Every decision ran through the founder. We built the leadership structure to carry the weight.
A public affairs firm. Growing like wildfire, but with a margin problem nobody could quite explain.
What we built
financial tools
leadership roles
Designed to work as one system.
A business that was working, but with margins no one could see.
By any measure, this was a business that was working. Double-digit client roster. A growing team. Seven-figure revenue built almost entirely on recurring retainers. The founder had built it on instinct, relationships, and a deep understanding of his craft.
A business coach had named the symptoms: prices below market, billable hours under benchmark, overhead eating profit. The prescription was logical: charge more, bill more, pass more costs through.
One level deeper.
Retainers weren't built from a cost model. Pricing lived in the founder's head. Rates had never been tested against what the firm cost to run. And every decision, pricing included, routed back to one person.
"The recommendations weren't wrong. They were just treating symptoms."
Our assessment
Two systems, built to lean on each other.
The financial systemRate card calculator
Rates grounded in fully loaded costs, not market guesswork.
Retainer pricing calculator
Client prices built from a staffing plan rather than feel.
Client portfolio dashboard
Margin, burn, and health for every retainer at a glance.
Retainer audit methodology
A quarterly review the operations lead runs on her own.
CEO clarity
We redrafted the CEO's scope to focus on vision, strategy, and growth, with client time focused where impact matters most.
CCO empowerment
The Chief Client Officer's role now centers on excellence achieved through the team, rather than delivered directly.
Operations director
The first operations role in the company, focused on building the systems that will enable growth.
The founder stopped being the system.
- Every proposal now has defensible math underneath it.
- Client profitability is visible across the whole book, any time.
- Decisions that used to wait for the founder now have an owner.
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