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We turn away 40% of inquiries. Here's why.
Transformation is hard. Doing it wrong is expensive. We'd rather say no upfront than fail together later.
If you see yourself in the "don't work with" section, don't take it personally. It means we're not the right partner at this moment. Maybe later. Maybe never. Either way, honesty saves everyone time and money.
What this looks like: "We need AI to reduce headcount by 30%"
Why we say no: The best people leave first when they smell a cull coming. You lose institutional knowledge, survivor morale crashes, and the remaining team won't adopt tools they see as job killers. AI should amplify human capability, not replace it.
What to do instead: Fix your revenue problem first. Then come back when you want to grow capability, not cut costs.
What this looks like: "We need transformation to survive the next quarter"
Why we say no: Transformation requires investment and patience. Crisis demands quick fixes. These are incompatible mindsets. Transformation under desperation almost always fails.
What to do instead: Stabilize first. Stop the bleeding. Get to a sustainable baseline. Then transform from strength, not desperation.
What this looks like: "We're integrating two companies and want to transform simultaneously"
Why we say no: You can't transform while transforming. Merger integration is transformation enough. Adding more change multiplies failure risk exponentially. Your people can only handle so much disruption.
What to do instead: Complete the merger integration. Give it 12 months to settle. Then transform the combined entity.
What this looks like: "Just give us the AI tool that fixes everything"
Why we say no: There is no magic button. Transformation is methodology plus technology plus time plus change management. Anyone promising instant solutions is lying or incompetent.
What to do instead: Accept that real change takes 6-18 months. If you can't commit to that timeline, you're not ready.
What this looks like: "Transform the organisation but don't touch how I work"
Why we say no: Transformation starts at the top. If leadership won't model new behaviours, why should anyone else? Hypocrisy guarantees failure. Your team will watch what you do, not what you say.
What to do instead: Commit to personal workflow changes. Lead by example. Show you're willing to be uncomfortable first.
What this looks like: "We're a $3M company ready to scale through AI"
Why we say no: You need different help. Our methodology is built for operational complexity that doesn't exist at your scale. You'd be paying for solutions to problems you don't have.
What to do instead: Focus on product-market fit and sales. Use off-the-shelf tools. Hire generalists. Come back when you hit $10M+ and complexity becomes your bottleneck.
What this looks like: "Our CTO is driving this business transformation initiative"
Why we say no: Business transformation isn't a technology project. When IT leads, you get technical implementation without organisational change. The business must own its own transformation.
What to do instead: Put your COO or Operations Director in charge. IT should enable, not lead. Business owns outcomes.
What this looks like: "We want to implement AI" (Full stop. No specifics.)
Why we say no: Solutions without problems are expensive experiments. If you can't articulate what's broken, you can't measure what's fixed. This becomes a vendor's dream and your nightmare.
What to do instead: Document your pain points. Quantify the cost of current problems. Define what success looks like. Then come back.
What this looks like: Profitable for 3+ years, clear growth strategy, stable leadership
Why it works: Transformation from strength succeeds. Desperation-driven change rarely does. You have the resources, patience, and strategic vision to do this right.
What this looks like: "I know I'll need to change how I work too"
Why it works: Authentic leadership accelerates adoption. People follow examples, not mandates. When the CEO changes their workflow, everyone else knows it's real.
What this looks like: "We want our talented people doing more meaningful work"
Why it works: When transformation means elevation, not elimination, your best people become champions. They see AI as liberating them from admin work, not threatening their jobs.
What this looks like: "Let's map what actually happens, not what should happen"
Why it works: You can't improve what you won't acknowledge. Honest baselines enable real progress. The willingness to face current state reality is half the battle.
What this looks like: "We understand this is a journey, not a sprint"
Why it works: Sustainable transformation takes time. Quick fixes create long-term problems. Your patience allows for proper methodology, adoption, and capability transfer.
What this looks like: "Our COO/Operations Director owns this project"
Why it works: Operations understands work reality. They know what actually needs to change. They have authority to redesign processes and drive adoption.
What this looks like: "Success means 40% more strategic work, not 40% fewer people"
Why it works: Growth-focused metrics drive positive change. Fear-based metrics drive resistance. Clear definitions of success align everyone's incentives.
What this looks like: "We've budgeted for technology AND change management"
Why it works: Technology without adoption is expensive shelf-ware. Investment in both technical implementation and human change ensures ROI.
Before we engage, we need honest answers to these questions:
If the answer is "we'll be fine," you don't need transformation.
Real transformation starts with undeniable pain or clear strategic opportunity.
If it's only the CEO, we need to talk about coalition building first.
Top-down mandates without middle management buy-in fail 80% of the time.
If you don't know, you're not ready to create it.
Freed capacity without direction becomes wasted capacity. Have a plan.
If you can't, we're the wrong partner.
We measure human elevation, not just efficiency. If you only care about cost, hire someone else.
If it's less than 6 months for meaningful results, we need to reset expectations.
Anyone promising faster is lying or cutting corners that will cost you later.
If it's IT or an external consultant, we have a problem.
Business transformation must be owned by business leaders, not technology or external advisors.
You might be ready for actual transformation. Most aren't. Let's find out if you are.
Or if you're already confident you're ready:
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