The Scenario : For a typical $2B bank, the Auditor Tax consumes 4% of OpEx. Our protocol targets a 40% reduction in this spend by eliminating Security Theater' controls. (This frames it as a model , not a past client ). No Fear Based Selling. Most Risk Consultants sell you fear to keep their retainer. A blackhole. We sell you Closure . We are not "Compliance Officers ": We are specialized Operators who fix the specific regulatory crisis and then leave. We do not want a Long

The Scenario : A Mid-Market PE firm acquired 8 regional HVAC & Plumbing companies to build a $150M platform. The Drift:  12 months post-close, EBITDA was down 15%. The 8 units were refusing to use the centralized call center, and the founders were protecting their "local culture" at the expense of the platform's efficiency. The Fix : Schimpf Group deployed as Integration Command. We audited the dispatch systems, identified the 3 GMs who were sabotaging the central line, and r

The Spreadsheet Promised Synergies. Reality Delivered Chaos. The acquisition looked perfect on paper. A $200M manufacturing holdco had just purchased a smaller, nimble competitor, promising its Board a clear path to $15M in "operational synergies" within 18 months. The investment thesis was sound: expand market share, cross-sell products, consolidate back-office functions. But 9 months post-close, the story was very different. Costs had increased. Revenue growth had flatlin

A Dollar is a Dollar. So Why Do You Treat Them Differently? If your company loses $1,000,000 because a hacker breached a firewall, the market panics. If your company loses $1,000,000 because of bad vendor contract renewals or operational drift, the market shrugs. Mathematically, the loss to your Valuation and EBITDA is identical. Yet, inside the Boardroom, these risks are treated with two different sets of physics. Operational Risk  is treated with math (spreadsheets, forecas

The "More" Trap. When a company hits the Complexity Ceiling  (usually around $50M or $100M), growth stalls. The revenue chart that was up-and-to-the-right for five years suddenly flattens. The Founder’s knee-jerk reaction is almost always " More ." "Hire more sales reps." "Spend more on ads." "Launch more features." This is the wrong move. When the engine is knocking, pouring more fuel into it doesn't make the car go faster—it blows the gasket. We recently engaged with a mar

Profit is a Theory. Cash is a Fact. We recently took a call from a Founder of a $60M SaaS platform. He was confused. "Our P&L says we made $4M in EBITDA last year. But I can't make payroll next Friday. How is this possible?" He was falling into the EBITDA Trap. He was managing the business based on an accounting theory (Accrual Basis) while his operations were dying in reality (Cash Basis). Here is the brutal truth :  You can be profitable on paper all the way to bankruptcy c

The Honeymoon Phase is a Lie. Congratulations on the appointment. You have the title, the office, and the mandate. You also have a target on your back. Standard management books tell new CEOs to spend their first 90 days on a "Listening Tour." You are supposed to walk the floor, build relationships, and "learn the culture." This is dangerous advice. If you spend your first 90 days just listening, you are not learning the truth; you are learning the narrative . You are listeni

The boardroom, and world, is currently drowning in "AI Theater." We see it constantly: Chief Information Officers presenting dazzling roadmaps for "Generative AI transformation," complete with J-curve revenue projections and buzzwords about "revolutionizing the industry." As a NACD, PDA, and DDN educated and business operator, my job is to cut through that theater. The "Hard-Nosed" reality is that for 99% of companies in the $100M–$500M range, AI is not a magic wand. It is pl

There are two ways to run a company: The VC Mindset: "Move fast and break things." (Growth at all costs). The PE Mindset: "Move fast, but break nothing." (Cash flow is king). In the startup world, the VC mindset works because one winner pays for nine losers. But for the mature $100M+ operators we advise, that mindset is dangerous. When we engage in Interim Strategic Oversight , our first move is often counter-intuitive: We stop the "visionary" chaos and install "brakes." Ce

"Digital Transformation" is usually a euphemism for "burning cash on consultants." Yet, when we conduct our Value Discovery Sprints , we constantly find massive, untapped value in the most unglamorous places. The secret to real value creation isn't finding a "new" business model. It's finding the friction in the old one. The Invisible Levers We recently reviewed a logistics operation that was struggling with margins. The "Theater" solution would have been to rebrand or launc

The most dangerous moment in any acquisition is the first 90 days. This is when "Strategic Drift" begins. The deal team celebrates and leaves. The operational team is exhausted. And the integration plan—usually a 200-page binder—sits on a shelf collecting dust. This is why we offer Interim Strategic Oversight . We don't just hand you a plan; we embed a "Governance Backbone" to enforce it. The "Governance Backbone" Playbook When we step in to oversee a transition, we ignore th

In the current market, everyone is chasing "Tech-Enabled Services." Consequently, everyone is overpaying for mediocre code. Smart capital—the kind we advise—is doing the opposite. They are hunting for "Paper-Based Services." The "Paper Premium" Why buy a company that has already optimized its operations? You are paying a premium for someone else's work. The real alpha lies in finding the business with $2M in durable EBITDA that is still running on clipboards, whiteboards, and