We were introduced to a very charismatic entrepreneur about a year ago. He has owned his own business for about fifteen years, and has built up a significant personal brand profile in his industry. His company is seen as a vehicle for his talent, supported by talented people, but focused and harnessed by his instincts and personality.

When he explained his situation he was actively engaged in negotiating with a bigger company to buy him out. Business was softening, he's been doing this for a long time. It seemed safe and potentially lucrative.

After spending about five minutes with him, our instinct was it would be a terrible mistake for him.

The problem he was having was two-fold.

1. After fifteen years running his own company, he was tired of the repetition. We've felt this ourselves at various points in our careers. After a while, you discover you're dealing with the same six issues - just packaged differently.
2. His company, which used to compete with big multi-nationals as a boutique service provider, could no longer compete profitably.

It was clear to us that here was a talented, innovative entrepreneur whose current business model had simply run its course.

Instead, we encouraged him to develop a piece of IP that he had already created as a subsidiary, and focus fuly on turning that into his core business. He could attract customers on a much more short-term basis, and the opportunity for innovation would engage him completely.

Re-focused and re-energized, we were then able to help him take his very talented staff and engage them in helping him bring this nascent opportunity to life, while slowly segueing out of his existing business model. Some clients he kept because they could benefit from the new model. Others he let go of, and we helped him use the time he got back to enormous effect.

Liberated from its old strategic definition, the company now moves easily into new opportunities and is attracting interest and business from a wider and deeper circle of customers. They've also expanded into  two new areas, and have been able to use the staffing and strategic foundations we gave them to bring those on-line quickly and seamlessly.

In the current economy, our assessment is that the original business model wouldn't have made it. With the new model, they're growing on long-term foundations and using everyone's skills and energy to innovate on a daily basis.