Journal

Notes, briefs and operating thinking.

Published when there's something worth saying. Not on a schedule.

15 May 2026 · Method · 5 min read

The decision the board keeps postponing

Every operating company has one. The strategic question that drifts from quarterly review to quarterly review without resolution. We sit with that one.

12 May 2026 · Method · 4 min read

The exit thesis isn't a deck

Founders preparing for a sale almost always start with a deck. That's the wrong artefact. The exit thesis is a written paragraph that survives diligence.

11 May 2026 · Method · 6 min read

When to replace a founder CEO — the three signals that aren't performance

Boards spend most of their replace-or-invest debate on performance metrics. The actual decision usually rests on three things that don't show up on the dashboard.

06 May 2026 · Method · 5 min read

Pre-bank, not investment bank — why timing matters

Most transactions fail in the year before they're announced, not in the negotiation. Strategic clarity belongs before the bank, not next to it.

05 May 2026 · Governance · 5 min read

Three NEDs you should never appoint

Board composition gets cleaned up at exit. By then the damage is done. Three NED archetypes that look impressive on paper and reduce enterprise value in practice.

30 April 2026 · Method · 4 min read

The fractional chair myth

Fractional chair has become a marketing label. The job, when done properly, is structurally hard to do fractionally — and worth understanding why.

28 April 2026 · Method · 4 min read

What 'carve-out' actually means in practice

Carve-out is the most misunderstood word in M&A. Founders use it loosely, buyers use it precisely, and the gap costs deal value.