Pacific Catapult

We're #hiring a new President in Greater Seattle Area. Apply today or share this post with your network.

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Please join us at the Northwest Middle Market Growth conference this year. Pacific Catapult is a proud sponsor and our CEO Lisa Clarke is moderating the keynote! https://lnkd.in/gZweaYWj

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We're #hiring a new Front Office Assistant and Executive Assistant to Founder in Newport Beach, California. Apply today or share this post with your network.

We're #hiring a new Chief Financial Officer - Plymouth in Auburn, Washington. Apply today or share this post with your network.

We're #hiring a new Staff Accountant - Wicks in Nipomo, California. Apply today or share this post with your network.

Thank you to Krista Linden and Farm 12 Restaurant & Events for hosting Pacific Catapult and The Table https://lnkd.in/gBHgk7AV for a tour, dinner and founder story! A huge shout out also goes to TransWest for providing the transportation in one of their epic motor coaches and Deniz Satir of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska for the refreshments in transit! The culinary and service experience at Farm 12 was so far beyond expectations that I’m at a loss for words. We have our next call to action as a group to support this amazing social enterprise and their continued expansion. I encourage you to check out the their origin story and do what you can https://lnkd.in/gDAqZWiT. Twice each year we focus on giving back. In December it was Frazier Scholars https://lnkd.in/gKkYDxxM and two of the scholars who secured work after that event joined us this evening. Thank you to my entire team and to our sponsors J.P. Morgan Private Bank, KeyBank, Armoire and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. LC

Back to Basics: The Steep Rise in the Value of Operating Experience It’s truly eye-opening to read about what’s happening to big consulting firms—significant layoffs amidst declining demand. In 2024, the Big Four slashed over 9,000 jobs as clients scaled back amid economic uncertainty and a post-COVID slowdown. Over the decades, I’ve hired those same firms, full of Ivy League talent and impressive track records. I remember them as incredibly bright and capable people, despite how I shuddered walking by the conference room where they all sat around the table working every day—I could hear the meter running and my budget disappearing. Still, they had access to the best data, benchmarks, tools, and processes. They also had the ability to correlate business choices with successes and failures across many clients, and that was quite valuable. I studied those binders they left behind, full of significant recommendations that my team and I did our very best to implement. With the massive political and economic disruption we all face now, proliferation of AI, and lack of predictability with each passing day, it’s tougher to apply academic theory or aggregated data to tackle practical business issues. AI’s automating tasks like data analysis and forecasting—some firms report using 20% fewer staff on projects thanks to these tools. A recent report showed specialized consulting firms, focused on niche expertise, growing revenue by 8% while larger competitors stagnated. It could be that during these times, clients need people who know how to fix problems because they’ve dealt with similar challenges directly. I realize it’s a bit self-serving to say this, given our model at Pacific Catapult is just that—experienced operators addressing issues during moments of strategic change. Still, what we hear and see supports what the headlines are saying: boutique firms are gaining ground. From an industry perspective, tech has struggled mightily—SaaS valuations dropped 25% on average in 2024, driven by high interest rates and reduced venture capital funding. We happen to favor manufacturing, industrials, and consumer products/services, so our team and capabilities reflect that. Right place, right time, possibly, and who knows if the marketplace will eviscerate us down the road. For now, clients want help, for a reasonable fee, from people who’ve been through it. I’ve had CEOs and boards hang on my every word when I share my own epic failures (plenty to choose from) or what specifically led to success. That kind of straight talk lands hard when they’re facing big, urgent choices in this wild climate. If you’re fortunate enough to have a team of operators at your firm, encourage them to share their own experiences transparently and recommend swift, straightforward action to your clients. Then, implement alongside them to maximize the impact. Your team and your clients will be better for it!

We're #hiring a new Chief Executive Officer in Auburn, Washington. Apply today or share this post with your network.