MARKET SHIFT
“Our market changed
and we didn’t until it was almost too late.”
The work didn’t stop all at once. It tapered. Projects that used to come in reliably stopped coming. By the time the pattern was undeniable, revenue had been sliding for more than a year, and nobody could say why, or when it would stop.
Here’s what they gained:
~60%
projected growth, year over year
9 → 5
market segments, sharpened
2023
revenue levels, back in reach
They knew they needed help. Their CFO had left, and they were about to hire another. A referral brought them to us first.
We assessed the operation. The accounting was loose and the metrics were thin, but those were symptoms. The real exposure was that revenue had been falling for a year, and no one in the building could predict it, explain it, or say what to do about it.
What was really happening...
They were chasing nine market segments, most of them shrinking. Their team was built for the firm they used to be, not the one the market now required. And with no reliable close and no forward view of cash or pipeline, every decision was being made in the dark.
The talent was never the problem. What was missing was the clarity to see where the market had gone, and the discipline to go where it was heading.
How we worked
The tactics flex to fit the situation; the system underneath does not. We don’t workshop ideas with you. We bring a tool, build it on your numbers, and hand it over working.
Fix the foundation first
What we build & hand over: A reliable monthly close and reporting rhythm
Bad data makes bad decisions. We took over the close and turned the books into something the team could actually trust, which unlocked everything that came after.
Make revenue visible, week to week
What we build & hand over: A weekly cash-flow and pipeline forecast
Not a model reviewed once a quarter. A live forecast, run in a standing weekly meeting — so we could watch the pipeline against reality and see exactly where the revenue forecast was breaking, and why.
Decide where they actually win
What we build & hand over: A market-focus analysis
Every senior leader in one room: what’s working, who we win with, who we don’t. We narrowed the field from nine segments to five, sharpened the targeting inside those, and opened new regions through partnership.
Bet on the right moves
What we build & hand over: An initiative roadmap with expected results
A short list of bets, each with a number attached, and a cadence to report progress and solve issues before they compound.
Rebuild the team around the strategy
What we build & hand over: A realigned team and cost structure
Some long-held roles no longer fit where the industry was going; new skills did. We rebalanced the team and brought costs in line with the lower revenue, buying time for the strategy to take hold.
Put it on a forecast and fund the growth
What we build & hand over: A financial forecast and a cleaned-up line of credit
With the picture finally clear, we rebuilt the forecast, cleaned up the line of credit, and pointed every remaining decision at growth.
What changed...
Eighteen months in, the discipline, and their own good work, compounded:
Revenue stopped sliding and turned, now on pace to grow about 60% year over year
Back within reach of 2023 revenue levels
A sharper market: five segments instead of nine, aimed at clients they win with and deliver well for
A team and cost base built for where the business is going, not where it had been
The work was never in question. Once they could see the market clearly and had the discipline to act on it, the talent that built the firm started producing again.