isn't moving. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you know: this should be working better than it is.
We've seen this story play out hundreds of times. It usually sounds like one of these:
"We're stuck."
Development has stalled—maybe for months, maybe for years. A critical software product that drives real revenue hasn't shipped a meaningful release in longer than anyone wants to admit. You may have even brought in outside help before, spent significant money, and walked away with little to show for it.
You don't need another report that collects dust. You need someone who can actually get things moving again.
"We have a team, but it's not working."
The headcount is there. The budget is there. But output, process, and strategy are all underperforming. Your product team lacks the rigorous frameworks to prioritize effectively, deliver consistently, and connect what they're building to business outcomes. You're spending more than ever but shipping the same amount.
You don't need more people. You need a better operating model.
"We know AI is changing everything, but we don't know what to do about it."
Your industry is being disrupted. Competitors are moving faster. Your team has tried AI tools, but adoption is shallow and the productivity gains never materialized. Leadership knows AI should be part of the strategy—but nobody has the expertise to figure out what that actually looks like.
You don't need another AI demo. You need a practical strategy and someone who can help you execute it.
Does any of this sound familiar?
If even one of these hits home, we should talk. This is exactly what we solve.
Imagine your team operating at full capacity.
What if your team could:
Go from idea to validated strategy in days, not months
with a data-driven roadmap that actually connects to business outcomes.
Ship in weeks what used to take quarters
without cutting corners or burning people out.
Do more with the team you have
dramatically increasing output per engineer.
Upskill your product people into high-performers
turning junior PMs into strategic thinkers through coaching and hands-on training.
Eliminate entire steps in your development process
that you didn't realize were obsolete.
Actually use AI the way it was meant to be used
not as a fancy autocomplete, but as a force multiplier across your entire workflow.
This isn't theoretical. We've built it. We're living it.
And we can show you exactly how to get there.
We don't just advise. We build.
Most consultants hand you a deck and wish you luck. Sean and the NxtStep team are different.
We've built numerous software products and companies ourselves. We know what works and what doesn't from 15+ years of hands-on experience—from software engineer to CEO.
When AI-augmented development tools started emerging, we didn't watch from the sidelines. We dove in, tested everything, and rebuilt our entire workflow from the ground up. The results were staggering.
We bring that same practitioner mindset to every engagement. Strategy backed by execution. Advice backed by experience. Frameworks backed by proof.
Strategy backed by execution
Advice backed by experience
Frameworks backed by proof
The DRIVE Process™
We've refined this process over 15+ years and hundreds of engagements. It's how we consistently turn underperforming product operations into high-velocity teams—whether the challenge is strategy, execution, or both.
D — Discover
Every engagement starts here. We embed with your team to observe workflows, interview stakeholders, audit your tools and processes, and map your product operation end-to-end—from strategy through development and delivery. No assumptions. No shortcuts. Just a clear, honest picture of where you actually stand.
R — Report
You receive a detailed findings report with a prioritized, phase-based roadmap tailored to your team, your stack, and your goals. This isn't a generic playbook—it's a custom blueprint covering exactly what needs to change, in what order, and why. Every recommendation is specific, actionable, and sequenced for maximum impact with minimum disruption.
I — Implement
This is where most consultants disappear. We don't. We work alongside your team to execute the roadmap phase by phase—through hands-on training, embedded advisory, workshops, and coaching. We help your product people and engineers actually adopt new practices, not just nod along in a presentation.
V — Validate
At the end of each phase, we review the results together. What moved? What didn't? We measure progress against the benchmarks we set in the Report phase and make sure the changes are actually producing the outcomes we promised—not just checking boxes.
E — Evolve
Your market changes. Your team changes. The tools change. We stay engaged to help you adapt—refining your process, updating your AI toolkit, and keeping your operation at the frontier. DRIVE isn't a one-time event. It's a system designed to compound over time.
What We Help With
Product Strategy & Coaching
- Product strategy development and execution
- Data-driven roadmap creation
- Product team coaching and upskilling
- Product-market fit validation
- Discovery and voice-of-the-customer research
AI-Augmented Development
- AI-augmented development workflows
- Process redesign for the AI era
- Team training on AI tools and practices
- Technical recruiting for AI-native developers
Organizational Transformation
- Product development process redesign
- Product function build-out and structuring
- Executive product advisory
- Scaling product operations
Real results from people just like you.
Product Strategy
“Sean enabled us to look at new possibilities for our product function. He guided us to consider how digital and AI capabilities could meaningfully enhance our business and support revenue growth if we reimagined the framework from which we were operating. His approach to identifying important problems to address gave us the clarity and confidence to make changes that will strengthen our position in the market.”
Tara Cassady
CRO, Cielo
“Working with Sean was transformational for building our product function. He brought proven frameworks that helped us establish clear organizational structures, prioritization processes, and evaluation systems that position us to scale effectively. Beyond strategy, Sean was an exceptional coach to our team—his mentorship elevated everyone's capabilities and confidence.”
Molly Thiel
CRO, Cielo
“Sean was critical in helping us build a strong product function. He helped us build a data-driven product roadmap that delivers a strong ROI for our organization. I've taken to referring to him as the 'product whisperer'.”
Jim Cooper
President & CEO, CSBS
Velocity & Execution
“Sean and NxtStep were the exact partners we needed so that we could start bringing value to more clients faster and more cost effectively than we had once thought possible.”
Markita Morris-Louis
CEO, Compass Working Capital
“Sean has enabled EmployeeCycle to grow at a remarkable rate. We are making big changes and lots of noise in our industry. Much of that is thanks to our time spent working with Sean.”
Bruce Marable
Co-Founder & CEO, Employee Cycle
“Sean has a great ability to translate between business and tech and that has been invaluable to our success. We come into our meetings with a list of discussion topics, and Sean helps us refine them into a coherent, achievable two week project plan.”
Salas Saraiya
Co-Founder & CTO, Employee Cycle
Team Development
“Sean did a great job engaging with our team from the outset. He worked hard to listen and understand our existing procedures, protocols, and personnel in order to help us transition smoothly to a more efficient process without needing to reinvent the wheel.”
Jon Kelly
Founder & CEO, Canary Compliance
“Sean provided executive product coaching for our leaders. He helped them figure out how they could perform the most impactful work to drive the organization forward.”
Tiffany Fields
Head of People, Exyn Technologies
“Sean helped me understand what it means to be an effective product manager. Through a combination of one-on-one private coaching, self-study resources, and providing support while I implemented new strategies and processes, we've been able to significantly develop our product operation.”
Preeya D'Mello
Product Manager, Repisodic
Process & Transformation
“Sean was a great help to Exyn and me personally. Our work focused around envisioning and implementing the framework of a high-functioning product development organization. He helped me formalize the mission and provided additional training and mentorship for our product team members, along with practical workshops to help them implement the changes successfully.”
Ben Williams
COO, Exyn Technologies
“It has been a pleasure working with Sean and his team at NxtStep. Our products knowledge has increased significantly and the benefits of their work will continue to pay dividends as we continue to grow and scale our product organization.”
Rebecca Block
PhD, Sr Director of Innovation & Continuous Improvement, Springboard
“Sean opened my eyes to the world of product strategy. We had been making mistakes that were obvious to him, but not us. Once he helped us get back on track, it was full speed ahead.”
Mark Surkin
Co-Founder & CEO, Dineable
“Sean makes it really easy to understand how your software solves a problem, and the impact of it. We hired Sean to help us navigate the early stages of our software, and the level of clarity we received from our working together is invaluable.”
Adam Niec
Founder, Rate Tracker
“Besides the obvious results, it has been a pleasure to work with Sean and his team at NxtStep. They bring so much valuable knowledge and expertise to our team and always share it when necessary so we can not only advance our mission, but further our own education about the process.”
George Reuter
Director of Learning & Knowledge Management, Compass Working Capital
Meet Sean Boyce.
The strategist, builder, and technologist behind NxtStep.
I've spent my career at the intersection of product strategy and technology—building software companies, advising executives, and helping teams unlock exponential productivity.
I've been in every seat of a software product company, from software engineer to CEO. Over 15+ years I've learned that every successful software company has two things: a solid product strategy and a modern, efficient development process.
I've helped companies like The Vanguard Group, Conference of State Bank Supervisors, Compass Working Capital, Cielo, and more develop and execute with a product strategy that produces exceptional results.
When AI-augmented development tools started emerging, I didn't just watch from the sidelines. I dove in, tested everything, and rebuilt my entire workflow from the ground up. The results were staggering. Now I help other companies achieve the same transformation.
I specialize in helping companies across financial services, fintech, B2B SaaS, healthcare tech, and beyond.
I'm not here to sell you a methodology from a textbook—I'm here to share what actually works, because I'm living it every day.
Start with a Free Strategy Call.
We'll spend up to a week evaluating your product development operation—your strategy, your workflows, your tools, your team dynamics, your process. At the end, you'll receive a report covering:
Where you stand
compared to modern product strategy and AI-augmented development standards
Your top 3 opportunities
for exponential improvement
Specific recommendations
you can act on immediately
No pitch. No obligation. Just clarity on what's possible.
Want to go deeper? We offer comprehensive audits with detailed implementation roadmaps, and ongoing strategic advisory to make sure the transformation actually sticks.
Our guarantee.
If we can't identify at least one area of your product development process that can be improved exponentially, we'll refund your engagement in full. No questions asked.
We're that confident in what we'll find.
Free Strategy CallFrequently asked questions
Get in Touch
Have a question or ready to discuss your product challenges? Drop us a message and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.