Business decisions and their consequences
Examples of hiring, ownership, growth, and money decisions. These are teaching examples, not claims about Stan's client results.
Hiring
February 11, 2026The Founder Who Couldn't Let Go.
A $17M founder who hired three capable COOs and lost each one in under eighteen months. The correction reflex, not the candidate, was the failure mode.
When Hiring a Senior Executive Backfires.
A $16M founder hired a Fortune 500 COO at $280K. Eighteen months later the hire had failed.
The CEO Who Waited Too Long to Fire a VP.
A $19M services business. A VP underperforming for fourteen months.
Ownership and partners
March 4, 2026The Succession That Split the Family.
A $31M family construction business, two adult children, and a founder who deferred the succession question for six years.
When Equity Became the Argument.
A $9M tech business where the equity split became the argument for control, contribution, and trust.
When a Partnership Collapsed at $12M.
Three equal partners in a $12M business reached the point where equal ownership no longer answered who could decide.
Removing a Co-Founder.
A $14M services business reached the point where removing a co-founder became the governance problem, not just the personal conflict.
Growth
March 11, 2026The Reputation Crisis That Almost Ended the Company.
A fabricated claim, a regional media pickup, and seventy-two hours that decided whether a $24M business survived.
The Market Entry That Destroyed the Core.
A $28M engineering firm entered utilities to diversify. Eighteen months later the new market was winning and the core had lost two anchor clients and its best people.
The Expansion That Nearly Bankrupted the Company.
A $27M manufacturer followed a well-modeled geographic expansion until the model stopped matching operational reality.
Money
June 20, 2026When The Business Had No Cash But Still Had A Company.
An anonymized owner-operated company looked profitable, but the owner was still the operating system. Transferability was the real work.
The Capital Raise That Cost Control.
A $13M SaaS founder raised $4M on a ten-day window and discovered eight months later that three of his decisions now required investor consent.
When Debt Psychology Drove the Strategy.
A $22M distribution business had a $3.5M acquisition the numbers supported, until debt psychology started driving the strategy.
Teaching examples
See examples of the work
These pages teach recurring business structures. They do not claim that Stan advised each company or produced each outcome. You can also ask Stan about your own business situation.