Strategy and Business Consulting
Agree on what matters before you spend on it
We help leadership teams turn competing priorities into one plan, sequenced and tied to the outcomes the business actually needs.
A backlog of good ideas is not a strategy
Most organizations are not short on ideas. They are short on agreement about which ones move the business, in what order, and who owns them. Every leader has a reasonable priority. Without a way to weigh them against each other, the loudest one wins, or nothing moves at all.
We help you settle that before money gets spent. We learn how the business makes money, where the friction really is, and what a win looks like to each person accountable for one. Then we turn that into a plan the leadership team can stand behind, because they built it with us.
The problem that surfaces is often not the one we were called about. A request for new software turns out to be a disagreement about ownership. A stalled initiative turns out to be three initiatives pulling against each other. Finding that early is the cheapest thing that happens in any engagement.
How the work runs
1Listen
We interview the people accountable for the outcomes and walk the process where it actually happens, then write down what we heard so you can correct it.
2Frame the real problem
We name what is actually in the way, which is often not the problem we were brought in to solve.
3Weigh the options
Each option gets an honest look at cost, risk and value, including the option to do nothing.
4Align the leadership team
We work the trade-offs in the room with the people who have to own them, so the plan has backing before it has a budget.
5Sequence the plan
You get a phased roadmap with realistic timelines and dependencies, and the trade-offs written down.
What you leave with
A written summary of what we heard, reviewed and corrected by your own team
A clear statement of the problem worth solving first
A prioritized, phased roadmap with effort and timelines
Business-case framing for the top initiatives
Named owners for each initiative and the decisions they are accountable for
“The takeaway from this workshop was seeing the vulnerability of the other team members. It was just wonderful to see that trust open up.”
David Hildebrand, Director of Operations · Economasters
Selected work
The People Who Write the Content Now Build the Product
How SEQTEK rebuilt product building from the ground up for a research client, turning a process that took months into one that takes less than a day.
When Your Whole System Lives in One Person's Head
How SEQTEK became an extension of Taurex Drill Bits' team, and rebuilt the foundation without ever stopping the business.
Honest answers
Do we have to hire you for the build if we hire you for the strategy?
No. The roadmap is written to stand on its own. We would like to earn the build, but you can take the plan to your own team or another firm and it will still make sense.
How long does this take?
Usually weeks, not months, because we size the work to the decision you need to make. On a larger platform we have spent the first months of an engagement in discovery before any build started, because getting that part right was worth more than starting early.
What if technology is not the answer?
Then we will tell you. Sometimes the fix is a process change or putting someone clearly in charge, and we would rather say so than sell you software you do not need.
Get the leadership team on one plan
A Touchstone workshop is the usual way in. We interview your people first, then work the plan with them in the room.