Every business owner has a puzzle to be solved, a story to tell.
Regardless of the industry or complexity of the business, there are stories to be shared and lessons to be learned.
Construction Company — New business, built to scale
Problem:
Partner split; owner needed a clean start with structure.
What we did:
Deep Dive + HR/safety foundation + forecasting + production planning + pricing support.
Outcome:
Hit $1M revenue in 6 months; on track for $2M year one.
Read the full story
Two partners split their partnership after being in business together for about 20 years. They had completely different approaches to business.
The partner who was leaving to start his own business, contacted us for coaching and assistance to form a new entity and set up the infrastructure to get them started. He had all the knowledge to operate the business, but knew that he didn’t know all the other essential aspects of building the business to ensure their success. He wanted help to create his new business with a solid foundation on which to grow it and scale.
We did a Deep Dive to uncover his goals, work style, and weak points in his resources. We created a solid foundation for his personnel (HR & Safety Programs), established a financial plan with revenue forecasting and cash flow projections and production planning. We worked with him to estimate the most productive ratio of people for each job, fine tune pricing principals, etc.
His goal was to make $1M in the first year. When we did the same Deep Dive exercise after 6 months of working together, he had already hit his $1M mark and was on track to make $2M in his first year instead!
Specialty Engineering Company — Profitability + owner freedom
Problem:
Business was tiring, underperforming, and owner was considering selling.
What we did:
Value options + role “swim lanes” + productivity expectations + project tracking.
Outcome:
Positioned to add ~$500K/year and reduce owner dependence.
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A master of his craft, the owner of this company was considering selling his business. He was looking at a business that was struggling to make a profit, he was tired and not having fun anymore.
He was referred to us by one of our referral partners who knew we would be able to evaluate his options and offer assistance.
The first step was to value the business as it was and estimate the value if they were to make a few essential changes in structure and operations.
Next was to evaluate the team & the structure – do we have the right people in the right positions? We found that we needed to create more definitive swim lanes of activities, redefine jobs, and fine tune accountabilities.
Once that was sorted, we examined productivity – by making a few changes to the work schedule, set expectations for billable hours and implement a project tracking system, they were set to make an additional $500,000 per year.
The final step was to put the right leadership, accountability expectations, and reporting systems in place to allow the owner not to have to be there – freedom! He now has a profitable company and can choose his own exit. He can take the free time now and exit (sell) any time he chooses.
Specialty Store & Catering — Talent planning + risk reduction
Problem:
People systems were thin; needed HR/safety structure and a development plan.
What we did:
HR audit + compliance structure + gold-standard safety program + org design + development plans + onboarding/training.
Outcome:
Insurance rating improved; premiums reduced by 30%.
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The owner of this company is 3rd generation in the business and quite successful. He is very creative and has excellent business sense. The “people part” of a business like this can be tricky and they had been without an HR person for a while. We were brought in to help build a solid HR and Safety structure for them and create a talent development plan for the organization.
Our team started with the HR audit to check in on their compliance. Then our HR team began to build the structure for efficiency and compliance. We brought in our Risk and Safety expert to evaluate their operations, systems and create a Gold Standard Safety program for both of their businesses, including training, processes, systems, etc. Their insurance rating improved significantly, cutting their premiums by 30%.
We then worked with them to outline their growth expectations and plan for a structure that could scale easily without “breaking anything”. We created an ideal organizational structure for them, evaluated the level of competence of each of their people, identified capacity and created development plans. We have been able to identify key people who were ready for development and leadership, taking the pressure off the owner and other managers, allowing their business to grow steadily. Working with their team, we created onboarding, orientation and training programs to ensure people are set up for success as they begin their career with our client.
Ongoing coaching with the owner and leadership team provides them with the opportunity for a familiar expert team to guide them through the year.
Family Plastering Company — Succession decision made
Problem:
Owners weren’t aligned on succession; assumptions were driving tension.
What we did:
Facilitated the discussion + decision guide + structured planning prompts.
Outcome:
Unified decision and a clear path forward for transition planning.
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We met a lovely couple who had owned and operated their successful business for about 30 years. He ran the field crews and she ran all internal operations, including the bookkeeping. We were working on a strategic succession plan for them.
About an hour into the meeting, it was clear that they were not on the same page regarding the future of their business. The husband was determined that their son would take over the business someday, the only problem was that the son wasn’t interested. He wanted to work in the world of tech. The wife was of the opinion that their daughter should take over the business. She had shown an interest, had education and business acumen and had grown up in the business.
We sent them away with a decision guide and questions to work through and then come back to finish the strategic planning exercise. The wife called the next morning and, with great excitement, reported that she and her husband had gone to dinner, talked for hours on this long overdue subject and came to a unanimous decision that daughter would be the one to carry on.
They were delighted that we had facilitated the discussion and helped them come to the conclusion that would allow them to move forward, plan their exit, and look forward to retiring in the near future.
Marketing Agency — Continuity after loss
Problem:
Owner passed away; without a plan, the business was at risk of closing.
What we did:
Rapid launch support + “learning fast track” + specialist bench (structure, ops, HR, biz dev).
Outcome:
New agency launched quickly; 4 years later, strong reputation and owner freedom.
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The death of the owner of the company presented the team with a dilemma. Without a succession plan, the family couldn’t carry on and was going to close the doors. Do the employees allow the company to die and the customers to find support elsewhere?
We were engaged by one of the employees to help her start a new company ASAP, build a structure and create a “learning fast track” for someone who had never dreamed that she would own and operate a company. We rallied our Tribe and engaged each of our Subject Matter experts ( CFO, Business Structure, Operations, HR, Business Development, etc.) to navigate the build and launch of a specialty marketing agency in record time.
Fast forward 4 years and we have helped our owner to create a life for her family they could never have dreamed of – excellent reputation, financially independent, more freedom for the entire family and time for each other.
Machine Distribution Company — New recurring revenue stream
Problem:
Owner wanted growth while maintaining a demanding full-time job.
What we did:
Business model evaluation + identified teachable expertise + built a scalable online platform.
Outcome:
Created a self-sufficient training platform generating revenue alongside her day job.
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The young, energetic owner of a Vending Machine Sales & Distribution Company came to us for help to grow and scale her business, all while she held down a very demanding full-time job elsewhere. As we examined the pros and cons of such a business, we discovered that she had a gift for teaching, specifically teaching people about investing and money management.
What began as exploration of one type of business, grew into a robust online, self-sufficient training platform. She has met and exceeded her revenue goals, and her education courses are teaching people to manage their money and learn how to get their money to work for them.
She does do live webinars once in a while to promote her courses, but for the most part, the courses work for her independently, generating revenue while she works her day job. 😉