Driving a nearly 10% CAGR for a Family Construction Business
After a generational transition, a 40-year-old, family-owned commercial glazing and glass manufacturer sought support to identify ways to improve the business.
The Work
Collecting more granular and better data
Department-level budgets, engagement, and participation
Monthly financial statement meetings and forecasting to drive internal departments
Greater transparency for performance, costs, risks, and impact to the bottom line
The Impact
In the baseline year, company sales of $13.9MM produced an EBITDA loss of nearly $100K. Implementing a control and reporting system provided clear data to the owners. It gave them the confidence to make strategic changes and pursue business improvement.
In year two, sales increased 8% to $15.1MM while EBITDA jumped to $306K on a 10% Gross Margin improvement to 25%. This was achieved with an internal focus, a bottom-up, annual, budget practice and monthly support. We modified the employee bonus structure to reward high individual performance, goal achievement, and increasing margins — cementing a positive dynamic between employee success and business success.
Since then, the Company has generated nearly $5MM in EBITDA on Gross Margins that have grown to 30%. In 2027, the Company forecasts $23MM in sales (a 60%+ improvement over the initiation of the project) and $2.8MM in EBITDA.
Why it Works
Detailed data and robust financial models added Clarity, Confidence and Control. A collaborative approach and the owners’ openness to changes allowed us to build on past success with a clear understanding of financial information. Future control is now focused on forecasting and developing complex, opportunistic pricing models to help the business weather market fluctuations.
In the baseline year, company sales of $18.2MM produced EBITDA of $282K (1.6%). Implementing a control and reporting system provided clear data to the owners. It gave them the confidence to make strategic changes and pursue business improvement.
In year two, sales increased 3% to $18.7MM while EBITDA jumped to $2.1MM (a 648% increase) on a Gross Margin improvement from 25% to 31%. This was achieved with an internal focus; a bottom-up, annual, budget practice; and monthly support. We modified the employee bonus structure to reward high individual performance, goal achievement, and increasing margins — cementing a positive dynamic between employee success and business success.
Building ~10% Net Margin for Newly Merged Lighting and Engineering Firm
After merging two competitors in 2024 amid post-pandemic financial stress and consolidation pressure across the commercial lighting industry, a newly combined lighting and engineering firm turned to Enterprising Solutions to combine two sets of financial history into the models needed to run the business.
The Work
Consolidating two companies’ historical financial and operational data into one model
Building financial reporting models and measurement methodologies for the combined company
Leading an annual budgeting and forecasting cycle built on the growing data set.
Monthly visibility into margin, break-even, and service-line mix
The Impact
In its first year as a combined company, the organization posted initial losses while integrating two businesses. By year-end, it had grown to nearly $15MM in top-line revenue for 2025 and a profit of nearly $550K—close to a 4% margin.
With a robust 2026 budgeting and forecasting cycle built on a growing data base, the forecast grew to nearly $19MM in revenue, generating $1.8MM in net income—close to a 10% margin.
The growth in management and scale of the business would not have been possible without the financial information to guide awareness of the changing nature of the business. In its last 90 days, a significant shift to a lower-margin service line pulled Gross Margin down and raised the break-even target. Because the financial data was available, the company saw the shift as it happened and adjusted its financial goals and spending habits accordingly.
Why it Works
This level of financial control could not have occurred without the right tools and models in place, and without the client engaged and participating in the process. Together, they brought Clarity, Confidence, and Control to the decision-making process where improved visibility, transparency, and awareness show up directly in the bottom line.
Restoring 10+ Points of Gross Margin for Growing Creative Agency
After reaching $4 million in sales, a growing creative marketing agency ran into two, difficult market conditions that threatened its survival and turned to Enterprising Solutions for the financial clarity to weather both.
The Work
Cash flow and resource-utilization forecasting to plan through client losses
Budgeting and forecasting tied directly to business development priorities
Month-end margin tracking and financial reporting by customer and project
Market and competitive research to guide pricing decisions.
The Impact
Having just crossed $4MM in sales, the company lost a significant share of its client base as the pandemic hit. Forecasting gave ownership a clear view of cash and resource utilization, allowing it to right-size the business, protect what mattered most, and get back on its feet rather than close its doors.
Before the cwhenompany could fully recover, the rise of artificial intelligence began reshaping the marketing industry itself — shrinking client budgets, increasing client self-sufficiency, and putting new pressure on pricing. Gross Margin, which had run near 80% before the pandemic, fell below 70%. Forecasting and budgeting again became the guide, this time directing business development efforts back toward critical scale.
With financial clarity and disciplined forecasting driving the plan, the company added more than 10 points of Gross Margin, closing its most recent period above 80% and returning to profitability.
Why it Works
Business intelligence, financial information, market research, and heavy forecasting added Clarity, Confidence and Control at exactly when the agency needed them most. That discipline turned two existential threats into a stronger, more resilient agency — one now built to grow, not just survive.
