Insights · Archive

Insights archive

Articles from earlier series. New articles appear under Business Brokerage, Small Business and AI: My Take on the Insights page.

Company Leaders

Oct 18, 2026

Picking Workflows Worth Changing: Economics First, Tools Second

I don’t rank workflows by how easily I could introduce AI. I rank them by whether changing the work may improve margin, create usable capacity, or support a capability worth its cost.

Oct 7, 2026

Bringing Department Heads Into the AI Decision

I treat department heads as partners in shaping an AI effort, not just managers responsible for carrying it out. That means giving them a meaningful role in the decisions while keeping accountability clear.

Sep 24, 2026

Adding AI Without Taking Apart What Works

I don't treat adding AI as a reason to replace a working operation. I focus on changing a defined part of the work while preserving the controls, relationships, and judgment around it.

Sep 17, 2026

Before you buy AI for your company, analyze the business first

Most AI projects fail because they start with the tool. I start by asking where the value sits, where the risk is concentrated, and whether AI changes the economics at all.

Sep 17, 2026

Why I built four platforms instead of writing four business plans

A business plan describes an idea; a platform forces you to decide, build, and learn. The platforms on this site are how I test business logic and translate decisions into working systems.

Private Equity

Oct 15, 2026

Carve-outs: Standing Up Operations That Never Stood Alone

I look at a carve-out as an operating separation, not just a transfer of assets. Buyers and sellers need a clear account of which systems, people, and processes move, which stay, and how the separated business will function.

Oct 14, 2026

Add-on Integration: Where Systems Connect but Work Breaks

In an add-on acquisition, connecting systems isn't the same as connecting operations. I look first at the handoffs where responsibility, information, and approval rules need to survive the transition.

Oct 7, 2026

The First 100 Days After Close: Where Operating Plans Meet Reality

The first 100 days after an acquisition are a test of the operating plan, not just its execution. I focus on the sequence of changes, the handoffs between teams, and the evidence that tells a buyer what to adjust.

Oct 6, 2026

Operating Capacity: The Hidden Constraint in a Value-Creation Plan

I treat the capacity to absorb change as a separate operating constraint, not something a funded plan automatically provides. For private equity, that means deciding what management can stop or defer before adding another priority.

Sep 23, 2026

Why portfolio AI rollouts stall, and what works instead

AI initiatives in portfolio companies rarely fail on technology. They stall on capacity, ownership, and sequencing.

Sep 17, 2026

What a COO sees in a private equity value-creation plan

A value-creation plan looks different from the operating seat than it does from the spreadsheet. Real change depends on what the business can actually absorb.