I remember sitting in the back of a cramped, windowless breakroom about twelve years ago. The air smelled like stale coffee and industrial-grade floor cleaner. Across from me sat a warehouse manager who looked like he hadn't slept since the Clinton administration. He had this massive, three-ring binder sitting on his desk, the kind that makes a satisfying thump when you drop it.
"Brett," he said, tapping the plastic cover with a greasy thumb, "the last guys who were here gave us this. It cost the owner fifty grand. It tells us exactly how to double our throughput. It’s been sitting there for eight months. I haven't opened it past page four."
I felt for the guy. I really did. Because if I’m honest... I’ve been that guy. I’ve been the leader holding the "perfect" plan while the actual work, the messy, loud, unpredictable day-to-day stuff, was falling apart around my ears.
That moment was a bit of a wake-up call for me. It’s one thing to have a strategy. It’s an entirely different thing to actually execute it when you’re short-staffed, the printer is jammed, and your best supervisor just put in their two weeks.
That’s why, when I started Solved. Operations & Management Solutions, I decided we weren't going to be "binder consultants." We were going to be "in-the-trenches" consultants. And if you’re trying to scale your business right now, that distinction is going to make or break your next three years.
The "Ivory Tower" vs. The Trenches
We’ve all seen the traditional consulting model. A group of very smart people in very expensive suits comes in, interviews a few executives, looks at some spreadsheets, and then vanishes for a month. They reappear with a gorgeous slide deck, tell you your "synergy" is off, and leave you with a bill that could buy a small island.
It’s what I call "Ivory Tower" consulting. It looks great from 30,000 feet, but it doesn't account for the fact that the people on the ground are exhausted... or that your software doesn't actually talk to your accounting package... or that your team is currently locked in a cold war over who didn't refill the communal coffee pot.
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"In-the-trenches" consulting is the opposite. It’s about getting your hands dirty. It’s about standing on the warehouse floor, sitting in the non-profit board room, or walking through a construction site (something I do quite a bit with Solved Homes). It’s about seeing the bottlenecks for yourself instead of just reading about them in a report.
When we work with clients, we aren't just giving advice. We're looking for the 7 mistakes you’re making with DiSC or figuring out why your team engagement strategies are falling flat. We’re there to help you implement the changes, not just talk about them.
Why Scaling Feels Like Breaking
If you’ve ever tried to grow a business, you know that scaling doesn’t feel like a smooth upward curve. It feels like things are constantly breaking. What worked when you had five employees suddenly creates total chaos when you have fifteen.
You start to realize that your "culture" was actually just you being in the room all the time. Now that you aren't in every meeting, things are getting... weird. Communication breaks down. Projects that used to take a week now take a month. You feel like you’re playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole.
A team collaborating in a fast-paced environment, reflecting the "in-the-trenches" philosophy.
This is where "in-the-trenches" consulting changes the game. When someone is in there with you, they can see the rhythm of the business. I’m a big believer in operational rhythms. Without them, scaling is just adding more weight to a foundation that’s already cracking.
The Implementation Gap (Where Dreams Go to Die)
To be honest, most businesses don't have a strategy problem. They have an execution problem.
You probably already know what you should be doing. You should be documenting processes. You should be giving better feedback. You should be using data to drive decisions. But when you’re in the middle of a growth spurt, "should" is a very heavy word.
An in-the-trenches consultant acts as the bridge. We help you move from "we need to do this" to "this is now how we do things." This might involve:
- Identifying real bottlenecks: Not the ones you think you have, but the ones your front-line staff are screaming about.
- Addressing the full change lifecycle: It’s not enough to buy a new AI tool (even though AI will change how you manage). You have to actually train the team and change the workflow so they use it.
- Real-time adjustments: Plans are like wet cement... they're only useful while they're still pliable. If something isn't working on Tuesday, we change it on Wednesday. We don't wait for the quarterly review.
It’s Always a People Problem (Even When It’s a Process Problem)
I’ve spent 30+ years in operations and management, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that every "process" problem is eventually a "people" problem.
You can have the most efficient supply chain in the world, but if your managers don't know how to talk to their teams, you're going to have turnover. And turnover is the silent killer of scaling.
That’s why we lean so heavily into things like DiSC assessments. But here's the kicker, and I say this as someone who has messed this up before, a DiSC workshop isn't a magic wand. You can't just do one training and expect everyone to be best friends. You have to integrate that understanding into the daily operations.
The DiSC model is a cornerstone of our people-first operations strategy.
In the trenches, we see how a "High D" personality is clashing with a "High S" during a stressful project launch. We can step in and say, "Hey, I think there's a miscommunication happening here because of how you're both processing this stress." That’s real-world application. That’s how you use DiSC to navigate tough conversations.
The Humility of "Not Knowing"
One of the things I absolutely despise is the "expert" who thinks they have all the answers the second they walk through the door.
I don't have all the answers. I’m still learning every day. Sometimes a process I think is brilliant turns out to be a total dud in practice. And you know what? That’s okay. The goal isn't to be perfect; the goal is to be better than we were yesterday.
When we partner with a business or a non-profit, we’re coming in as fellow travelers. We’ve been through the fires of growth, we’ve made the hiring mistakes, and we’ve felt the weight of a vision that’s bigger than our current capacity.
A leader and consultant reviewing data in a real-world setting, focusing on practical execution.
Is Your Business Ready for the Trenches?
If you're tired of the binders... if you're tired of the high-level advice that never seems to result in actual change... then it might be time for a different approach.
Scaling a business is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. It’s messy, it’s stressful, and it’s often lonely. But it doesn't have to be. Having someone who can look at your operations through a lens of 30 years of experience: but who is willing to get in there and do the work with you: can change everything.
Whether it’s aligning your board’s vision with daily execution or simply figuring out why your team meetings feel like a waste of time, the solution usually isn't in a binder. It’s in the work.
I’d love to hear about the hurdles you’re facing right now. Are you stuck in the "Ivory Tower" trap? Are your plans gathering dust? Let’s talk about how to get things moving again.
After all, at Solved., we don't just find the solution. We help you live it.
I’m Brett Bortnem, and I’ve spent my career in the trenches of operations and management. If you’re looking for a partner to help you scale without losing your mind (or your culture), let’s connect.
