Economic Resilience Zone:    Resources    Mega-Maps (under development)

Events:

11 August 2011, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel MD:  “EMP: Threat and Opportunity”

8 June 2011, The Tower Club, Tyson's Corner, VA:  “It doesn’t do you any good if you’re open for business and your customers and suppliers aren’t”

Events (archive):

Recommended reading:

Transforming Three Distinct Small Businesses Into One Rapidly-Growing Cohesive Enterprise 

Situation: A successful entrepreneur asked us to consult with his executive team to determine how best to shape and grow a suite of small companies in which he recently had acquired a controlling interest.  The core business was a highly regarded and specialized consultancy that was known primarily through its founder and lead expert who remained a part of the executive team.  Two other businesses had been established to complement the flagship, but there was little coordination between them and each required its own website, set of promotional materials, and marketing efforts.  Moreover, the staff had become very passive in terms of their work – comfortable submitting incomplete efforts since they knew almost anything they submitted would be redone by more senior colleagues without ever offering feedback to enable the development of a more acceptable work product the next time.  This scenario had been going on for decades.  Balancing that was a great reputation for expertise and value, a very talented senior team, and a real commitment and openness by the majority of team members to a new, more successful direction.

Actions: We facilitated executive sessions for each business to clarify its mission and strategy and to identify key opportunities and obstacles to achieving success.  We conducted 360-degree assessments and individual coaching with senior staff, process mapping, and business development planning.  Those efforts resulted in more efficient operations, job satisfaction, and client acquisition.  This also laid the foundation for pursuing clients with broader needs that were met by combining capabilities across the businesses.  By piloting efforts to pitch business using a more comprehensive presentation and consultative, value-creating model, we aided the companies in winning the four largest accounts in their 35-year history.  Building upon these successes, we advised our client that combining the companies would best enable the sort of client acquisition and retention required to grow their business to the size and vitality that they desired.  They agreed, and we helped them retain a branding expert and worked closely with these consultants to frame the new organization and develop the content for their new website and marketing materials.

 Results:  The combined company continues to operate more efficiently and with a clarity that did not exist prior to our engagement.  They have a roadmap for growth and success, and they are better able to follow it and communicate their value proposition to their clients with the clarity of mission, strategy, and process that we enabled.

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Boyce, VA USA;  Manama, Bahrain

Last modified: 07/19/11