How We Build

Building great companies is a collaborative process. We pair decades of experience creating value for niche services businesses with a partnership-oriented approach to crafting and supporting the execution of
customized growth strategies.

Dara Knot is committed to investing in a small, focused portfolio of niche services businesses. This highly targeted approach enables us to be flexible with investment horizons and transaction structures, while engaging deeply, through the Dara Knot Value Creation Roadmap (dkVCR) process, in the development and execution of strategies that catalyze growth, reduce risk, optimize cash flow, and preserve the unique culture of each company.

The Dara Knot Value Creation Roadmap (dkVCR)

The dkVCR offers a proven process, built around four key areas, to identify company-specific urgent, impactful and executable opportunities for value creation and deliver targeted support to our management partners. Throughout this process our partners benefit from our deep finance, strategy and operational experience; an extensive network of industry and functional experts; and a commitment to collaboratively building the infrastructure, team and business processes necessary for sustained growth.

Organizational Design & Team Building

  • Gap analysis of an organization’s functional, strategic, leadership and cultural capabilities relative to its strategic plan and stakeholder objectives

  • Transition and succession planning

  • Executive recruitment and rigorous candidate assessment

  • Leadership and executive coaching

Finance, IT & Business Development

  • Augment financial leadership and provide direct analytical support until greater depth can be built in the areas of finance, strategic planning and business intelligence  

  • Shift finance departments from cost centers to true strategic partners by implementing the processes, systems and analytical tools required to make data-based management decisions

    • Strategic pricing

    • New service/market/channel development planning and analysis

    • Business unit and service line productivity, profitability and staffing analysis

    • Working capital optimization and capital investment planning

  • Support transition to audit standard

  • Actively provide and support the development of corporate finance, treasury and capital markets capabilities

Growth and Business Development

  • M&A strategy development, target sourcing, execution, financing and integration

  • New market, service and channel strategy development, analysis and execution

  • Sales force organizational design and effectiveness tools

  • Marketing strategy, tactics and supporting analytics

Operational Process Efficiency

  • Automation and digitization of work flows

  • Development of operational KPIs and dashboards

  • Operational and service delivery process design and effectiveness tools

  • Business unit, function, customer and/or service line profitability analysis