Iris Pomerance Fields

Iris Pomerance Fields – From Tech Disillusionment to Buying and Rebuilding a Service Business

Iris Pomerance Fields is the Owner and President of The Porch Company, a design-build construction firm specializing in custom porches and outdoor living spaces. Originally founded more than 30 years ago, she acquired the company and now leads its growth while preserving its craftsmanship-focused legacy. Before The Porch Company, Iris worked in business operations at Built Technologies and CareBridge.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn

[1:23] How a chance introduction through a business attorney led Iris Pomerance Fields to join EO
[2:31] Iris’ background in finance operations and high-growth startups that shaped her systems-driven mindset
[5:03] Iris walks through her decision to pursue entrepreneurship for autonomy and long-term life flexibility
[9:11] Finding The Porch Company through Nashville brokers after sustained outreach and an unexpected follow-up call
[10:42] How restructuring moved The Porch Company from three separate branches into one unified organization
[14:33] Why Iris’ EO forum shaped her leadership mindset before disbanding
[26:50] Iris’ long-term vision for expanding services, reinvesting in the community, and improving operations

In This Episode

A career can look successful on paper while feeling strangely disconnected from the work itself. Over time, that gap can evolve into a deeper question about whether day-to-day work feels grounded, tangible, and aligned with personal values. When external success no longer matches internal clarity, what does it take to realign the two?

With a background in finance operations and high-growth tech startups, Iris Pomerance Fields found herself increasingly pulled toward work that produced visible, real-world outcomes. After years in abstract, systems-driven environments, Iris began rethinking what meaningful work would look like in practice and explored entrepreneurship as a way to regain autonomy and control over her time and impact. That search eventually led her into business acquisition, where she applied her systems-oriented mindset to an entirely different type of organization. Her key takeaway: clarity often follows action, not the other way around.

In this episode of The Decision, Robert Hartline and Eric Jackson sit down with Iris Pomerance Fields, Owner and President of The Porch Company, to discuss career reinvention through business acquisition and leadership. Iris explains her shift from tech to tangible business ownership, how she acquired and restructured a multi-branch company into a unified organization, and lessons from her EO forum.

Quotable Moments:

“It was just kind of like one of those things that you just know [in] your core… this is what I’m supposed to do.”
Be the dumbest person in the room and call up the people that have done this for decades and be like, can I ask you a stupid question?”
“I know if you think you know something today, probably in six months, there’s gonna be a time where you feel like you know nothing.”
“Personnel is the biggest thing of… you don’t really know what you’re getting until you get it.”
“I know this isn’t the forever.”

Action Steps:

Pursue clarity through action, not overthinking: Taking real steps — like exploring deals or conversations — helps reveal direction faster than waiting for certainty.
Seek guidance from experienced operators: Regularly call on people who have built or bought businesses to pressure-test decisions and shorten learning curves.
Simplify organizational structure before scaling: Consolidating fragmented teams or roles can reduce confusion and improve accountability across the business.
Reevaluate personnel decisions over time: Recognize that team fit and structure often only become clear months after acquisition or leadership change.
Balance ambition with operational readiness: Focus on improving internal systems and execution quality before prioritizing expansion or aggressive growth.