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Tip of the Spear Ventures

Venture Capital | Private Equity | Business Consulting

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In Need of a Business Transformation? Strategies & Execution

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The Point: As a Leader, you know the challenges of operating a business firsthand. With a “We can do it!” attitude, you may be operating your business the best that you can. But are you in need of a business transformation? From our experience at Tip of the Spear Ventures, most leaders don’t recognize the early indicators of business transformation (Denial?) and often focus on the wrong problems/initiatives. So, in this post we’ll explore if you/your organization is in need of a business transformation as well as provide strategies and execution tips… Enjoy!

In Need of a Business Transformation - Tip of the Spear Ventures

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The Case for Business Transformation

Over the past few years, at Tip of the Spear Ventures we’ve seen a disturbing case for business transformation. Namely, sales growth has been somewhat stalled (1-2% top line revenue growth) and earnings before interest/taxes (EBIT) have increased at relatively the same rates. Worse yet, most strategic planning departments forecast that these figures will change little in the coming months/years. Changes in customer preferences, eCommerce capabilities, and the cloud of continued economic uncertainty places pressure on most business leaders.

There are typically two types of business transformation moments that leaders now face. The first is that of cash flow or generation (Either we don’t have enough cash on hand to fund the operation — production, payroll, etc. — or we’re simply not achieving a high enough level of sales to generate sufficient net profit). The second, and far more difficult for a leader to detect, consists of a set of business transformation issues that may not threaten the business but pose fundamental issues to current business model sustainability.

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How Do You Identify Business Transformation Opportunities?

What does a good real-world business transformation consist of? How can a leader tell whether they’re in need of a business transformation? To answer these questions, we recommend a strategic and tactical approach to business transformation.

Strategically, leaders should be vigilant about their performance in four dimensions of business transformation excellence. These four dimensions are strategy, execution, cash flow and people. A leader’s material underperformance in any one of these dimensions could be very problematic. However, if they don’t have a compelling value proposition that customers will choose them over others, they won’t last.

Tactically, we suggest some criteria for evaluation. At the forefront is year-over-year growth (YOY). If YOY has been negligible or negative for at least 4 consecutive months, and/or is 10% or more below industry peers (competitors), a case for business transformation exists.

How Do You Transform the Business – A Three Stage | Seven Step Approach

The experiences of leaders that have successfully conducted business transformation, either since or during the global financial crisis of 2008 | global pandemic crisis of 2020, have shown that a three stage | seven step approach to business transformation can lead to success.

Select image to receive a 1-page overview of the approach

STAGE #1 – SEE

STEP #1 – ACKNOWLEDGE

We explore disruptions within and outside our clients’ ecosystems. This inspires imagination with new customer requirements, new ways to work, and new forms and value. This process leads to a customer-centric, technology-enabled business model and operational model.

STEP #2 – ARCHITECT

We help you achieve your business transformation goals by creating business models and/or operating models that are both value-creating and strategically sound.

STEP #3 – SELECT

We support the selection of the best business transformation options, program leadership and the best path forward by incorporating leadership alignment, financial readiness, and financial wherewithal.

STAGE #2 – DO

STEP #4 – PILOT

We validate that there is value in building capabilities, service delivery models and organizational structures. We test them against customer/stakeholder expectations, talent/abilities, mindset, organizational fault lines and competitor responses. Finally, we specify the amount of change needed to adopt the new operating system.

STEP #5 – DEFINE

We incorporate lessons learned from pilots and design prototypes to modify business transformation value expectations and business or operating model elements. Then we define the business transformation launch roadmap, integrated change program, and build the business transformation program.

STAGE #3 – DELIVER

STEP #6 – SCALE

We prepare leaders to initiate larger scale change. We also support implementation and program execution of organizational change programs. And we quantified progress on key launch metrics and value outcomes metrics.

STEP #7 – ADAPT

We track the value of the transformation and offer adaptations to business or operating model elements to meet ongoing disruptions, competitor moves, and analytic insights.

SUMMARY

Times are indeed tough for retailers. But being in a distressed situation isn’t cause for despair. If retail leaders face the facts early, identify and address the root causes of their financial distress, take costs out quickly, and ensure disciplined execution, they can deliver—and rapidly move beyond—a turnaround.

Sam Palazzolo

Understanding Mergers and Acquisitions Strategy

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The Point: When most people think about starting a business, they often think of starting from scratch — designing the business from scratch and making your own concepts and plans. But is this the right — or best — strategy for an entrepreneur? In this post, we’ll explore understanding mergers and acquisitions strategy… Enjoy!

Tip of the Spear Understanding Mergers and Acquisitions

This is actually easier than starting an entirely new company, as you have a known product to base your business around. However, buying an existing company can still help you get started on the right foot. Here is what you should know to get a lot out of your purchase. Read on for more information on mergers and acquisitions.

There are two ways to go about mergers and acquisitions (M&A). One way is through an all-cash transaction, which allows you to take over a majority of the assets of the other companies and you keep all of the equity. Another way to approach the process is by conducting a financial transaction, where you receive cash for a portion of the total equity. Both methods have different advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important that you carefully consider which option will be best for you.

The first thing to consider is whether or not there are synergies between the two companies. You want to be able to add to the strength of one company while keeping away from the weakness of the other. For example, buying a hospital that offers medical equipment to nursing homes could be a good move for both companies. However, buying a manufacturing company that makes products for the home repair industry could be a bad move for both companies. So the two mergers and acquisitions strategies have to be well thought out before you make a decision.

You also have to understand the benefits of the mergers and acquisitions. Some examples of these benefits include saving cash, leveling the corporate ladder, combining research and development, and better service to customers. In order for these benefits to be realized, you have to look at the costs of the transactions carefully. This means looking at both the direct and indirect costs involved with the transactions.

You should also determine the value of the acquired assets. You should compare the total assets acquired, including goodwill, to the total market value of the combined company. Remember that these purchases do not always result in absolute value. Sometimes, the actual net worth of the acquired business is less than the purchase price.

SUMMARY

In summary, the main goal of the acquisition and mergers and acquisitions strategies is to acquire a company that can provide a service or product that solves a problem for the buyer. One of the main downsides to acquisitions is the risk of acquiring weak companies that might not be able to support the obligations you have with them. Be sure to get all the facts before you decide on a strategy. Make sure you are familiar with all the terms before you enter into any agreements.

Q&A with Tip of the Spear Ventures’ Sam Palazzolo

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‘We went from talking about sales acceleration and strategic plans to working in survival mode!’

Sam Palazzolo
Sam Palazzolo

I’ve been counseling businesses from the Fortune 500 to small businesses as a strategic partner for more than two decades. Believe me… I’ve seen my fair share of ups and downs! Perhaps that’s why I was recently interviewed to gather my thoughts on where we’re at as a business community and what we must do in order to recover successfully. Here is a transcript from that interview… Enjoy!

Interviewer: How would you describe the current recession… How does it compare to 2008?

Sam Palazzolo: I remember well the great recession of 2008. I had just left a successful corporate career at Toyota, including working retail running a few large franchises. I had just launched my second company when the recession hit (Good timing, right?) What we are seeing now is a similar pattern, albeit greatly accelerated. The difference between is that was a financial meltdown… This is a medical pandemic induced recession.

After successfully exiting a startup I was leading, I formed my current company (Tip of the Spear Ventures) in 2012. Part of my job is providing business advisory services to a host of clients. The advisory services focus on three (3) specialties as subject matter experts (SMEs):

  1. Sales / Business Development
  2. Mergers & Acquisitions
  3. Business Turnarounds

Interviewer: Set the stage for us… How were things going before all this happened?

Sam Palazzolo: I had been on pace to travel this year for 40+ weeks, down from my typical 48 weeks annually. The clients I visited were actively seeking help with their businesses, primarily in architecting Strategic Plans and Sales / Business Development blue prints until it all blew up and the phone calls started.

Interviewer: What hit first?

Sam Palazzolo: At the same time the order came to shut down and stay home, there was also a request to identify what to do now? So we were working right away with business owners early on.

Interviewer: How did your job change through all this?

Sam Palazzolo: I spent the majority of my days answering phone calls, texts and emails. We pulled together some intellectual property regarding the pandemic, and specifically what to do about it as a business leader. Based on our research, we compiled and presented webinars… Lots of webinars! To date, and we just calculated this figure at the end of May, we had completed roughly 70 webinars.

Interviewer: What were the webinars about?

Sam Palazzolo: We took a two-pronged approach. The first focus was on business survival — what can businesses do to preserve cash runway, raise funds, adjust sales forecasts, consider appropriate marketing, implement headcount strategies, and control capital spending.

These played themselves out in webinars on leadership, working remotely, virtual sales techniques, serving the customer virtually, and more. At the end of each webinar, we always make a point of polling participants for what additional topics they’d like to see researched/presented. This has fueled future session development on all too timely topics.

Interviewer: What kinds of issues have you encountered along the way?

Sam Palazzolo: Like everyone else, we’re working remotely. This poses several challenges, namely ensuring that you have the proper home office setup (Best internet bandwidth available, phone connections, etc.) You can count on the unexpected occurring! The big question is how will you overcome these technology challenges and make sure you receive forgiveness from participants.

Interviewer: What other issues are business leaders dealing with?

Sam Palazzolo: The top issues are reduction in income and sales, of course. Businesses were closed by direct order of the government, considering some essential and the vast majority non-essential. That’s what makes this unique. Usually a downturn in the economy takes a little time to develop, giving business leaders time to prepare. But this was on a huge scale, all at once. Roughly 15% felt as though they were thoroughly prepared to face the oncoming pandemic… Only 15%!

Interviewer: What’s the scenario in a normal recession?

Sam Palazzolo: Typically, if you think about an economic wave, the crest of the economic wave, things are going well and then something happens that starts a decline and the economy contracts. Normally that takes weeks or months to play out. Then you hit the bottom of the recession, the trough, that can last 16 to 18 months and the recovery begins, eventually leading back to prosperity. What makes this so unique is the sudden drop-off to a recession. As I mentioned previously, this is a medical pandemic NOT a financial pandemic. Regardless though, in a matter of days things began to plummet putting an immediate hardship on all businesses.

Interviewer: So, if everything reopens, is there a shortcut to the recovery phase?

Sam Palazzolo: Some believed early on that it could return to normal as quickly as it came upon us. A lot of it depends on how this plays out with the virus itself. People are now understanding it’s going to be with us for a while, which means a new normalcy, new health and safety standards across the board. It’s going to change a number of existing business models. People at this stage are doing a lot of hypotheticals about how requirements will affect business. The customer base, the employees, the supply chain.

Interviewer: Where are we now?

Sam Palazzolo: We’re in the pre-recovery period right now. We’re still assessing new information from the state and regulatory agencies on how to reopen. A number of businesses are weighing their options — is it worth continuing or just shut the thing down and move on. That’s a tough, stressful period for business owners and families. Our acquisitions business has helped identify a positive recovery path. Keep in mind, in any downturn in the economy you’ll see some businesses end up closing. Those businesses who do survive are often in a much better place. The reason being, former competitors are gone, creating an opportunity to grow. Others find new opportunities. It’s a cycle.

Interviewer: What is happening now with your clients?

Sam Palazzolo: We went from talking about sales acceleration and strategic plans to working in survival mode!

The Leadership Challenge: Indifference – 3 Tips!

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The Point: We all want leaders to lead with their “skin” so to speak in the game. Leaders that are so vested in the outcome of the operation that “whatever it takes” is not only the organizational motto, but performance measuring stick for what’s the desired result achieved (and if not, why not?) But what if your leadership team, or you, are not leading by example with such effort/energy? What if you aren’t doing your part to accomplish goals? In this post, we’ll explore the leadership challenge of indifference and provide 3 tips to help you make a difference… Enjoy!

The Leadership Challenge: Indifference – 3 Tips!

I Believe That We Can Win – Banishing Indifference!

At Tip of the Spear Ventures and our private equity holding operations, we’re fortunate to see many leaders in action (and just as many leadership styles). For example, Jim is one of the platform leaders that excels. He is a leader that sets goals, accomplishes goals, sets new goals, accomplishes new goals, and on and on. Quick to provide credit for his team, his leadership style prompts those around him to excel in their own rights as well. He is truly making a difference, and cultivating future leaders for other platform opportunities with us.

We met Mark as a result of a consulting engagement in Tip of the Spear Ventures Sales / Business Development offering. Mark was quick to share “I believe that we can win!” with us during our initial meeting. But it became relatively clear quickly that Mark truly believed that he alone (“I”) would be doing the winning. Unable to engage his team in worthwhile activities, he was truly attempting to get victories where he could alone. However, an interesting point presented itself when victory was not at hand… Mark took on an air of indifference and several times sabotaged the initiatives so that if he couldn’t win, no one would!

Call Indifference Lackadaisical

While we’d love to compare and contrast the leadership styles of Jim and Mark in autopsy fashion, we don’t need to dig too deep to find the primary cause of initiative and goal death… Indifference! Indifference is defined as having a lack of interest, concern or sympathy. Indifference can also be seen as sharing unimportance for a given topic/event. Regardless of how you define indifference, ask yourself if this is what you want within your organization, your leadership team, or yourself? I’m betting that answer to all three is no (or should be!)

3 Tips to Overcome the Leadership Challenge of Indifference

Here then are 3 tips to help you overcome the leadership challenge indifference in your daily performance:

Tip #3 – Set the Course

I see so many leaders that behave in an indifference pattern because they simply are not setting the course for them to accomplish bigger/better goals. For example, if you want your performance year-over-year to be at 120%, then you’d better aim for 133% (Aim high and achieve it… Bonus! Reality might have you miss though, but hopefully still coming in above 120%)

Tip #2 – Execute

Setting goals and plans to execute in and of themselves are not enough… You have to execute! I see far to many strategy sessions dissolve into nothing getting done afterwards. It’s as if those that strategize cannot roll up their sleeves and actually do the work. No one ever said that was a great strategy and got results. Execute, execute, execute!

Tip #1 – Accountability

So you have the plan and the ability to execute, but will you hold stakeholders accountable for achieving results? If you can’t hold people accountable, and more importantly re-orient them to get back on track towards achieving goal, you have no way of achieving success (Please don’t argue with me that even blind-squirrels find nuts… Is that the business model you’re willing to follow?)

SUMMARY

In this post we’ve explored the leadership challenge of indifference, as well as provided 3 tips to help you as a leader succeed. No one ever said leadership was a game that wouldn’t require focus, effort and energy. I see way too much political-correctness and leaders playing nice without wanting to go after their goals. Indifference is the kiss of death when it comes to leadership, so leave that out of your leader success equation!

 

Sam Palazzolo