EBITDA Catalyst

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Director of Cool the Earth

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cool the Earth is a national nonprofit organization leading the transition to clean energy and transportation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire EBITDA Catalyst to accomplish?

Devise pricing solutions for potential industry sponsors.

SOLUTION

How did you find EBITDA Catalyst?

Other

Why did you select EBITDA Catalyst over others?

We found that EBITDA's experience perfectly aligned with what we were looking for. What set them apart from the other firms we had considered was their exceptional proficiency in listening, synthesizing, and innovating creative solutions. The founder, in particular, demonstrated an outstanding ability to apply these skills, making EBITDA truly head and shoulders above the rest.

What was the size of EBITDA Catalyst’s team?

Robert Ribciuc, worked directly with us.

What was your primary form of communication with EBITDA Catalyst?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our nonprofit had a clear objective: to develop pricing models that would attract new corporate sponsors. To achieve this goal, we decided to focus on partnering with companies whose products were in line with our mission. By aligning our values with those of potential sponsors, we hoped to create mutually beneficial partnerships that would support our cause while driving business growth for our sponsors.

The project had three key deliverables. First, we aimed to identify potential businesses that could sponsor our nonprofit. Second, we needed to assess the feasibility of each potential sponsor to determine whether they would be a good fit for our organization. Finally, we planned to develop pricing models that would be based on both the size of the business and the value we could provide to their business. By carefully considering each of these factors, we believed we could create a strategy that would attract the right sponsors while creating significant value for our nonprofit.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Working with EBITDA as our consultant, they guided us through a detailed analysis of our sponsor acquisition strategy. In the end, it became clear that our initial approach was not feasible. Without EBITDA's consulting, we would have likely spent an entire year chasing an unsuccessful strategy. However, their expertise and guidance completely changed the shape of our thinking and helped us to chart a much more effective path forward. EBITDA's consulting was a game changer for our nonprofit organization.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Everything was 100% on time. They were very flexible, great listeners who were able to pivot and suggest a much improved strategy.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What sets EBITDA apart is their rare combination of technical pricing expertise and high-level strategic thinking. We found that many firms excel at technical pricing, but lack the agility and flexibility needed for successful strategy development. EBITDA, on the other hand, offered a value proposition that went well beyond just technical pricing strategies.

Their strategic thinking and ability to pivot quickly helped us develop an effective sponsorship acquisition strategy. We highly recommend EBITDA and have already connected them with a retail golf company that we believe could benefit from their services

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

EDITDA provided value in ways we had not anticipated. Their thinking was game-changing for us! Can't get better than that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a leading maker of visual merchandising and printing products serving retailers and brands in B2B setting, while also delivering to smaller businesses and consumers through e-commerce / DTC. I am the company's founder and was the CEO during most of the project work we had with EBITDA Catalyst, and remain the Board Chair and a shareholder with current information on company performance, initiatives, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EBITDA Catalyst?

When we first met Robert, the founder of EBITDA Catalyst, we had been growing revenue and the company but struggled with profitability in several important areas of the company.

We also had considerable internal questions with differing opinions in key functional areas, including, as we would find out, in Pricing and estimating & bidding our projects, as well as analytics to support fact-based recommendations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

I started as many business founders do, with a skepticism of consultants and with a sense that it was unlikely even larger firms would tell us anything we didn't know about our business, leave alone someone from a smaller firm. It took a special person with thinking like I had not seen before to move me to learn that I didn't know what I didn't know.

We met Robert through a referral from another firm we respected. We initially wanted a fresh set of eyes, ideas, and tool sets as well as relevant experience in some opportunity areas for us, which included finance, profitability analysis, understanding the relationship between our costs and profitability, etc.

We engaged Robert to review some of these areas and we were impressed with the depth of his analysis and speed with which he identified opportunities. We then decided to give him a greater mandate, and before long, pricing emerged as a key area to deliver high impact on profitability.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

We had multiple engagements where EBITDA Catalyst delivered consulting and at times oversaw execution of some substantial improvements in our business. EBITDA Catalyst among others reviewed the pricing of our entire online division and identified dramatic opportunities for improvement that in a short period of time moved the profitability of the entire divison by a lot more than we would have expected.

Robert put in analytics and visualizations to support recommendations that in various forms have been evolved and are still used today. Robert also advised on some of our largest accounts on specific bidding strategies, how to manage our inventory in tandem with our bidding to have lower marginal costs (and win more business), resulting in substantial gains in share and profitability on the accounts affected. Robert also identified non-performing marketing investments in our online advertising, and ways to streamline our customer service and manage "high-cost-to-serve" customers.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We always worked directly with Robert, and for a while he assumed an operating position in our company to oversee implementation of some of the recommendations. We also interacted with a couple of the specialists on his team that handled some programming and data analysis initiatives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

We had true revelations around the power of pricing and analytics to drive profitability, and embraced a greater focus on those areas to this day. In pure financial terms, each engagement drove very compelling ROI, as mentioned before, moving the profitability of either entire divisions or major accounts by millions of dollars.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We learned a lot from each other and found EBITDA Catalyst was exceptional at problem-solving. But still learning how to deliver new ideas in ways our teams could consistenly embraced. I was challenged as a Founder and CEO, both in how I thought about the business and in coaching Robert to maximize his impact in our (rather unique) organization.

In the end, we achieved terrific results, but EBITDA Catalyst got better over time and eventually built the right relationships with the right people in the organization.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The problem-solving skills and financial results were truly outstanding, and Robert's speed at learning our business and about our industry impressed me over and over. There was pragmatism in focusing on decisions that would move the needle (a lot) from profitability perspective, and the financial knowledge to model, measure and visualize their impact.

The understanding of pricing and frameworks and anecdotes from other industries were terrific and often secured my conviction where I had been a skeptic before.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We sensed EBITDA Catalyst learned a lot from working with us about how to meet a client "where they are at", including dealing with employees that are not used to and can feel turned off by consultants.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of Program and Operations where I am responsible for all mission-related activities along with the internal operations of the agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EBITDA Catalyst?

As a small nonprofit we have historically relied on three fundraising events to account for 40% of our revenue. With inflation and changes in consumer demands, we faced challenges associated with pricing for sponsorships and participants. We decided to work with EBITDA to revamp our pricing strategy.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

We considered taking on the project internally but ultimately decided that an outside consultant was key to ensure future success.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

The project began with a discovery call to better understand the historical data, future goals, and barriers to change. Throughout the project, they challenged us to work outside our norms, uncover value-added opportunities, and decide based on data and goals.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Our main point of contact on the project was Robert.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

Having used the same model for 15 years we were left with a new approach to our participant and sponsorship pricing for our events and campaigns. The impact of the change will enable a stronger financial gain which will ultimately impact our mission-related services and allow future growth.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We held Teams meeting every other week with touch points via email along with Google Drive to collaborate on documentation. The team was very responsive and helpful throughout the entire project.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We were impressed with Robert's overall knowledge and ability to ask thought-provoking questions. But moreover, we were impressed with his compassion and understanding for our agency's mission which created a strong sense of trust for us.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Our experience was excellent and there was not anything we would have done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a mentor and Chair of SCORE Twin Cities chapter's Learning Programs. SCORE is a non-profit organization organized under the Small Business Administration (SBA) dedicated to education and mentoring of small business startups across the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EBITDA Catalyst?

Small and Medium-sized business are frequently challenged with analyzing and setting pricing policies within their organization. This SCORE workshop was directed at emerging and existing small to medium sized business to provide guidance on how best to optimize pricing of goods and services.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

EBITDA Catalyst and Robert in particular has a mission of assisting small and medium sized businesses to select and activate the most efficient pricing strategy and analytics methods to allow for practical pricing execution.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

Robert agreed to volunteer his time and expertise to present to the SCORE client base in the Twin Cities area (as well as participants across the US) a 60 minute session along with 30 minutes of Q&A. This session was offered as one of over 200 business topics delivered through the SCORE Learning Programs Zoom workshop approach.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Primarily, Robert 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

This was the first of a two-part workshop series to be offered to the SCORE client base. Robert focused on pricing power, segmentation, and maximizing profit in this first series. Next up will be value-based selling, and psychological pricing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Robert was flexible and agreeable to customizing his existing, rich pricing content to accommodate the audience. We agreed to break up his sessions into two separate workshops.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Robert has the experience and gift of simplifying potentially complex pricing terms and methods to business owners who may not have the practical or academic experience to understand the power of pricing. In particular, Robert takes a very easy to understand approach to researching and activating a Willingness to Pay (WTP) framework that every business needs to understand.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

The Session 1 workshop was terrific and the SCORE client feedback on Robert was very favorable. Looking forward to Session 2 in 2023!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder of one of the teams at General Mills Venture Studio, GWorks. I'm responsible for every aspect of validating and building new brands in new categories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EBITDA Catalyst?

My team needed a base understanding of the importance of Willingness-to-Pay of our segment/target versus pricing for the mass market. We also were looking for tools that facilitate the understanding of competitive pricing as well as how to optimize for it.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

We were looking for the discipline and conceptual tenacity of someone that would apply academic-like tools in the real world - with experience in doing so.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

Pricing Workshop for Small & Medium businesses. Designed to give SMBs the focused executive training on powerful pricing and offering design tools and techniques, the SMB Pricing Power Workshop covers in one day the Pricing Foundation Conversations, tailored to your business & industry. You will get one of our experts for up to 5 hours of immersive training with you and up to 10 members of your team who will benefit form learning from and having input in Pricing Foundation Conversations.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Robert Ribciuc, Managing Partner at EBITDA Catalyst, designed the workshop for us. He even personalized it to our category and competitors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

The outcome included my direct team gaining the confidence and tool to advance in pricing understanding as well as the knowledge on how to optimize one of the two important variables to generate revenue.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective. We used ZOOM to connect. Robert conducted interviews and surveys before the workshop so he could be more effective in designing and tailoring the workshop to our needs.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The care in which Robert designed and executed the workshop. What I would usually expect from vendors such as EBITDA Catalyst is a canned presentation; instead, we got a personalized workshop that influenced our teams' understanding of pricing as well as energy to get excited to work in this space.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Absolutely nothing. I'd love to work with EBITDA Catalyst again in the future, analyzing categories and executing conjoint analysis.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Rangam Consultants, a workforce solution company that builds holistic workforces for companies interested in hiring people with disabilities and neurodiverse talent.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with EBITDA Catalyst?

We're building innovative solutions and were looking for advice on how to build a more profitable pricing model for our new products and services. We were seeking advice and strategy around this effort. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The biggest challenge we had, which EBITDA helped us solve, was how to prove the value we build for our customers. They advised us on what to do and provided a report of their recommendations. They also helped us build a template-driven pricing mechanism for our sales team.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with the CEO, Robert.

How did you come to work with EBITDA Catalyst?

We got connected on LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around January 2022 and achieved what we were looking for in three months. The partnership is still ongoing, but on a smaller scale.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The work is excellent; EBITDA knows what they're doing. I am very intrigued by their knowledge and expertise, and the way they look at our products and service offerings is just amazing.

How did EBITDA Catalyst perform from a project management standpoint?

They've met the deadlines and stayed on budget. Internally, we use Trello for project management, but with them, we're using more collaborative tools. Communication is mainly through Teams and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise and knowledge from a financial perspective stand out. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if they could have some staffing industry knowledge. This would have saved us time because we ended up educating them at first.

Any advice for potential customers?

Dedicate resources to the project; if you do not have the right resources allocated to the project, you will not get the most out of your investment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Teach Your Thing, a learning-strategy consultancy for entprepreneurs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EBITDA Catalyst?

Robert reviewed my new pricing packages, as well as how I'd organized them them on my website. As a business owner, establishing packages and pricing them is an evoloving process. I worked with Robert as I transitioned my business from what I call Phase 1 (too much customization with prices too low) to Phase 2 (narrower, cleaner packages that allow for more sustainable operations).

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

Pricing could be a difficult topic for business owners to discuss, but I trusted that Robert would deliver his recommendations in a clear, yet warm way. This proved to be true, and I left the session with actionable ideas for improving how I streamline my services offerings.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

Robert analyzed my website prior to a 1-on-1 session. During the session he proivded recommendations for meeting my clients where they are, narrowing my offerings, and understanding pricing psychology.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked directly with Robert, the founder.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

I walked away with a clear way to organize my website! I've been struggling with how to communicate my value in a way that makes the most strategic sense. Now I have actionable improvements to make.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very!

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Warmth and clarity were impressive. They didn't talk down to me but instead respected where I was coming from and where I needed to go.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Vector Solutions is a business to business, SaaS Compliance, Certification and Employee development platform. I was the Chief Sales Officer and responsible for the Go to Market strategy associated with both Core platform and Acquisition products as we added them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EBITDA Catalyst?

Numerous price and position projects were performed. We had legacy base accounts mapped and qualified. We used them for prep work around CPQ implementation. We also used the EBITDA Catalyst team to assess new acquisition products (example Industry Safe EHS product) and simplify, bundle and help re-launch the product.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

Ebitda Catalyst was recommended by members of the board of directors. The references were very positive and we reviewed multiple other consultants who didn't match with our requirements.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

We had numerous projects - mainly we would go through Discovery phase to assess project scope, then analysis and development phase, then Implementation and activation phase. Each project introduced its own unique elements we had to address including legacy customer reaction, sales expectations and training, financial modeling to Quote to Cash elements.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

My main point of contact was Robert, but we had multiple working groups interacting with his team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

In each instance, the direct ROI was always positive. The indirect ROI suggested even larger returns. In one instance the business acquired which became a new product experienced a 15% uplift of $620k ARR directly attributed to the re-packaging.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was consistent and well planned. The project deadlines were hit in all but one engagement and that was due to the Vector decisions to adjust the project mid-stream vs. EbitdaCatalyst.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The experience and perspective offered above and beyond just the "math". For instance, Robert and team would understand nuance surrounding particular industry verticals. They would look beyond set formulas for price adjustments and assess the ability to consume any changes.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I'd like to clone Robert and put him on my team full time! Seriously, though - just being able to slow down the mad rush of our internal product teams to ensure Robert had the ability to get in was the hardest part. "Slowing down to speed up" has been our key to success with his team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Strategy & Transformation for Kodiak Cakes, a fast-growing natural foods company located in Park City, UT.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EBITDA Catalyst?

Kodiak hired EBITDA Catalyst to execute a pricing assessment, help build internal capabilities, and provide strategic go-forward recommendations to optimize pricing.

SOLUTION

How did you select EBITDA Catalyst and what were the deciding factors?

We selected EBITDA Catalyst via recommendation from our Private Equity investors.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

EBITDA Catalyst worked with an internal project team to collect and understand Kodiak dataset. From there, they put together a pricing assessment that included perspective on elasticities, competitive landscape, and opportunities to optimize pricing within the portfolio.

They also built a robust model to help us visualize different pricing scenarios that ultimately helped the company formulate go-forward strategy.

How many resources from the EBITDA Catalyst team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Our main point of contact and project partner was Robert Ribciuc (Founder).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

Our project with EBITDA Catalyst helped us build the skills internally to more robustly evaluate pricing on our own on a regular basis. The model that Robert built was also instrumental in our 2022 planning process.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. Scheduling was easy and requests were clear. The team is responsive in the workflow.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Very thorough analyses with a lean staff.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Analyses were thorough and information was plentiful. As such, the amount of information presented was sometimes overwhelming. There was opportunity to further summarize to cater more toward an executive audience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Chief Merchandising/Product Officer for Birkenstock America's. We deliver the beautiful Birkenstock products you see across the America's in partnership with our global product team at HQ in Germany.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire EBITDA Catalyst?

In light of rising costs for various economic and macro economic reasons, we were seeking consultation on the best way to implement some potential price changes without impacting revenue and consumer response, yet still delivering an improvement to our bottom line.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

EBITDA Catalyst came as a recommendation from our parent company.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

EBITDA Catalyst was brought in to provide an experienced review of our pricing architecture strategy and to identify any possible opportunities to improve profit, while maintaining the strong values of our brand and strong connectivity to our consumers.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Main point of contact was Robert Ribciuc, managing partner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

We were able to confidently makes some changes to ensure appropriate response from consumers allowing alternative solutions to keep them engaged, that EBITDA Catalyst was able to provide experience and insight on. We also utilized some great tools to provide visibility to the marketplace as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The collaboration and response between our teams were outstanding. At all times, there was full visibility to the project with well defined Next Steps.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Most impressive was their philosophy of understanding their clients work at the 'user'/'consumer' level, to ensure they had a full understanding of the company's touch points, before they even began diving in. So, the responses were personal and authentic with a keen financial eye behind it.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

The project had a very short window, so personally would have loved to see it extend a bit longer, so we could go deeper, but based on some decision deadlines (on our part, not theirs), we completed the project quickly. On time and with clear profit improvements.