Forget certificates. Forget slick slides. Forget playing teacher.
After 4+ years mentoring engineering leaders, I built a leadership education business that delivers real results. It turns out, building great content is easy. What’s hard?
👉 Filling your leadership courses.
👉 Keeping them full.
👉 And making sure they don’t suck.
This is the story of how I cracked the code.
Mentoring doesn’t scale. This does.
After three years of 1:1 mentoring, I hit a wall.
It was powerful. But slow. It didn’t scale.
Companies weren’t asking for more mentoring , they were asking for transformation. For someone who could walk into a room, change 12 minds, and walk out with measurable impact.
That’s why I created a system that supports engineering leaders at scale — based on where they are now, and what potential they can grow into.
And yes, part of me also wanted to destroy the sea of bullshit out there: fake leadership courses built on buzzwords and certificates of attendance.
No thanks.
Here’s what makes my courses different
I don’t sell theory. I don’t play school. I build actual results and I stake my reputation on it:
- 50% money-back if the score is below 7.5/10
Motivation for me. Risk-free for you.
We’re in this together. That’s the deal. - No certificate of attendance
If you ask for one, we’re not a match.
You don’t need paper. You need wisdom. - No slides, no PDFs, no spammy extras
I make you take notes because that’s when real learning happens.
Most people leave with pages of handwritten notes. That’s the KPI I care about. - Modular, level-based growth
Every course ties into personal development plans, from junior to mid to senior. Real structure and progression.
Companies love it because it plugs right into their existing system. - Free mentoring between sessions
People love it. It solves real issues on the spot. No ticketing system or delays. Support when you need it. - No Zoom calls. On-site only.
You can’t change someone’s mindset over a Google Meet. This is a full-immersion, real-world experience.
Loving these moments when I get to mentor such motivated students.
If you want to go from “just another manager” to a strategic asset, this 8-step playbook breaks down how I help my clients do it.
And if you want to see what real, in-person leadership transformation looks like, here’s a recap of our first ELC conference where 330+ engineering leaders connected, learned, and grew together.
Fully booked without a fancy funnel
Most people rely on ads. I don’t.
If your marketing campaign is your main growth lever, you’re already screwed.
Here’s what actually works:
- Community leverage
Through ELC, our meetups and events bring in the right people who care about quality. That’s my inbound engine. - Deep client understanding
I mentor 16+ engineering leaders, directors, and CTOs in parallel. I know exactly what they’re dealing with and can offer precise, battle-tested solutions. - Fractional advisory work
I spend two days a week inside real companies. I don’t theorize. I live their challenges, so I know what training they actually need. - Word of mouth > performance ads
People talk. Great experiences spread. That’s how we hit full capacity without discounts or manipulative scarcity tactics.
Slides are a crutch. I burned mine.
I used to try making the slides look “professional.”
Big mistake.
I realized the better the slides looked, the more passive the room became. It turned me into a machine following a script.
Now? I show up with rough templates. The content is sharp, the delivery is alive, and the slides? They’re just a sidekick.
The real value comes from interaction, group work, and shared insight. People don’t leave with a PDF. They leave with perspective.
This isn’t a side hustle. It’s a full stack business.
I run 3 levels of leadership courses, 3x per year. That’s the open-access part.
But that’s just 30% of the pie.
The rest?
Custom company workshops built for their specific needs and culture. We co-create using a library of 30 modular topics. Think of it like LEGO for leadership.
Every workshop becomes a tailored, high-impact experience that changes how people think, talk, and act.
No filler or generic content. Just sharp transformation. Check it out here.
If you’re curious how this business evolved — the wins, the hard lessons, and the $300K rollercoaster — I break it all down in this behind-the-scenes piece.
Real results > fancy brochures
Let’s be clear: this only works because I’ve been there.
From writing code to tech lead to Silicon Valley, I’ve lived the chaos. I don’t offer abstract theory. I offer stories, solutions, and scars that actually help.
Lessons from the battlefield:
- 12 people per room, max.
Any more and the quality drops. I stay strict. - Offsite > office
Get people out of their daily context if you want breakthroughs. - Talk like a human. Not a professor.
I swear sometimes. I joke. I speak their language. It works.
The only two KPIs that matter
There are only two numbers I care about:
- Feedback score > 7.5/10
My current average? 8.95. - Paper full of notes
If they’re scribbling like mad, I know I’m hitting a nerve.
No fancy dashboards. Just signals of real impact.
Want to build leaders, not passengers?
If you’re tired of overpriced certificates and generic “leadership” content, let’s talk.
I’m here to build actual software leaders, not checkbox managers.
🎓 Explore the Leadership Academy
🏗️ Modular workshops & custom courses
Zero theory. All real-world transformation.
And yes — if it doesn’t hit, you don’t pay full price.
Want to collaborate, host a workshop, or bring this model to your team? Reach out here.
About Marian Kamenistak
Marian provides coaching and mentoring to engineering managers and leaders at all levels, helping organizations succeed in building great products.
He also founded the Engineering Leaders Community, which hosts nine meetups a year for Engineering Leaders, Managers, Tribe Leads, VPs of Engineering, and CTOs across Central Europe.
Read more about Marian’s mission.
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