Turnaround & Operations
For owners who are out of runway or out of patience. In two weeks you will know your cash position, your break-even and your next 90 days. Then we rebuild the business on The Ruskow Standard until it performs without heroics.
- Begins with
- A two-week Diagnostic
- Program
- 90 days to stabilize, six months to rebuild
- Format
- Remote and on-site, anywhere in the United States
- Led by
- Our principal, with our network of specialists
01.1Commitments
What we commit to
We commit to process and deliverables, in writing, before the work begins. We never promise a revenue figure; we promise what you will know, what you will have in place and when.
By the end of week two you will know your break-even, your cash position and your next 90 days.
Within the first 90 days you will run on a monthly budget, tracked cash flow and a written order of payment: operating costs, then debt, then distributions.
Every marketing dollar will be measured against a KPI, and campaigns that lose money will be corrected or cut.
Every role will have an owner, a written scope and a place in the chain of command, so decisions stop waiting on you.
Each quarter you will receive a scored, written audit of all seven pillars, with the next quarter's priorities.
01.2Situations
You are here if
Owners rarely call at the first sign of trouble. These are the situations we see when they do.
- Revenue is real, and you still do not know what next month's cash looks like.
- Critical bills are behind, and payroll is covered from your own pocket or the next deposit.
- Marketing is a large line that nobody measures, and some of it is losing money.
- Your brand says premium and your pricing says discount.
- Every decision routes through you, and the team waits for it.
- Turnover, gossip and missed handoffs have started to feel normal.
01.3Scope
Scope of services
Each service stands on its own or runs inside the Turnaround Program. All of it answers to the seven pillars of The Ruskow Standard.
Diagnostic
Two weeks. Cash position, break-even, a scored read of all seven pillars and a 90-day plan.
Cash stabilization
Bill-by-bill triage, payment sequencing and a cash view you review every week.
Seven-pillar restructuring
Mindset and accountability, branding, marketing, communication, culture, structure and finance, rebuilt in order of urgency.
Financial discipline
Monthly budgets, tracked cash flow and a known break-even. Operating costs first, then debt, then distributions, behind a three-month reserve.
Marketing ROI audit
Every channel measured against a KPI; losing campaigns corrected or cut.
Brand and pricing realignment
Premium positioning, premium presentation and pricing brought into agreement.
Org design and chain of command
Defined roles, a management layer and delegation that frees the owner.
Culture and communication protocols
Training, clear expectations and a professional path for escalation.
Fractional COO or CFO
Our principal in the operating or finance seat while the permanent team is built.
Quarterly pillar audits
A scored, written audit every quarter, so the standard holds after we step back.
01.4Phases
How the engagement runs
The Diagnostic stands on its own. The Turnaround Program follows it, and quarterly audits keep the standard in place afterward.
04 phasesDiagnostic, then the Turnaround Program
- Phase 1
Diagnostic
Two weeks
We read the books, the bank and the floor. You receive your break-even, your cash position, a scored seven-pillar read and a 90-day plan.
- Phase 2
Stabilize
90 days
Cash first. Bills are sequenced, losing spend is cut, the budget goes live and the chain of command is set.
- Phase 3
Rebuild
Six months
Brand, pricing, marketing, culture and structure are rebuilt on the seven pillars, with KPIs reviewed every month.
- Phase 4
Hold the standard
Quarterly
Scored pillar audits each quarter, with our principal as fractional COO or CFO wherever a seat is open.
01.5Proof
The record
In November 2017 a company co-founded and led by our principal was within days of possible closure, behind on critical bills, with no meaningful budget, break-even or cash-flow tracking. The seven pillars were built in that turnaround, with a strategist, and refined in every engagement since.
- ~47.78%gross revenue growth in eight months, from ~$805K to ~$1.2M, in the 2017 turnaroundA company co-founded and led by our principal
- ~$13K/moprofit for a client that had been losing money every month, through expense reduction, marketing ROI and restructuringRuskow Consulting engagement
- 14companies advised since Ruskow Consulting was founded in May 2019Ruskow Consulting
01.6Questions
Questions, answered
Do you guarantee results?
No. We never promise a revenue figure. We commit, in writing, to process and deliverables: what you will know, what you will have in place and by when. The record above shows where that process has led.
How quickly does an engagement start?
We accept a limited number of engagements each quarter, so every engagement begins with an application. You will hear from us within one business day. If the business is close to a cash crisis, say so in the application.
Who does the work?
Every engagement is principal-led. Our principal leads the work himself and draws on our network of specialists, from strategists to counsel, where the business needs them.
Do you work on site?
We take remote and on-site engagements anywhere in the United States, and we set the mix with you during the Diagnostic.
What do you need from the owner?
Access to the real numbers, and a willingness to be held to a standard. We work with owners who will execute the plan, not owners looking for someone to blame.
What happens after the six months?
Quarterly pillar audits keep the standard in place after we step back. Where a seat is open, our principal serves as fractional COO or CFO until you have hired for it.
Apply
Begin with an application.
We accept a limited number of engagements each quarter. Engagements begin by application, and every application receives a reply within one business day.
Apply for an engagementOr write to us at hello@ruskowconsulting.com