AI Transformation
Why Mid-Market Manufacturers Fail at AI Adoption
Most manufacturers don't fail at AI because the technology is wrong. They fail because the organizational infrastructure to absorb AI doesn't exist yet.
8 min readAI · Manufacturing
PE Operations
What PE Firms Actually Want From Your Operations
There is almost always a gap between what the investment thesis assumed and what operations can actually deliver.
6 min readPE · Operations
ERP & Systems
The 5 ERP Modernization Mistakes That Cost Mid-Market Companies $500K+
I've governed ERP programs across a $9B food processor and multiple mid-market manufacturers. The same five mistakes appear every time.
7 min readERP · Systems
Operations Leadership
Fractional COO vs Full-Time COO: How to Know Which One You Actually Need
The decision is not about cost. It's about what stage your business is at and what problem you're actually solving.
6 min readCOO · Leadership
AI Transformation
The AI Tools Every Operations Leader Should Be Using in 2025
Not the tools with the most hype. The ones that actually change how fast your operations team works.
9 min readAI · Tools
Manufacturing
How to Actually Change the Culture of a Manufacturing Organization
Culture change is not a training program or a values poster. It's a systematic behavioral change program that starts at the top.
8 min readCulture · Manufacturing
Operations
The Order-to-Cash Transformation Playbook for Mid-Market Manufacturers
Order-to-cash is where most manufacturing companies lose margin without knowing it.
7 min readOperations · Process
Technology
Using Salesforce in Manufacturing: What Actually Works
Salesforce is powerful. It's also consistently over-engineered and under-adopted in manufacturing environments.
7 min readSalesforce · Manufacturing
Supply Chain
Building Supply Chain Resilience in CPG Without Adding Headcount
Resilience doesn't come from adding people. It comes from better visibility, smarter processes, and deliberate risk management.
6 min readSupply Chain · CPG
Operations Leadership
What a Fractional COO Does in the First 90 Days
The first 90 days of a fractional COO engagement determines everything. Here's exactly how I approach it.
6 min readCOO · Operations
Operations
How to Scale Operations Without Losing Quality
The tension between growth speed and quality is real. Here's how to resolve it without choosing one over the other.
5 min read
Technology
Build vs. Buy: How Mid-Market Companies Should Make Technology Decisions
The build vs. buy decision is more nuanced than most frameworks suggest.
6 min read
PE Operations
How to Build Operational Board Reporting That PE Firms Actually Respect
Board reporting is not a formality. It's the primary mechanism through which PE firms assess operational health.
5 min read
Operations Leadership
The Delegation System That Lets Founders Stop Being the Bottleneck
Most founders know they need to delegate. The ones who succeed build the systems that make delegation safe.
6 min read
Manufacturing
The KPI Framework Every Mid-Market Manufacturer Needs
Not every KPI matters. Here are the ones that give you real-time visibility into operational health.
7 min read
AI Transformation
AI Automation vs. AI Transformation: Why the Distinction Matters
Automating existing processes with AI is valuable. Transforming your operating model with AI is 10x more valuable.
6 min read
Operations
Vendor Management for Mid-Market Companies: What Enterprise Does Differently
The difference between how Fortune 500 companies manage vendors and how mid-market companies do it is significant — and fixable.
5 min read
PE Operations
The First 100 Days Post-Acquisition: An Operational Playbook
Most post-acquisition integration programs focus on finance and legal. The ones that succeed start with operations.
8 min read
Technology
What Process Mining Actually Tells You About Your Operations
Process mining is one of the most underused tools in mid-market operations. Here's what it reveals that spreadsheets can't.
6 min read
Operations Leadership
Managing Distributed Operations Teams: What Actually Works
Distributed operations teams require different management infrastructure than co-located ones.
5 min read
Operations Leadership
The COO-CEO Relationship: How to Make It Work
The COO-CEO relationship is the most important operational relationship in any company.
5 min read
Operations
Building a Data-Driven Operations Culture in a Mid-Market Company
Data-driven operations isn't about having a data team. It's about building habits that make data the default input to every decision.
7 min read
Manufacturing
Manufacturing Labor Productivity: What Moves the Needle
Labor productivity in manufacturing is not primarily a workforce problem. It's an operations design problem.
6 min read
CPG
Digital Transformation in CPG: What's Working and What Isn't
CPG companies are investing heavily in digital transformation. The ones getting results share a few key characteristics.
7 min read
Operations Leadership
How to Hire a Fractional COO: A CEO's Guide
The fractional COO market has grown rapidly. Quality varies enormously. Here's how to find and evaluate the right person.
6 min read
Manufacturing
Lean Manufacturing Meets AI: What's Changed and What Hasn't
Lean principles are as relevant as ever. AI accelerates some of them and is irrelevant to others.
6 min read
Technology
IT-Business Alignment: Why It Keeps Failing and How to Fix It
IT-business alignment has been a chronic problem for decades. Most solutions don't work because they address the symptom, not the cause.
7 min read
Technology
Salesforce CPQ for Manufacturing: A Practitioner's Guide
Salesforce CPQ can dramatically accelerate quote-to-cash cycles in manufacturing. Here's how to implement it without the common failure modes.
8 min read
ERP & Systems
Change Management Is 70% of ERP Success. Here's How to Do It Right.
Most ERP implementations fail not because the technology is wrong, but because change management is treated as a communication plan.
7 min read
PE Operations
Operational Due Diligence: What PE Firms Miss and What They Should Look For
Financial due diligence is rigorous. Operational due diligence is often not. Here's what gets missed.
6 min read
AI Transformation
Is Your Company Ready for AI? A Practical Assessment Guide
Most companies start AI initiatives before they're ready. Here's how to assess your actual readiness across five dimensions.
7 min read
Supply Chain
Supply Chain Visibility: The Technology That Actually Delivers
Supply chain visibility technology ranges from genuinely transformative to expensive spreadsheet replacements.
6 min read
CPG
CPG Operations Benchmarks for 2025: Where Do You Stand?
Benchmarking reveals gaps that internal analysis misses. Here are the CPG operations metrics that matter in 2025.
7 min read
Technology
Hyperautomation for Mid-Market Companies: Where to Start
Hyperautomation doesn't require enterprise infrastructure. Here's how mid-market companies can capture significant value.
7 min read
Manufacturing
Inventory Optimization in Manufacturing: A Practical Framework
Inventory is one of the largest working capital drains in manufacturing. Here's a systematic approach to optimizing it.
6 min read
Operations
Building an Operations Transformation Roadmap That Actually Gets Executed
Most transformation roadmaps are great documents that never become reality. Here's how to build one designed for execution.
7 min read
Operations Leadership
The Fractional Leadership Team Model: CFO, COO, and CMO Working Together
The most effective fractional engagements combine functional leaders who work together as a coordinated team.
5 min read
PE Operations
PE Value Creation: Building a 100-Day Operations Plan That Delivers
The 100-day plan is a PE firm standard. Most are built for the investment committee, not the operating team.
7 min read
AI Transformation
AI Copilots for Operations Teams: What's Practical Today
AI copilots for operations teams are maturing rapidly. Here's an honest assessment of what's practical today.
7 min read
Operations
Building the Governance Infrastructure Mid-Market Companies Need
Governance is not bureaucracy. It's the decision-making infrastructure that lets companies grow without losing control.
6 min read
Operations
How Operations Leaders Can Improve Working Capital
Working capital is not just a CFO problem. Operations leaders have direct leverage over inventory, AR, and AP cycles.
6 min read
Operations Leadership
Retaining Operations Talent in a Tight Labor Market
Operations talent is harder to retain than ever. The companies keeping their best people are doing specific things differently.
5 min read
Operations
Operations Budget Planning for Mid-Market Companies
Most operations budgeting is reactive — based on last year's spend plus inflation. Here's a better approach.
5 min read
Manufacturing
The Digital Thread in Manufacturing: What It Is and Why It Matters
The digital thread connects design, production, quality, and delivery data into a single traceable record.
6 min read
Operations Leadership
How Operations Leaders Should Approach Strategic Planning
Operations leaders are often underrepresented in strategic planning. Here's how to change that.
5 min read
Operations
The Hidden Link Between Operations and Customer Experience
Customer experience problems almost always have operational root causes. Here's how to find and fix them.
6 min read
Operations
When to Outsource Operations Functions and When Not To
Outsourcing decisions in operations are rarely as straightforward as cost analysis suggests.
5 min read
Operations Leadership
Developing Operations Leaders for the Next Stage of Growth
The operations leader who built your business to $50M is not automatically the right person to take it to $150M.
6 min read
AI Transformation
Using AI to Improve Operational Financial Reporting
Financial reporting in operations is often slow, manual, and incomplete. AI can change all three.
5 min read
Operations Leadership
How to Measure Whether Your Fractional COO Engagement Is Working
Fractional COO engagements need clear success metrics from day one. Here's how to define and track them.
5 min read
Operations Leadership
When to Hire a COO: The 7 Signals Your Business Is Ready
Most CEOs wait too long to hire a COO. Here are the seven signals that tell you it's time — before things break.
7 min read
Hiring & Leadership
COO Job Description: What to Actually Look For (Not Just What to Post)
Most COO job descriptions are written for the wrong candidate. Here's a framework for finding the right one.
7 min read
Change Management
Why Business Transformations Fail (And What Actually Makes Them Work)
70% of transformation programs fail to deliver their intended results. The reasons are almost always preventable.
8 min read
Hiring & Leadership
How to Hire a Fractional COO: A Step-by-Step Guide for CEOs
The fractional COO search is different from any other executive hire. Here's how to get it right.
7 min read
Operations Leadership
Operational Due Diligence Before You Hire a COO
Hire a COO before understanding what you need them to own and you'll pay for it. Run the assessment first.
6 min read
Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation Leadership: The CEO and COO Playbook
Digital transformation doesn't fail because of bad technology. It fails because of bad leadership. Here's the playbook.
8 min read
Operations Leadership
Part-Time COO: What It Means, What It Costs, and Whether It's Right for You
The part-time COO model is growing fast in the mid-market. Here's a clear-eyed breakdown of how it works.
6 min read
Change Management
Organizational Change Management: A Practical Playbook for Mid-Market Leaders
The enterprise change playbook doesn't translate to a $100M company. Here's a framework built for the mid-market.
9 min read
Operations Leadership
Interim COO: When You Need One and How to Make It Work
A COO departure creates a leadership vacuum the CEO can't fill alone. Here's how an interim engagement bridges the gap.
6 min read