Business Growth Strategies
Accelerated Sustainable Growth
Choose the right first unit
Start where one operator can run two low‑friction actions without concurrent system change, and where movement will show up in a report you already trust. The goal is verified movement in 30 to 45 days, not a rebuild.
Fit criteria
Pick a business unit with recurring work, clean AR or WIP visibility, and a named field owner. Avoid distressed turnarounds and major system projects. You are looking for stable throughput and a governing metric that already appears in a standing report.
Name the governing metric
Choose one primary metric that reflects cash conversion or realised margin movement. Examples include invoice‑within‑X‑days rate, offer‑to‑accept conversion, or mix share of higher‑margin work. The metric must exist today in a report you already run, not in a spreadsheet created for the pilot.
Use the report you already trust
Verification must come from an existing, consistently produced report such as AR aging, WIP, or weekly conversion readouts. No new software, no custom build. If the metric is not visible in a standing report, choose a different metric or a different unit.
Lock the two owners
The sponsor governs the rule and cadence. The field owner runs the two actions and reports exceptions. Finance verifies weekly and flags red without debate. If any role is unclear, do not start.
Verification criteria
Four weekly snapshots from the same source report, same fields, same day of week. Red is missing, late, or inconsistent data. Day‑30 decision is pass or tighten inside the 30 to 45‑day window. No proxy metrics, no manual reconstructions.
Example snapshots
Show a cropped view of the AR aging with the invoice‑within‑3‑days count circled, or the weekly conversion readout with the offer‑to‑accept rate highlighted. The point is sameness. Same report, same section, same fields, week over week. If sameness is not possible, change the unit or the metric.
Common disqualifiers
Governing metric requires a new build, field owner is shared across conflicting priorities, reporting cadence is irregular, or sponsor is unwilling to decide against a frozen rule. If any are present, defer the pilot and fix the constraint first.
Decision posture
The pilot is to verify movement, not to optimize. Hold one frozen rule, two actions, and four checks. If the governing metric moves in the report you already trust, keep it and consider a 90‑day focus block. If it does not, stop.