Insights & Perspectives
Fresh thinking on finance, operations, and growth. Explore articles from the SMG team that help business owners plan smarter and scale with confidence.
The restaurant business is underdesigned, not overpriced.
Restaurant owners and franchise owners are getting squeezed from both sides, and the squeeze is not subtle. Costs rose, menus rose with them, and now a growing share of guests are quietly asking a brutal question at the point of purchase: is this worth it? That question is the real competition now. McKinsey put hard […]
Your Field Team Is Flying Blind
In multi-location businesses, performance happens on the ground. Your GMs and field operators are the ones driving revenue, managing costs, and delivering the customer experience. But most of them are doing it without the financial visibility they need. They’re managing in the dark, relying on gut feel, delayed reports, or scattered data that doesn’t tell […]
The Hidden Math of Scaling
Why Accuracy Often Falls as Your Team Grows Most founders assume that as they grow, their operations become more reliable. More hands on deck, more specialized roles, more experience. What could go wrong? Quite a bit, it turns out. There is a quiet rule in organizational design that often surfaces only after a business has […]
When to Hire a CFO
Most small and mid-sized business owners assume a CFO is something you bring in once you have already “made it.” After revenue reaches a certain point. After accounting gets too complex. After growth feels hard to manage. In reality, waiting too long to add financial leadership is one of the most common reasons businesses stall. […]
The Hidden Weakness of EOS in Multi-Unit Businesses
The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) has become one of the most widely adopted management frameworks of the past decade. It brings rhythm, accountability, and clarity to organizations that often struggle to align around priorities. For single-unit companies, it works remarkably well. For multi-unit operators, it often does not. The difference lies in the nature of […]
The Drivers of Success: What F1 Can Teach Business About Performance
As I was watching the Austin Grand Prix, I found myself thinking less about who won, and more about why. It struck me that the difference between the fastest car and the rest of the field isn’t always horsepower or luck. It’s how efficiently each team manages the invisible intervals between corners: the sector times. […]