https://wyattsparks.com/blog Posts from John Wyatt and Paul Wyatt of Wyatt Sparks, Columbus, Ohio. en-us Fri, 23 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 https://wyattsparks.com/blog/exits-slow-plan-longer-hold https://wyattsparks.com/blog/exits-slow-plan-longer-hold Fri, 23 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt When buyers and new funds get scarce, the sale date in a portfolio company's plan drifts. Build the plan on the hold you may have, not the one in the deck. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/growth-levers-one-decision https://wyattsparks.com/blog/growth-levers-one-decision Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Pricing, hiring, AI and ownership each pull on the others. Put every growth lever on one page with one owner and decide the order before you fund any of them. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/founder-every-deal-growth-stalls https://wyattsparks.com/blog/founder-every-deal-growth-stalls Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Referrals that only run through the founder put a ceiling on a firm. Keep the referrals, and build the system that brings them in without you in the room. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/fix-the-process-before-ai https://wyattsparks.com/blog/fix-the-process-before-ai Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt AI speeds up whatever process it gets, messy ones included. Before you automate a step of the close, make sure your team does it the same way twice. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/share-the-vision-build-the-map https://wyattsparks.com/blog/share-the-vision-build-the-map Tue, 20 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Owners are told to hand off the day-to-day. Keep running the business, share the vision with a partner who maps it, and walk it together. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/partners-argue-check-who-decides https://wyattsparks.com/blog/partners-argue-check-who-decides Tue, 20 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt When the two people running a company argue about strategy every week, the fight is often about who decides. Say the roles out loud, and again as people grow. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/score-ai-on-growth https://wyattsparks.com/blog/score-ai-on-growth Mon, 19 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Teams that hold AI to a growth measure report strong returns far more often than those counting savings alone. Pick the number before you pick the tool. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/marketing-plan-outlast-cmo https://wyattsparks.com/blog/marketing-plan-outlast-cmo Mon, 19 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt PE-backed CMOs stay about three years on average. Build the growth plan, the measurement and the forecast so the company keeps them when the seat turns over. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/change-stalls-without-follow-through https://wyattsparks.com/blog/change-stalls-without-follow-through Mon, 19 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Most change plans stop at the announcement. Whether a decision turns into work depends on whether your managers trust leadership to follow through. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/carve-out-day-one-gaps https://wyattsparks.com/blog/carve-out-day-one-gaps Mon, 19 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt When a large company sells a division, the buyer gets the business and little of what ran it. List the gaps and who fills them before you sign. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/first-time-ceo-forecast https://wyattsparks.com/blog/first-time-ceo-forecast Fri, 16 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Most new CEOs have never run a company before. Their first job is a plan built forward from the facts, with a number they will stand behind. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/ai-skills-gap-judgment https://wyattsparks.com/blog/ai-skills-gap-judgment Fri, 16 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Most AI training teaches what the tool can do. The gap mid-market teams feel is knowing when its answer is wrong. Train on real work. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/ai-risk-test-before-bet https://wyattsparks.com/blog/ai-risk-test-before-bet Fri, 16 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt CEOs now rank AI with cybersecurity as their top risk. Going all in and staying out are the same mistake. Here is how to test before you fund. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/what-you-buy-fractional-executive https://wyattsparks.com/blog/what-you-buy-fractional-executive Tue, 13 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt More CEOs plan to use fractional leaders. Hire one for judgment already earned at the size you are heading toward, not for the salary discount. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/finance-team-checking-ai https://wyattsparks.com/blog/finance-team-checking-ai Tue, 13 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Trust AI finance output as directional and verify the numbers before anything goes out. If a report needs a full check every run, fix the data underneath. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/deal-headline-why-they-bought https://wyattsparks.com/blog/deal-headline-why-they-bought Tue, 13 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Deal headlines lead with size. Owners watch why the deal was done, what it cost and when the buyer can run it. A Columbus example for private owners. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/who-runs-ai-after-vendor-leaves https://wyattsparks.com/blog/who-runs-ai-after-vendor-leaves Fri, 09 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt Before you hire a vendor to build AI inside your company, decide who keeps it when they go. https://wyattsparks.com/blog/ai-plan-inside-strategy-or-beside-it https://wyattsparks.com/blog/ai-plan-inside-strategy-or-beside-it Fri, 09 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 John Wyatt If your company has an AI plan that lives in its own deck, with its own budget line and its own owner, you have a second strategy. Second strategies drift.