Case Studies

Crowsnest works with business owners from a myriad of backgrounds and industries.
Here are a few of their stories.

Allison, founder of a multi-location mental health practice, started her business right before COVID while preparing to have her first child. What began as a small practice rapidly expanded to over 70 staff members between Colorado, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Despite successful growth, Allison found herself struggling with the transition from therapist to CEO and needed strategic guidance for sustainable expansion.

Transforming a Multi-Location Mental Health Practice

    • Isolation in leadership decision-making

    • Uncertainty about long-term business direction

    • Complex compensation structures

    • Industry-specific margin challenges

    • Operational efficiency across multiple locations

    • Work-life balance with a young family

    • Gain strategic clarity on business vision

    • Develop a sustainable growth framework

    • Create a comprehensive financial understanding

    • Build stronger operational systems

    • Establish an effective leadership structure

    • Enhance work-life balance

    • Expanded business to 5th Colorado location

    • Structured growth plan for 10x expansion

    • Enhanced financial tracking systems

    • Improved operational efficiency

    • Increased leadership confidence

    • Felt better decision-making clarity

    • Enhanced work-life balance

    • Developed a stronger support network

"I walk away from our meetings feeling hopeful and empowered. I feel very capable and equipped for what's to come. And excited... there are solutions out there to any sort of problem." - Allison, Business Owner

Gina, founder of Structure to Scale, transitioned from chemical engineering to entrepreneurship. Her company specializes in building dream teams for entrepreneurs through a highly selective hiring process, focusing on talent from The Philippines. Despite growing successfully through word-of-mouth referrals, Gina recognized gaps in the business's financial strategy and structural framework.

Strategic Financial Planning for a Growing Business

    • Limited financial visibility and understanding of business metrics

    • Difficulty with long-term financial projections and budgeting

    • ADHD-related challenges with maintaining consistent business processes

    • Need for systematic approach to scaling

    • Lack of structured accountability in business operations

    • Achieved projected revenue targets

    • Established 6-month operational runway

    • Created clear financial forecasting capability

    • Implemented sustainable growth metrics

    • Enhanced decision-making confidence

    • Improved business structure clarity

    • Achieved a better understanding of financial positions

    • Develop clear financial projections and understanding

    • Create systematic approaches to business growth

    • Establish accountability frameworks

    • Build sustainable scaling strategies

    • Implement effective business monitoring systems

"TJ really gave me that gift of seeing from a black and white perspective that I really did build a business that's working and it's fruitful. The margins are safe... he's proving to me that what I think running a good company looks like is actually making sense in the numbers." - Gina, Business Owner

Jacob founded his marketing agency in 2017, growing from a warehouse office with a ping-pong table to a professional business operation. Despite being profitable with several employees, the company operated more like a startup than an established agency. After losing a star employee and moving to a legitimate office space, Jacob sought guidance to transform his business from "pretending" to intentionally building a sustainable enterprise.

Enhancing Business Performance of a Marketing Agency

    • Imposter syndrome despite business success

    • Working in the business rather than on it

    • Lack of systematic processes and procedures

    • Employee retention issues

    • Manual administrative processes

    • No formal pricing strategy

    • Limited scalability

    • Time management struggles

    • Implement scalable business systems

    • Create formal processes and procedures

    • Improve revenue growth

    • Develop team structure

    • Establish strategic direction

    • Build sustainable business framework

    • Successful business exit ($500,000+)

    • Increased revenue through improved processes

    • Enhanced operational efficiency

    • Established systematic business processes

    • Reduced owner involvement in day-to-day operations

    • Enhanced team structure and accountability

    • Improved business confidence

    • Better work-life balance

"Success with TJ is a noticeable improvement in either your business from a revenue growth or revenue and growth standpoint, or a reduction of stress in your own life... if you can achieve one, two or both of those things, I think that would be a great indicator of success." - Jacob, Business Owner

    • Lack of systematic business processes

    • All business knowledge concentrated with owner

    • Staff management and conflict resolution issues

    • No documented procedures or employee handbook

    • Absence of clear growth strategy

    • Limited accountability structure

    • Uncertainty in decision-making

After 13 years of running Prophoto Rentals, Jared had built a steadily growing businessthrough passive means. Despite the business's stability, he found himself handling allaspects of operations and struggling to move beyond a plateau. Operating primarilythrough intuition rather than systems, he recognized the need for structured growth butwas unsure how to proceed.

Passive Growth to Purposeful Direction in a Rental Business

    • Create documented business procedures

    • Develop systematic approach to growth

    • Establish clear leadership frameworks

    • Build effective staff management processes

    • Step back from day-to-day operations

    • Implement accountability systems

    • Improved operational efficiency

    • Enhanced staff management

    • Systematized processes

    • Clearer decision-making framework

    • Increased confidence in business direction

    • Better staff relationships

    • More efficient use of owner's time

    • Enhanced business value through systematization

    • Stronger foundation for growth

"[TJ] clarified a maelstrom of ideas in my head and was able to distill it down to the key components, whether that was a goal or whether that was the steps to achieve a goal." - Jared, Business Owner

Nitya, a business owner and coach, balances running a coaching practice while raising two young children. Despite having coaching expertise themselves, Nitya recognized gaps in their business development process and needed a more structured approach to growth. Initially connecting through TJ’s previous role in a business coaching program, they sought to establish stability and scalability in their business.

Enhancing a Growing Coaching Practice

    • Limited structure in business development processes

    • Time constraints balancing family and business demands

    • Insufficient resources for additional help

    • Lack of systematic tracking and metrics

    • Difficulty transitioning from working "in" to "on" the business

    • Need for better business stability

    • Develop clear business development processes

    • Create systematic approaches to growth

    • Establish accountability frameworks

    • Build sustainable scaling strategies

    • Implement effective business monitoring systems

    • Improved business development metrics

    • Enhanced tracking of success rates

    • Created clear forecasting capability

    • Implemented sustainable growth tracking

    • Enhanced decision-making confidence

    • Improved business structure clarity

    • Better understanding of business metrics

    • More systematic approach to problem-solving

"Success with TJ is my business growing in a way that's deliberate, and progress is being made towards having a business that will fulfill my financial and life career goals." - Nitya, Business Owner

Testimonials

  • My business had been steady for a few years without being able to crack through to the next level when I decided to start working with Crowsnest. TJ has been great to work with - knowledgeable, thoughtful, responsive, and on it! We've just had our best quarter and positioned for more!

    Nitya Kirat, YOSD Consulting
    Sales Consulting

  • I’ve been working with TJ since November and it has been a game-changer on the high-level planning, structure, systems and stagey… so we can start to scale. We’ve got a hiring plan in place that has triggered my sales goals when to hire who. I’ve been really cautious of growing for the sake of growth … that’s cancer. It’s really easy to grow with all these opportunities, right now. To have that plan laid out has brought a lot of clarity of how to get from here to there. Working with Crowsnest has been a HUGE level up for the business.

    Dylan Ochala, Tectonic Design Build
    Custom Homebuilder

  • I have loved working with TJ Slattery at Crowsnest. He has helped me in many facets of my business including leadership, hiring/retaining employees, and creating and implementing a system for growth. In addition, he has gone above and beyond to help me with the financial side of my business. Thank you, TJ!

    Lucien Reichert, Fox Run Cafe
    Restauranteur

  • TJ has been extremely helpful in guiding our agency to best practices, efficient structures and workflows and finding strengths within our team. We have loved working with him and so appreciate his expertise!

    Amanda Haase, WideFoc.us
    Digital Marketing Agency

  • I highly recommend TJ Slattery as your next Business Advisor. He's been one of the strongest leaders and mentors that I've had the pleasure of working with. He's thoughtful, intelligent, and brings a unique view to each situation.

    Ahmed Hassan, Blockparty
    Web3 SAAS Marketplace

  • Working with TJ has improved my business dramatically. With clear and simple planning sessions I've been able to set reasonable and achievable goals for my activities and business that I've struggled with for 3 years. He's the kind of professional who makes me feel comfortable to ask questions and share unreasonable fears and frustrations with, providing a calm presence to work through the best course of action based on my needs, goals, and personal strengths.

    Sarah Elkins, Elkins Consulting
    Professional Coaching

  • We worked with TJ Slattery for over half a year; we have absolutely loved working with him! The direction he has given us for growing our business, and improving our processes, has been invaluable. From helping us gain a better understanding of our business financials, establishing better expectations for our team, learning how to grow our client base, and more, TJ has been absolutely instrumental in helping us take our business to the next level.

    Ashley Amundsen, Venture Creative Studios
    Creative Marketing Agency

  • TJ really helped me get organized and create a realistic vision for my business. He helped me get down to the details in many different facets from how to sustain my business logistically to how to attract and retain clients. TJ’s enthusiastic energy always helped encourage me even through the ups and downs of starting my own business. He has a very personable and action-oriented method that helped me get real results. I would highly recommend TJ to work with in starting your business to help your visions flourish.

    Betsy Fowler RN, Embodied Guidance
    Somatic Therapy