05 of 05. Standing engagement
Someone in the seat after the work is done.
When the diagnostic or the rebuild is finished and you still want a principal inside the company with you, month to month, this is that.
OutcomeWhat you get
The operating level stays run. The plan stays on paper, the reviews keep happening, the vendors keep answering to someone, and the next decision has a person on it before it becomes urgent.
You get the judgement of someone who has run a company, on call: CIO-level and operator-level leadership without the cost of a full-time hire.
ProcessHow it runs
- 01The cadenceA fixed monthly rhythm: the numbers, the plan, the exceptions, the next decision. Same day every month.
- 02The seatOne principal, named, accountable for the operating level. John for technology and vendors, Elliot for the numbers and the plan, or both.
- 03The scopeWritten down in a page, reviewed each quarter, changed when the company changes.
- 04The exitMonth to month by design. When the company can run the level itself, the engagement ends, and that is the point of it.
ExamplesTypical projects
- A monthly service review across every vendor, with issues escalated when a provider misses.
- A quarterly look-ahead plan for systems, contracts and renewals.
- A three-to-five-year strategic plan: demand for what you sell, the stakeholders, and succession.
- A 12-to-36-month tactical plan covering facilities, services, staffing, finances and service partners.
- Coaching for an owner or a leadership team through a transition.
ExecutionWho does the work
This is the work continuing, not a retainer for advice. The principal is in the operating meetings, on the vendor calls, and in the room for the decisions that matter.
The benchAssociates, by subject
The bench stays available for the projects that come up inside a standing engagement, on the same basis: brought in by subject, introduced first.
FitWho this is for
Owners who have been through the diagnostic or the rebuild and know what the operating level is worth. Companies preparing for an exit, or between executives.
Self-checkThis is you if
- The rebuild worked and you do not want to be the only one holding it.
- You are between a departure and a hire.
- An exit is two years out and the company has to prove it runs.
- You want a partner in the operating seat, not another advisor.
Free guide
The Owner’s Operating Playbook
Six stages from diagnosis to execution: the questions we ask at each, what each one produces, where AI actually helps, and a 20-question scorecard that shows where to start.
Start with a free 30-minute call.
Bring the three things that keep you up. In thirty minutes you’ll know whether we’re the right fit and what we’d look at first. Nothing to sign.