Client Profile 1: Entrepreneur / Software App Developer

A software engineer who worked for Big Tech was looking to leave their employer, launch a new start-up and develop a mobile software application. They came to RDL to get strategic input on their business plan and a better sense for what it would take to develop an ‘operating model’ for running an app company. Running a company is a very different thing than coming up with an idea for an app and getting a software engineer to build it. This client came to RDL with an idea and left with a complete business plan and operating model for how the start-up would launch and grow. 

“Ryan helped me build a strategy around my app idea. He listened to my ideas and helped me progress them beyond an idea to a complete business model, and operating plan for growth. Ryan helped me organize my ideas into a roadmap that I could follow, and supported me with the advice and expertise that gave me the confidence to keep building the app of my dreams.”

Client Profile 2: Warehouse Operator & Management Services

A warehouse operator in northern California with ~$20M in annual Sales revenue approached RDL with the goal of improving profitability. The warehouse operator has four warehouses located in the North Bay region and a net operating margin of ~4%, almost two points lower than industry average. Ryan worked with the warehouse operator management team to understand which aspects of the business were driving the profit vs. the other aspects that were dragging the profitability down. We conducted detailed analysis of each individual warehouse, its SKU throughput, volume throughput, frontline operations team members and supply chain partner engagement processes to identify opportunities and address weaknesses. After identifying the issues and prioritizing them, we ended up cutting ~20% of poor performing SKUs, which increased our usable space for higher margin and faster moving SKUs, improving our overall profitability by ~$1.8M annually or 9%.

“Ryan truly helped us diagnose the issues, build a plan to solve the issues and then execute. Ryan did an amazing job asking the right questions to surface the information and data needed to build the equations to solve my company’s issues. Ryan not only nailed the analysis, but walked me through the approach and thinking so that I can keep doing this regularly to maintain my profitability.”

Client Profile 3: Real Estate Property Investor / Ranch Event Operator

A northern California vintner and wine producer was looking to expand and pivot their operation by buying a 200 acre ranch in California and opening a wedding and event venue. The vintner knows the wine business, but has limited experience operating a working ranch with accommodation & hospitality services and event spaces. The business owner reached out to RDL to build a business plan and operating model for the ranch. RDL assisted his client by building a cashflow and operating model to support the vision of the business owner and investor. RDL played the role of sounding board and chief of staff, posing all the hard questions to surface the issues, identify the risks, model out the operations and build visibility into the future cashflow. The investor presented the business plan to the seller and reached a seller-financed purchase agreement to acquire the property and begin operating the event space and destination retreat property. 

“Ryan was such an instrumental part of the process of building my business plan. I always had the dream of owning a destination hospitality ranch, but didn’t know how I was going to make the numbers pencil out. Ryan asked all the right questions to get me thinking about the critical issues, and the non-critical issue to be honest. Ryan took excellent notes and pays attention to the detail. He built a killer financial model that accounted for all the major - and minor - operational details that I needed to plan for as the owner. The model was the backbone for the finance package we sought and ultimately closed the deal!”