Craig Group Catalyst™: The Foundation That Makes Growth Possible

Here’s a question we hear frequently from PE partners and portfolio company CEOs: “Why do we need to spend 4-8 weeks on strategy when we need revenue now?”

That’s a fair question. The truth is, trying to grow without a solid foundation is like building a house on sand. You might get some quick wins, but they won’t last, and you’ll end up wasting time and money on tactics that don’t make a real difference.

That’s exactly why we created Craig Group Catalyst™.

What Catalyst Actually Is (And Why It Matters)

Catalyst is your blueprint for revenue growth. Over 4 to 8 weeks, we dive deep into your business to discover your key growth drivers and create a step-by-step plan to use them effectively.

This is not just a surface-level strategy. We provide a hands-on, data-driven analysis that gives you:

The clarity you need:

Pricing analysis that reveals if you’re leaving money on the table
Revenue diligence that shows where your actual opportunities are (not where you think they are)
Ideal Customer Profile development so you stop wasting sales cycles on bad-fit leads
Competitive SWOT that positions you to win

The roadmap you need:

Sales & Marketing gap analysis with specific, prioritized recommendations
Messaging and USP refinement that actually resonates with buyers
Buyer journey and content mapping so every touchpoint moves prospects forward
KPIs and reporting frameworks that connect activity to revenue
A Growth Roadmap with a clear, prioritized action plan instead of a long presentation that gets ignored

Why “Strategy First” Isn’t Just Consultant-Speak

Here’s what we see happen when companies skip this step:

Sales teams chase the wrong accounts because nobody defined what “good fit” actually means
Marketing burns budget on channels that don’t reach your ICP
Your value proposition sounds like everyone else’s
Revenue operations can’t report on what matters because the KPIs were never aligned to strategy
The new CRO you just hired fails in 18 months because the foundation isn’t there

We see this pattern constantly. Companies come to us saying “we need more leads” or “our sales team needs better tools,” but when we dig in, the real issue is that nobody’s done the foundational work to understand where the best opportunities actually are.

Without that strategic clarity, you end up with:

Sales and marketing working from different definitions of “target customer”
Demand generation programs that produce volume but not quality
CRM implementations that track activity but don’t drive revenue
Marketing campaigns that look good but don’t convert

“We don’t have time for strategy. We need to scale now.”

That’s what we often hear from portcos in growth mode. Kobus Pipe Puller’s leadership felt the same urgency. The CEO was doing most of the selling himself. No CRM. Manual data tracking. Two separate websites (UK and US). No dedicated sales team, no comp plan, no documented process.

You can’t scale what isn’t systematized, and you can’t systematize what hasn’t been clearly defined.

Our assessment revealed they didn’t just need “more salespeople.” They needed an ICP, a documented sales process, proper infrastructure, and a compensation model that would attract the right talent.

Once we built that foundation? They hired two full-time sales reps, freed the CEO from day-to-day sales, unified their web presence, and launched strategic marketing. The company was acquired post-engagement, with acquisition-ready revenue operations that added measurable value to the transaction.

This is the result of building the foundation first.

Three Interconnected Buckets (Because Revenue Growth Isn’t Linear)

We created Catalyst™ because many companies came to us asking for marketing or sales help, but their real challenge was a lack of strategy.

Take Enersponse, a leading North American provider of automated demand response solutions. They help commercial and industrial clients optimize energy use, earn incentives, and support grid stability. Despite success in the SMB demand response space, they were experiencing stagnant growth and slow sales velocity.

When they came to us, they recognized the need for growth. What they didn’t know was where to focus. They were competing against larger, well-established players in a crowded market. Brand recognition was low outside Western U.S. energy markets. Sales and marketing lacked clear segmentation and prioritization.

The challenge was not about effort, but about clarity. With 15 industries and 63 sub-segments to consider, they would be guessing without a systematic assessment. In a PE-backed environment, guessing is too risky.

This is what Catalyst was designed to solve. Our methodology looks at revenue growth through three interconnected lenses:

1. Market Analysis (Targeting) – Where to Aim

We start by understanding who’s actually buying from you and why, then identify your biggest untapped opportunities.

For Enersponse, this meant applying a structured, research-driven approach to crack the code on new market growth. We used AI-powered analysis to evaluate all 15 industries and 63 sub-segments, applying forced ranking criteria and Z-scoring to compare data points across multiple dimensions: industry characteristics, subsegment potential, product profile fit, energy market dynamics, and sales cycle complexity.

We also did voice-of-customer research to learn what truly influenced buying decisions. It wasn’t just what Enersponse thought was important, but what their best customers actually valued.

The result? We found two key energy markets with about 4,000 MW of curtailable load potential, which could mean $6-10 million in annual revenue opportunities that had been overlooked.

This is the power of systematic market analysis. Instead of spreading resources across 15 industries, Enersponse could now focus on the highest-value segments with the clearest path to revenue.

We don’t just analyze your current market. We also identify new opportunities, untapped areas, and the top 10 to 20 target accounts that could change your revenue path.

2. Marketing Selection + Marketing Mix – Generate Qualified Leads

Once we know your target, we determine how to reach them. This includes reviewing your website, analyzing lead sources, developing a strategic point of view, and adjusting your marketing mix, all based on the ICP work from the first step.

For Enersponse, we developed a 360-degree customer journey for optimized multi-channel engagement. This wasn’t generic “we should do email and LinkedIn” advice. This was a specific, customer-centric journey map based on:

How their ideal customers actually research solutions
What triggers a buying process in demand response
Which touchpoints influence decision-makers at each stage
What content formats resonate with technical vs. executive buyers

We built an ABM-focused go-to-market plan to reach those high-value segments with personalized outreach. Instead of broad marketing, we used targeted, account-based programs aimed at winning specific opportunities worth over $500,000 each.

We also improved their value proposition using customer feedback. The messaging changed from focusing on product features to highlighting business outcomes that mattered to CFOs and facility managers, who made the buying decisions.

We focus on one key metric: qualified pipeline. Not vanity metrics or just awareness, but a pipeline that actually leads to sales.

3. Customer Acquisition + Customer Expansion – Convert & Expand Sales

Finally, we make sure your sales process and team are set up to convert those leads and expand existing relationships. This means sales process design, CRM optimization, compensation plan evaluation, and customer expansion strategies that boost lifetime value.

For Enersponse, we defined and aligned KPIs across sales and marketing to ensure cohesive performance. This might sound basic, but it’s surprising how many companies measure sales by one thing (closed deals) and marketing by something completely different (MQLs), with no clear connection between them.

We also created a structured, repeatable demand generation process with clear handoffs and qualification criteria. Now, sales knew exactly what “qualified” meant, and marketing knew exactly what sales needed to close deals efficiently.

The outcome? A clear path from their current state (<$20M revenue, <$10M EBITDA) to $50M+ in 3 years, representing sustainable, 6X growth. Not through heroic effort or luck, but through systematic execution against a data-driven strategy.

As Jusleen Karve from Enersponse put it:

“Craig Group was able to take a very complicated marketplace and provide much clearer opportunities and insights for accelerating revenue.”

That’s what Catalyst does: it turns complexity into clarity.

But none of this would have worked if we’d only fixed one piece. If we’d just done the market segmentation without the GTM blueprint and KPI alignment, they’d have known where to go but not how to get there. If we’d just built marketing programs without the ICP research, they’d be generating leads that don’t convert.

The compounding effect came from getting all three buckets right, simultaneously.

The Results Formula

Here’s how we think about revenue growth:

Revenue Growth = (# Qualified Opportunities × Average Contract Value × Sales Win Rate) ÷ Average Sales Cycle

The great thing about this formula is that improving any one part will help your growth. When you improve several parts at once, which happens with a solid foundation, your growth multiplies.

This is why we start with Catalyst. Because we need to identify which levers will have the biggest impact for YOUR business, in YOUR market, with YOUR team.

For Enersponse, the levers were:

# Qualified Opportunities: Instead of broad-based prospecting across 15 industries, they could focus resources on two key energy markets with 4,000 MW of identified potential. More focus = more qualified pipeline.

Average Contract Value: By targeting high-value segments (commercial and industrial clients with significant curtailable load), they shifted their mix toward larger deals.

Sales Win Rate: The refined value proposition, ABM approach, and aligned KPIs meant sales conversations were more relevant and more likely to close. When you’re speaking directly to a prospect’s specific challenges, win rates improve.

Average Sales Cycle: Clear segmentation and structured demand generation reduced the “exploration phase” of deals. Prospects who fit the ICP profile moved through the funnel faster because the messaging, content, and sales approach were all designed for them.

The math: Identifying $6-10M in new annual revenue opportunities + a structured GTM to capture them = a credible path to 6X growth in 3 years.

What Happens After Catalyst?

Catalyst gives you a clear roadmap. What sets Craig Group apart from other consultancies is that we don’t just give you a presentation and leave.

After Catalyst, most clients move into Craig Group Ignite™ where we execute the plan with you. We become an extension of your team, moving from strategy to hands-on implementation in weeks, not months.

With Enersponse, the natural next step was executing the ABM-focused GTM blueprint we’d designed, building the content assets, launching the multi-channel campaigns, and implementing the systems to track those aligned KPIs.

Some clients also use Craig Group Conduit™, our AI-powered revenue planning platform. It turns your performance data into scenario-based, defensible plans you can review with your board. Conduit models different growth scenarios, capacity needs, and investment options to show the board how to reach your goals.

Is Catalyst Right for You?

Catalyst makes the most sense if you’re:

A PE-backed portfolio company in the lower-middle market

Enersponse and Kobus both had established operations and a solid revenue base, but they were still agile enough to make strategic changes within a year.

Experiencing a growth stall and not sure why

Enersponse experienced slow growth and sales, even though their product was strong. The problem wasn’t the product itself, but a lack of clear strategy on where to focus. Does this sound familiar?

Sitting in a complicated market with too many options

If you have 15 industries and 63 sub-segments to consider, like Enersponse did, you need a systematic analysis to find the best opportunities. Otherwise, your resources are spread too thin and you don’t win anywhere.

About to hire a CRO and want to set them up for success

Keep in mind that one-third of CROs fail in the first 18 months, often because the foundation is missing. Kobus needed to move away from CEO-led sales, but hiring sales reps without first defining the ICP, process, compensation, and infrastructure would have been costly. We helped them build the foundation first, then brought in the right sales reps for a system set up for success.

Post-acquisition and need to quickly identify growth opportunities

If you’ve just closed a deal and your PE partners are asking about your growth plan, Catalyst gives you a data-driven answer in 4 to 8 weeks, instead of spending 6 to 12 months on trial and error. This shortens the discovery phase and lets you start executing sooner.

Pre-exit and want to clean up your GTM to maximize valuation

This was the case for Kobus Pipe Puller. Their PE stakeholders saw that the company needed scalable systems and a clearer path to sustainable growth before selling. We helped them set up strong revenue operations, define their ICP, build sales infrastructure, implement a CRM, unify their web presence, and document their processes.

The result? They transformed from a CEO-dependent operation into an acquisition-ready business. The company was acquired post-engagement, with revenue operations that added measurable value to the transaction.

Buyers are interested in more than just your current revenue. They want to see your growth potential and the systems that make it repeatable. Catalyst helps you build both.

Ready to Ramp Up?

You can’t afford to waste 6-12 months building a GTM team from scratch, only to discover your ICP was wrong, your messaging doesn’t resonate, and your sales process is misaligned with how buyers actually buy.

Craig Group Catalyst™ compresses what would typically take a year of trial-and-error into 4-8 weeks of focused, expert analysis, giving you a clear, actionable roadmap to sustainable revenue growth.

Whether you’re facing a complicated market, preparing for exit, or lack infrastructure to scale, Catalyst builds the foundation that makes growth possible.

Ready to build your foundation? Let’s talk about your biggest growth levers and how to use them in the right order. Schedule a conversation with our team.