The days of winging value creation planning are over.
We help PE firms and their portcos turn the deal thesis into a focused, execution-ready VCP so they can make value creation happen more confidently.
The challenge.
The game has changed in private equity.
Competition is fierce. The margin for error is thin. And an undisciplined approach to value creation planning won't survive in this market.
LPs expect more rigor.
They’re pushing GPs to prove they have a real, repeatable approach to driving value creation.
Competitors have leveled-up.
Other PEGs are getting sharper and more systematic. If you’re not, you’re losing ground.
Returns are tougher to hit.
Multiple expansion isn’t doing the work anymore. Operational value creation has to pick up the slack.
The failure points.
Even good firms fall into the same traps.
Across middle-market PE, we see the same failure modes show up again and again.
Operating for quarters with no clear, written value creation plan.
Doing a burst of planning at close but never really following up.
Building a VCP so complex that no operator can actually execute it.
Handing the work to consultants and getting a deck, but no traction.
Taking a slow-roll, wait-and-see approach and losing early momentum.
Never getting aligned on the few priorities that truly move the needle.
The solution.
There's a better way to approach value creation planning.
A smarter, more proactive approach that blends investor rigor with operator reality. Less deck, more dialogue. Less dictate, more collaborate.
Built for both sides.
A VCP that makes sense in the boardroom and holds up in the real-world.
Co-created with mgmt.
Your port-co mgmt team shapes the plan themselves, so they own it and drive it.
Approachable by design.
A clear, approachable, and confidence-building process that teams can follow.
Driving focus.
Helping you identify the moves that matter most to value creation.
Bridging strategy & execution.
Translating high-level value creation opportunities into executable priorities.
Repeatable across port-cos.
A repeatable VCP system you can use across deals for consistent results.
How we approach it.
Let's not overcomplicate it, folks.
In our view, value creation planning really comes down to getting clear & aligned on the answer to 6 simple, but essential questions.
Before talking about the future, it's essential to get clear on where you are today. You need a grounded, unvarnished view of the company’s current state: performance, capabilities, challenges, and trajectory. Without a shared reality among the board and ELT, your VCP is being built on shaky ground.
It’s tough to choose the right value creation priorities if you’re not clear on what you’re building toward. This question forces the team to begin with the end in mind: What's the long-term vision? What kind of company do we want to bring to market in five years? When the destination is vivid, the path there becomes clearer.
Once you know where you are and where you're going, the next logical question is: How will you get there? Here, we focus on the levers you'll pull and moves you'll make to bridge the gap. The goal is to home-in on the moves that matter most to achieving your exit targets, not a laundry list of to-do's.
This is where we close the often problematic strategy–execution gap. We get clear on what needs to happen this year and this quarter to drive real progress on the value creation moves that matter most. The result is a short, clear set of priorities the management team can own and execute.
None of the other answers matter if you don’t have the right, fit-for-purpose team in place. Here we home in on whether we have the right leaders, in the right seats, with the capacity and capability to drive the plan. This is where the rubber really meets the road.
This is where we make sure the business can actually run the plan. We get clear on the systems, processes, tools, and capabilities the team will need, and we surface the gaps in today’s operating environment. Without these enablers in place, you put the attainment of the plan at risk.
What the process looks like.
How we go from these 6 questions to a high-confidence value creation plan.
A lightweight process that delivers a heavy dose of clarity.
45–90 Day Sprint.
We move quickly to get aligned on a high-confidence VCP early in the hold period. Most teams reach alignment on the six questions inside 45–90 days.
Fully facilitated.
We run the process end-to-end so your leaders can focus on thinking, not choreography or facilitation. We'll bring structure & coaching, you bring brains.
Execution-ready output.
Emerge with a crisp VCP the team can actually use to focus energy and make decisions. It becomes the centerpiece of board conversations & ongoing execution.
The impact.
"Will this work... and for companies like ours?"
Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what other PE professionals and portco CEOs have said.
Michelle C. | CEO, Highbar
Working with Dan was game-changing. His approach made the entire process easy for our team, while still driving extraordinary clarity and alignment.
David M. | CEO, JSI
"These sessions were a great catalyst for our team. It was an airtight process that enabled us to come out with the right outcome and a true north way faster.”
Ryan H. | Founder, Rallyday Partners
"Our portfolio company leaders relish the opportunity to work with Dan. The output of the value creation planning work has been catalytic at a personal and organizational level."
Michelle C. | CEO, Highbar
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Get clear on what you need in critical portfolio roles, and hire smarter.
In this on-demand workshop, we'll cover:
➤ Why costly hiring mistakes are so common in private equity-backed businesses.
➤ How getting crystal clear on what you need in an executive hire is the most important antidote to making a hiring mistake.
➤ A simple process for getting clear on what you need, so you can hire with confidence.
We help ambitious private equity firms accelerate people-powered value creation throughout the deal cycle.
