Most CEOs wait too long. The signals are gradual (this is temporary), the internal narrative is optimistic (the team is on it), and the act of bringing in outside help feels like an admission. That reasoning is expensive. The problems that warrant outside operational help rarely resolve on their own, they compound. This article gives […]
When to Bring In Outside Operational Help: A Decision Framework for CEOs Read More »
The question “what does a strategy consultant do” has a functional answer. He or she develops frameworks, conducts market analysis, builds business cases, and recommends strategic direction. This is accurate as far as it goes. But it doesn’t explain why some strategy consulting engagements produce durable change and others produce a well-designed deck that sits
What the Best Strategy Consultants Actually Do (That Others Don’t) Read More »
Revenue growth that erodes margin isn’t growth, it’s volume. The distinction sounds obvious until you examine how most mid-market companies’ incentive structures actually work, at which point the preference for revenue over margin stops looking like a mistake and starts looking like a predictable outcome of how leadership performance gets measured. The four levers that
Revenue Growth Strategy: 4 Levers Every CEO Should Know Read More »
Every product that exists in your portfolio was added for a reason that made sense at the time. The problem is that portfolios grow through a series of individually rational decisions. This could be a customer request, a channel opportunity, a competitive response or something else. These all aggregate into a structure that nobody would
Product Portfolio Optimization: When to Kill, Scale, or Pivot a Product Line Read More »
Most companies that discover they have a pricing problem react to it as a fire to put out. They raise prices, tighten discounting, and move on. That instinct is understandable, but it misses the larger opportunity. A pricing problem is a diagnostic signal. Addressed structurally, it reveals not just where margin is being lost, but
Turning a Pricing Problem Into a Growth Opportunity: A Framework Read More »
The distinction between operations consulting and management consulting is genuinely confusing, partly because the terms are used inconsistently by firms, partly because the categories overlap in meaningful ways, and partly because the most useful consulting work often requires both. Understanding the difference matters when you’re deciding what kind of help you actually need. What Management
Operations Consulting vs. Management Consulting: A Plain-Language Guide Read More »
When margin starts compressing, the instinct is to look at the org chart. Headcount is visible, controllable, and produces an immediate P&L effect. But in most mid-market companies, the actual cause of margin erosion is structural, and it has nothing to do with how many people are on payroll. Structural margin problems live in three
Margin Improvement Without Layoffs: Operational Approaches That Work Read More »
For most mid-market companies, pricing problems aren’t caused by bad pricing decisions. They’re caused by the absence of a pricing process and the slow erosion that follows when pricing is held constant while every other variable in the business changes. The companies that leave the most money on the table aren’t the ones that set
This is a common occurrence. Your company has come a long way and now the growth is stalled. You have hard working employees and they are all aligned to your mission. You set goals and develop KPIs, but every year you fall short of your targets. Something is blocking the progress. But what? Lack of
What Is Strategy and Operations Consulting? Do You Actually Need It? Read More »
This is a story oft repeated in the management and leadership meetings every where. Annual/quarterly goals are set, and a “strategy” is developed to achieve these goals. These “strategies” then drive action items. Leaders are then measured on their performance against these strategic objectives. In reality, most of the time this not strategy. The team
Strategy vs Operational Improvement: The Difference That Drives Profitability Read More »
