What operational prerequisites and data access do you require our leadership team to assemble before we hold our initial session?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You do not need polished slide decks, complex operational binders, or clean documentation before we begin. Trying to clean up your business before starting an implementation is like trying to get into shape before hiring a personal trainer. It delays the work for the wrong reasons.

What you do need is simple, baseline clarity across three operational areas:

- Current financial reporting: We need an accurate trailing twelve-month profit and loss statement and balance sheet so we understand your baseline margins, cash position, and revenue velocity.
- Organizational structure: We need your current organizational roster. This is not an Accountability Chart; it is simply a raw list of everyone currently on the payroll and who reports to whom.
- Leadership attendance: Every person sitting on your functional leadership team must clear their calendar for the full day, with zero client calls, internal check-ins, or laptop work permitted in the room.

Do not waste weeks drafting core values, building scorecards, or mapping processes ahead of time. The foundational sessions are designed to pull those insights out of your collective heads using proven frameworks. What I require most is intellectual honesty, operational transparency, and a willingness from every leader to acknowledge where the business is genuinely bleeding time and money.