Strategic Services
Our Strategy Services focus on important initiatives that look over a planning horizon of 1-3 years to be fully realized, but which also need to start to generating traction and meaningful results in year 1. Our strategic services are best suited for early stage or high growth companies, stalled mid-market companies, or business unit innovation in large enterprises.
"Pragmatic Strategy" & Planning
Strategic planning is the discipline of looking into the future and deciding WHERE you want to lead your organization, WHY you want to go there, WHAT is required for a successful journey and HOW you can best travel there. It does not have to be complicated- in fact the clearer and simpler, the better.
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However, an articulated strategy must be written down and communicated, achievable with available resources, and sufficiently specific so that you know if you are making progress toward your goals. You would be surprised at how few growth or mid-market companies actually have a clearly articulated strategy, and a plan in place to achieve it.
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That is what we mean by "Pragmatic Strategy. We will help you formulate your strategy based on desired outcomes, and translate that strategy into a plan using OKR's (Objectives and Key Results) to track results.
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Pragmatic Strategy also means two other things to us: 1) "reality testing" the strategy to confirm it can actually be implemented in your company, and 2) "right-sizing" the effort to suit exactly what you need to the level of detail you need it (again ,it does not need to be complicated)
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Working together we will pick the right strategy framework, set objectives, do the internal assessment (SWOT, etc.), conduct external research on markets, competitors, etc., and then formulate and refine the strategy. Once the strategy is set we will translate that strategy into quarterly plans and metrics.
"Execution+"
EXECUTION+ is a unique, high impact consulting and software bundle that is focused on executing 1-3 "must accomplish" initiatives that impact survival, growth, funding or sale of the business. If you have an opportunity or challenge that meets the criteria of, "... If we can/must implement XXXX, then it will change the future of our company!", then you are a candidate for Execution+
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Growth companies often struggle with the chaos inherent with success and lose focus. Mature companies get trapped in the whirlwind and workload of the "day job" and need a new catalyst and structure to reestablish growth. In both cases it is often difficult to implement the most important, harder, cross-functional, longer term goals.
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Execution+ is designed to focus, align and get the most important things done. It is best applied to the There are 4 technology and consulting components to the EXECUTION+ framework that we implement with you:
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1) A "visual scoreboard"
2) A "visual work management" solution
3) An enhanced data & analytics platform
4) And a few new, simple, and low overhead Management Processes
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You will start to see progress toward your critical goals within the first 8-12 weeks which will continue to improve with each planning and implementation cycle. By implementing the Execution+ methods and tools, you will build a sustainable rhythm and culture of execution, and drive your business to next level success.
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Let talk about how we can help your company execute flawlessly.
New Product Strategy
New Product Strategy services are designed to help companies who have online products and services are are facing 3 challenges:
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Products are under-performing vs. expectations
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Too many product ideas competing for scarce resources
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Limited product innovation
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Our unique, internally developed, Product Market Fit modeling approach can help you quickly assess, and test, multiple product ideas and determine which are likely to become winners. It will also help you identify critical engagement and adoption assumptions to test and validate before you write any code. You will allocate resources better, and waste less money and time.
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We are also believers in the emerging "Product Led Growth" movement and can help you identify new products that have the potential to transform how you can change your cost of sales, unit and operating costs and overall profitability.
Strategic M&A and Corporate Development
M&A and Corporate Development can be strategic tools for growth. However, they can also be huge distractions, resource black holes, and negatively impact growth (and valuation) metrics if not executed correctly. 85% of M&A transactions fail to deliver their promised results.
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The best path forward is to proactively articulate a clear M&A Strategy and Approach specific to your company that is tightly linked to your business and product strategies. Transactional investment bankers and brokers are not likely to do this for you, especially in the heat of a deal. Also, you should do this BEFORE, you have a deal on your doorstep. We have experience running Corp Dev for a growing online business with buy- and sell-side transaction experience.
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We would help you develop an M&A strategy that would include: specific business objectives and outcomes for M&A, buying criteria, representative targets, preferred deal structures and financial criteria. The strategy would also include your defined Acquisition, Due Diligence and Integration processes. Finally the strategy would include your Approach to the market (e.g. active or passive, direct outreach or via bankers/brokers, etc.)
Finally, we can also draw on our network of specialized M&A professionals to deal with any financial, legal and technical detail that will arise during a transaction.
Objective & Key Results (OKR) Planning
Google attributes OKRs as a key factor in the company's ability to set and achieve aggressive growth targets. You can use OKR's to set, achieve and keep your entire organization focused on your most important goals. OKRs are a cornerstone for measuring what matters.
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We mention OKR Planning as a strategic service because we have embedded a modified version of the OKR method in our Pragmatic Strategy and Execution+ service offerings. OKR's are the easiest way to translate strategy into action plans.
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The OKR methodology we implement is flexible, low overhead, and is tailored to your business and your desired outcomes. We start top down, working first with the C-Level team and next level reports. We define the company-specific OKR process and deployment criteria and then coach the teams and individuals on developing well designed and measurable OKRs. We monitor the check-in process, and at the end of the cycle ensure learnings and insights are extracted. As a certified OKR Coach we typically support at least 2 full OKR cycles for our clients.
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When OKR's are implemented correctly they not only improve overall performance, but they lead to a culture of empowerment, accountability, collaboration and innovation.