Grierson Consulting

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and principal of an urban planning and design company. We typically work for private-sector clients, mainly in the GTA, looking at development properties.

What challenge were you trying to address with Grierson Consulting?

Our work is split between design and app development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Grierson Consulting mainly helps us with direction. We get into details about staff, marketing, and so on, but most decision-making comes from our office.

What is the team composition?

We just work with Todd (President).

How did you come to work with Grierson Consulting?

A software developer that I work with referred Todd. He had a good range of experience with businesses in general. Also, some of his initial contacts with technology developers were very helpful. Overall, he looked at the project from different perspectives, not only from a startup lens.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $9,000–$10,000 in two years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in June 2020, after COVID-19 started. We’re still working together.

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

Not having a partner to push the business forward has been challenging for me, so having someone at a senior level to bounce ideas off has been very helpful. Grierson Consulting has talked to many businesses, so they have that feedback and context to help me focus on what I should spend my time and how to work through the multitude of things that come up daily.

How did Grierson Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very approachable and available. We haven’t had any issues. They’re easy to work with, and the team adds excellent insights.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their experience has been helpful in looking at things from a couple of different lenses. Also, they have great contacts to help push things forward. Overall, they have good experience with business in general, whether it’s a startup or fine-tuning a problem.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. We’re getting what we were expecting.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

First, identify the problems you want to work through and start talking to them to see if it’s a good fit.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Fusion CBD Products; we’re a cannabis retailer company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Grierson Consulting?

We wanted to open a dispensary in Canada, so we needed someone to provide consulting services for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Grierson Consulting helped us with the application process, understanding more of the marijuana compliance in Canada, and guiding us in the right direction. We ended up not opening that dispensary, but Grierson Consulting advised us on focusing more on the US products and brands, which we’re doing.

Grierson Consulting has also recurred to their broad contacts to assist us in finding the right firms to do our legal paperwork and sales in the US. Overall, they advise us in making the right decisions from all the options that we have for our business’ sake.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with Todd (President), but he has introduced us to all of the outside agencies’ people we’ve worked with throughout the project.

How did you come to work with Grierson Consulting?

A friend referred Todd to me to help me with the issues I had with the cannabis and CBD topic.

How much have you invested in them?

We don’t have a retainer basis; we pay them as needed, which is great for my budget’s flexibility. Approximately, we’ve spent $30,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Todd’s knowledge and open-mindedness are key to the engagement’s success; he’s been able to get us great retail deals in Walgreens, Rite Aid, Sprouts Farmers Market, and other international contracts in Brazil and Costa Rica.

How did Grierson Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is great; Todd’s available for me 24 hours a day, including phone calls, emails, and Instagram.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Todd’s personality and character are outstanding. He’s down to earth and wants to grow with us as an entrepreneur — it feels more like a friendship than a business relationship. We can sense his support in helping us accomplish our goals as a team through his proactive suggestions, even though he doesn’t have a share of our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — I haven’t seen any cons to their work, and we’ve been through quite a bit in this journey.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Grierson Consulting is the place to go if your goal is to grow your business.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We have multiple business units, all involved in Real Estate. They range from Real Estate brokerage services, to buy-renovate-sell, to building a portfolio of Real Estate investments across North America.

For what projects/services did your company hire Grierson Consulting?

We have no MBAs in our offices, and little operational experience, so we found ourselves on a constant roller coaster of feast or famine - typical of companies which have a good product or service, but which don't have the foundations and the structures in place for predictable and stable growth.

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

I was introduced to Todd and his company by a trusted contact, and after an initial meeting, I was sold (and continue to be sold on Todd every month!). What sets Grierson Consulting apart from most advisors/consultants/gurus, is that they have walked the walk. They have a history of creating or buying companies which they take to great heights.

Outside of actual expertise and experience, my ongoing reasons for continuing to work with Todd and his team are:

• They are responsive.
• They continue to be creative and innovative in problem solving.
• They make me look at things which were not on my radar, and which will often allow me to take a business unit to the next level of growth and profitability.

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

Todd started by doing a Discovery Session with me to tease out all of the details of my businesses. From financials (I didn't have many, so he took what I had and just asked questions to better understand the missing parts) to HR, marketing and sales efforts to what our competition was doing, he dove deep right off the bat.

Once he had a full picture of our business activities and their strengths and weaknesses, he mapped them out visually. This allowed me to quickly grasp which areas he had already identified as being the priorities for attention and improvement.

I can tell you how I work with Todd, but I know he has flexibility depending on the client's needs and wants. I usually have a weekly phone chat with Todd, and a monthly meeting. On those, we go over issues previously identified and see if the "fixes" are working.

I also use Todd as an impromptu sounding board for daily business issues, and more recently, have offered my general managers access to Todd for the same purpose.

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

Todd has been my direct contact from the beginning. I suspect he has several people in the background supporting him, but he's been gracious enough to always be the person I have access to directly. This is an incredibly important point for me.

I've worked with advisors and consultants in the past who have a very formalized and haughty approach to interacting with their clients: Book a meeting via an assistant or Calendly. No direct access to the expert outside of set meeting or phone appointments, etc. Todd is the opposite, and always makes himself available.

I further suspect that he keeps his client base small in order to be able to offer this level of service, which I hugely appreciate.

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

Todd identified that one of my business units was draining my time, and that the solution was to hire a quality general manager. He assisted me in obtaining several quality candidates, and reviewed the best ones. Since hiring said general manager, I've already seen my time free up, and I've been able to direct it towards other profitable business endeavours.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Todd identified that one of my business units was draining my time, and that the solution was to hire a quality general manager. He assisted me in obtaining several quality candidates, and reviewed the best ones. Since hiring said general manager, I've already seen my time free up, and I've been able to direct it towards other profitable business endeavours.

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

Mentioned earlier, but to re-cap: - Todd's availability is great; and - He has real experience in business management and growth.

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

Todd has a great business network, but I didn't know that until I asked him about it. If we were starting over, I would have wanted Todd to expose me to his network, sooner, or at least tell me how connected he is so that I was aware that I could use him as a resource when I had business needs outside of his offerings.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am co-owner and hands-on manager of an international logistics company and freight forwarder now celebrating 19 years. We ship cargo via truck, rail, air and ocean all over the world.

For what projects/services did your company hire Grierson Consulting?

Our company was steadily growing but we plateaued. After a decade of growth we were stuck. For several years for every new client we landed we would lose one due to cost, service failure or the client company failed. We needed help.

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

We first hired a major organization and underwent a 5 week consultation that ultimately ended in our consultant recommending buying more ads. Hiring Todd Grierson of Grierson Consulting was a very different experience. We met through networking and from the first I realized what set him apart. The first thing was that he was a businessman. He understood what businesses need, how business people think, and how to manage execution while still running the business. The second thing was his energy. He has boundless energy and interest. It made a big difference to work with someone who was so inspiring. The information and the way it was presented really led us to execute much more effectively.

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

Principal Todd began our meetings with a discovery session designed to understand what were our obstacles. He then spent time in our company to sense processes and staff interaction and activity. And then through a series of in-person and zoom meetings we identified our issues, developed a strategy to mitigate these issues including coaching staff and simplifying our processes. Todd took on shadow Operations roles that enabled all of us to buy in and enact the strategies.

Over the years our needs changed and Todd was able to adapt and continue to find ways to overcome obstacles. His flexibility and willingness to take advantage of the few hours when the management team can talk really helped move our plan forward. The result is that by taking advantage of Grierson Consulting strategies has contributed to our best year ever (despite some of the most challenging supply chain issues we have ever seen).

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

Principal Todd was our point of contact.

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

We always believed our personal touch was what set us apart. Todd was able to show us what processes we could automate and still give the client that sense of personal attention. Todd also noted that although our shipping process was carefully choreographed many other internal systems were not. He should us how to do more with less. The result to date is the rich success of this year. Gross sales are up 60%. Costs are stable.

They continue to teach us how to manage our human resources to keep our company humane while challenging our targets. We have also hired 4 additional people this year to help keep up with growth

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow was 100% on our timetable except when Grierson Consulting wanted to challenge us. Then Todd set deadlines. As we got better he also saw when to pull back. We never felt that we couldn’t talk to Todd when we wanted to. His management of us and his other clients never felt like a conflict. He clearly practices what he preaches.

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

Flexibility and candor set Grierson Consulting apart. He understands business from actual experience and he is willing to ask the hard questions and support you while you search for the answers.

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

No. He was what we needed when we needed him.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CFO and the company is a specialized multi service construction company. Services include building envelope repairs, masonry, structural work, waterproofing, interior ceiling containment and more.

For what projects/services did your company hire Grierson Consulting?

Our company has been growing rapidly and we wanted to ensure the proper processes and controls were in place between departments to ensure that all jobs were properly controlled in order to complete them on time and on budget for our clients, while meeting our internal margin expectations.

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

We met Grierson Consulting through an introduction by a business associate.

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

The project involved ensuring that the full cycle internal process from estimating a job, then moving it to the production division and finally to accounting when the job is complete, had proper flow, checks and balances and accounted for in a complete manner. This would eliminate jobs from being delayed, completed unsatisfactorily and finally potentially not being profitable.

The service included the creation of an internal process which flowed between all departments and when followed, ensured that each department completed their work efficiently and correctly and therefore eliminating potential issues with clients and to each project's profits.

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

The main resource was Todd Grierson.

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

We now have proper departmental flow with checks and balances that enables us to maintain close attention to each job, client and overall profits. The process is full cycle and accountable at each stage.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very manageable with core meetings which identified different objectives, implementation process and finally the measuring criteria to show the effectiveness of the changes.

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

Todd comes with real hands-on experience and can relate to the inner activities of a business in general. He can visualize what needs to be done and then delivers a workable plan that can be measured.

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

This experience was very good, practical, and definitely helpful.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am co founder of a social enterprise called Tenfed where for every item we sell, TEN meals are provided to families in need around the world.

For what projects/services did your company hire Grierson Consulting?

We hired Todd to help us formulate a plan and hone in our ideas on a particular project to partner/co brand with restaurants and various companies.

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Todd because of his authenticity and the amount of value that we received in our initial call where he was getting to know our business. We could tell that he actually cared, and he provided us with a lot of fantastic tips and insight on that free call.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Todd was able to really ask the right questions and dig into our business and understand what we needed. He helped us to narrow down the right pitch and brought out some really interesting and creative ideas to the table.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with Todd. It made it very simple and direct. Exactly what we needed.

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

We instantly gained 2 clients after completing the project and sending the deck out to a few restaurants. Results were instantaneous.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was quite seamless. We were able to take what we learned from our call with Todd, implement it, and then have a scheduled follow up to go over more details and continue to fine tune until it was exactly where we wanted it to be.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

By far the most impressive part was that we were able to work directly with Todd and have his expertise at our fingertips. The ease of the conversations and the ideas that Todd comes up with is incredible.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

We were absolutely satisfied with the entire process.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a 25 year + CPA CA CFP Financial advisor in Waterloo Ontario. We assist professionals, business owners and high next worth families in aligning their capital with their goals

For what projects/services did your company hire Grierson Consulting?

My firm was growing quickly, but needed an outside set of eyes to ensure we were defining and reaching our future goals (growth, efficiency, client satisfaction and employee satisfaction/new hires).

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

Todd has had many years of experience doing just what we needed. He presented a process that focused on improving my business from top to bottom. It just made sense

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

As an onsite business consultant, Todd met with us many times over the course of a year. His knowledge and insights on business development, targeted growth, and client service, and employee education were invaluable.

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

Todd was the main source of contact

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

Todd helped us develop a 5 year business plan. After 1 year, we are already ahead of target!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Todd and I set up weekly meetings. Plus, Todd was always there whenever needed

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

Todd helped me (with many ideas on future directions) focus and refine. They are an excellent listener and communicator, and are also fun to work with!

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

Nothing I can think of

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO and Social Media. I am President of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Grierson Consulting?

Establish a new sales channel. Process for recruiting, hiring and onboarding.

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

Were introduced through a platform called Communo.

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

Weekly guidance developing a list of priorities for business growth and establishing specific plans for each of the areas. The main area we focused on was establishing a sales force. This included the hiring, recruiting and onboarding process.

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

Todd Grierson worked with us.

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

We successfully established a sales channel that is producing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent!

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

Very deep knowledge in many areas. Their ability to pinpoint areas of growth potential in a stagnant business is outstanding.

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

Was great.

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO, President

For what projects/services did your company hire Grierson Consulting?

We hired Grierson to provide executive level experience, on a part-time basis, to the resident CEO/President. Grierson was and is instrumental in our growth plans, plus legal and governance.

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

Appreciated Mr. Grierson's capacity and experience in all levels of management up to CEO of a high-growth company. We felt that he had broad knowledge to contribute to our company during our growth phases.

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

Executive level functions - growth, marketing, governance, legal.

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

Todd Grierson only

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

Excellent results. Todd is conscientious, experienced, and respectful, and he always delivers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent. Todd became an extension of our existing team.

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

Broad corporate experience

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

no