Strategy Isn't Planning: A Growth Masterclass with Neil Schaffer

**About Neil Schaffer:** Prior to founding Carlton Advisors in 2024, Neil Schaffer was a senior executive or co-founder of innovative, high-growth companies in manufacturing, distribution, financial services, media, and software. Neil has led 10+ M&A transactions, including several successful exits, and 20+ financing transactions, including IPO, secondary public offerings, and private equity and debt offerings. Neil also served as CFO of two technology joint ventures, sponsored by global advertising holding companies and by broadcasting & cable TV giants, that developed and licensed technologies which today are core components powering connected and streaming TV advertising. Carlton Advisors is a strategy-led CEO advisory focused on driving faster growth, improved performance, and bigger exits for B2B companies. Carlton works in concert with business leaders who may not have the time or capacity to focus on growth strategy or the corporate development experience to confidently conduct acquisition or exit transactions. **What you'll learn about in this episode:** - The difference between strategy and planning, and why confusing the two causes companies to stall out. - Why doing nothing is still a decision, and why inertia is every business's biggest competitor. - The Strategy Choice Cascade: five questions that fit on a single page and clarify why, where, and how a company competes. - Why being transparent about strategy internally builds more value than it risks. - Why cash flow matters more than earnings, and Neil's rule of thumb for raising capital. - What makes mergers and acquisitions go more smoothly, including the value of approaching a target before it goes to market. - The story of a startup that engineered its own exit from day one, and how preparation turned a shrinking window into a successful sale. - Why "wandering around and asking" is one of the most underused habits in business today.