Bounded work, senior attention.

Which markets, contracts and customers make the money, which consume it, and what to do about each. Every unit ranked, the call I would make on each, and the order to work them, biggest first. I have run this across a portfolio as a grow-or-go review, and inside a single business market by market.

Four weeks is possible when your numbers are already cut by market. When they are cut by legal entity, which is more common, that is where most of the calendar goes, and it needs your finance and operations people working alongside me. You bring the data. I bring the calls.

The same review, asked of a target rather than of a company you already own. Where the earnings actually come from, how much of the margin sits in a handful of units, what it would cost to fix the rest, and whether the operating plan in the model is one an operator could execute.

This is operating diligence, not quality of earnings. Your accountants will tell you whether the numbers are real. I will tell you what has to be true on the ground for the plan built on them to work. I did this work for private equity clients as a consultant, and then spent an operating career living with the answer.

A recurring review of the P&L by market, on one agreed set of definitions, in a format that does not change month to month, with named owners. I have built this rhythm for six regions at once and for a leadership team of four.

A one-off deep dive stops being true the month after it lands. This keeps it current, and it is built to run without me.

When the answer needs someone to execute it, or a seat is empty. Capacity added here and taken out there, a contract renegotiated, a line closed, a wage structure rebuilt.

Part-time or full, inside your organization, with the P&L or the function in my name. I have made these calls as an operator, with two business units taken from loss to profit as their CEO, which is a different exercise from recommending them.