Case Studies

Each case shows how Pholus restored trust, protected stakeholders, or helped clients exit with clarity—without press, panic, or overreach. Quiet results. High-stakes environments. No inflated claims. Just what happened.

Not every solution looks like a win from the outside—but the right one prevents the worst from happening.

Pholus operates quietly, where trust is fragile and outcomes must be both strategic and survivable.

Urgent / High-Risk

Crisis Containment & Reputational Risk

The damage isn’t always public. But the right response always is.

Relocating Operations After a Cartel Killing — Without Losing Staff or Shutting Down the Mission

Relocating Operations After a Cartel Killing — Without Losing Staff or Shutting Down the Mission

A trusted staff member gets a call: someone close to them has been killed—broad daylight, cartel-linked, blocks from your headquarters.…
Quietly Containing a Framing Allegation While Repairing Trust and Filling a Critical Role

Quietly Containing a Framing Allegation While Repairing Trust and Filling a Critical Role

One staff member accuses another of theft. It lands hard—because the accused is well-liked, and the accuser is senior. Leadership…
Sensitive Data Mishandled — How Pholus Restored Confidence After a Cross-Border Paper Trail Crisis

Sensitive Data Mishandled — How Pholus Restored Confidence After a Cross-Border Paper Trail Crisis

An employee walks off the job—carrying a stack of sensitive client files. No exit interview. No handoff. No digital backup.…

If you're in the middle of a crisis — or see one forming — the worst thing you can do is wait.

Get immediate help and speak with an advisor now to stop the damage before it spreads.

HIGH-RISK / ACTIVE DAMAGE CONTROL

Reputation & Stakeholder Protection

When trust frays, everything else starts to unravel.

Sale Blocked to Prevent Criminal Exposure — How Pholus Uncovered a Hidden Risk Before It Became a Legal Disaster

Sale Blocked to Prevent Criminal Exposure — How Pholus Uncovered a Hidden Risk Before It Became a Legal Disaster

You’re ready to sell. The buyer looks clean. The deal feels done. But something’s off—maybe in the paperwork, maybe in…
Quietly Containing a Framing Allegation While Repairing Trust and Filling a Critical Role

Quietly Containing a Framing Allegation While Repairing Trust and Filling a Critical Role

One staff member accuses another of theft. It lands hard—because the accused is well-liked, and the accuser is senior. Leadership…
Sensitive Data Mishandled — How Pholus Restored Confidence After a Cross-Border Paper Trail Crisis

Sensitive Data Mishandled — How Pholus Restored Confidence After a Cross-Border Paper Trail Crisis

An employee walks off the job—carrying a stack of sensitive client files. No exit interview. No handoff. No digital backup.…

When pressure hits, protecting the organization means protecting the people who depend on it.

Schedule a confidential triage call now — before cracks become consequences. 

HIGH-RISK / INTERNAL INSTABILITY

Founder & Leadership Stabilization

You can’t fix the organization if the founder’s still unraveling.

Managing Founder Disengagement Through Mission Reframing and a Respectful Exit

Managing Founder Disengagement Through Mission Reframing and a Respectful Exit

Your founder isn’t failing. He’s just… absent. The energy’s gone. Strategy sessions feel hollow. Deadlines slip without tension. The board…
Relocating Operations After a Cartel Killing — Without Losing Staff or Shutting Down the Mission

Relocating Operations After a Cartel Killing — Without Losing Staff or Shutting Down the Mission

A trusted staff member gets a call: someone close to them has been killed—broad daylight, cartel-linked, blocks from your headquarters.…
Re-engaging a Silent Founder — A Calm Intervention for a Concerned Investor

Re-engaging a Silent Founder — A Calm Intervention for a Concerned Investor

They’ve gone quiet. No updates. No replies. No clear path forward. You backed the founder because they were promising. Now…

Even top performers stall when pressure builds.

Let’s talk through what’s happening — before others start filling in the blanks.

MODERATE–HIGH / STRATEGIC RISK

Board & Governance Realignment

If the board is lost, the rest of the ship won’t follow.

Managing Founder Disengagement Through Mission Reframing and a Respectful Exit

Managing Founder Disengagement Through Mission Reframing and a Respectful Exit

Your founder isn’t failing. He’s just… absent. The energy’s gone. Strategy sessions feel hollow. Deadlines slip without tension. The board…
Quietly Navigating Internal Misconduct and Advising a Clean Exit

Quietly Navigating Internal Misconduct and Advising a Clean Exit

You trusted a local partner to handle compliance and keep operations above board. They were well-connected, familiar with the terrain,…
When the Company Stepped Back, Pholus Stepped In — Quietly Protecting a Director During Litigation Exposure

When the Company Stepped Back, Pholus Stepped In — Quietly Protecting a Director During Litigation Exposure

The lawsuit named the company—but it also named a director. At first, the leadership team stuck together. Then the story…

When governance structure lags behind operational complexity, subtle dysfunction creeps in.

We’ll help you recalibrate quietly and clearly. Start with a triage call — quiet, confidential, effective.

MODERATE–HIGH / STRUCTURAL & REPUTATIONAL RISK

Operational Wind-Downs & Exit Support

Some exits need silence. Others need choreography.

Sale Blocked to Prevent Criminal Exposure — How Pholus Uncovered a Hidden Risk Before It Became a Legal Disaster

Sale Blocked to Prevent Criminal Exposure — How Pholus Uncovered a Hidden Risk Before It Became a Legal Disaster

You’re ready to sell. The buyer looks clean. The deal feels done. But something’s off—maybe in the paperwork, maybe in…
Quietly Navigating Internal Misconduct and Advising a Clean Exit

Quietly Navigating Internal Misconduct and Advising a Clean Exit

You trusted a local partner to handle compliance and keep operations above board. They were well-connected, familiar with the terrain,…
Resolving a Vendor Billing Dispute Without a Lawsuit — and Securing a Better Partner

Resolving a Vendor Billing Dispute Without a Lawsuit — and Securing a Better Partner

You’ve been overbilled. The service is falling short. The vendor won’t fix it—and they won’t let you out. Legal action…

A messy exit can follow you for years.

Get structured support now — before legal, staff, or stakeholder issues erupt.

MODERATE / SYSTEMIC DYSFUNCTION

Performance Turnaround

Most broken performance isn’t a strategy issue — it’s a people issue.

From Burn Rate to Breakthrough — Pholus Saves a Mobile Gaming App’s Marketing Strategy, Then Walks Away

From Burn Rate to Breakthrough — Pholus Saves a Mobile Gaming App’s Marketing Strategy, Then Walks Away

You’re spending over a dollar to acquire each user—but almost none of them deposit. The dashboards look fine, but the…
From Unnoticed to Funded — How Pholus Helped a Small NGO Land a Major Donor

From Unnoticed to Funded — How Pholus Helped a Small NGO Land a Major Donor

You’ve done the work. The results are real. But the right funders aren’t noticing—or worse, they’re visiting your site and…
Reducing Donor Acquisition Costs Without Taking Over the Campaign

Reducing Donor Acquisition Costs Without Taking Over the Campaign

Your donor acquisition costs are climbing. The board is asking tough questions. You’ve tried agencies before—but they overpromised, underdelivered, and…

Underperformance often signals friction beneath the surface.

Let’s identify what’s blocking progress — before burnout or blame takes hold.

MODERATE / PREVENTIVE STRATEGIC RISK

Market Entry & Risk Prevention

Before you go in, you need to know how to get out.

Preventing a High-Risk Investment in an Extortion-Prone Region of Peru

Preventing a High-Risk Investment in an Extortion-Prone Region of Peru

The numbers made sense. The partner checked out. But something felt off. Rumors of transit strikes. Allegations of extortion. A…
From Copycat Crisis to Cross-Border Growth — How Pholus Helped a U.S. Supplement Brand Protect Its IP and Expand Into Mexico

From Copycat Crisis to Cross-Border Growth — How Pholus Helped a U.S. Supplement Brand Protect Its IP and Expand Into Mexico

Your product starts gaining traction—then a near-identical version appears online. The branding is eerily familiar. The marketing language feels lifted.…
Preserving a Critical Vendor Relationship Through Strategic Clarity

Preserving a Critical Vendor Relationship Through Strategic Clarity

You rely on a vendor for critical infrastructure. Without them, your product fails, your compliance collapses, and your revenue vanishes.…

We specialize in quiet foresight.

Before you make your move, let’s confirm your foundation is built to hold.

MODERATE / STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT RISK

Donor & Mission Alignment

When donors and mission drift apart, the cracks start to show everywhere else.

From Unnoticed to Funded — How Pholus Helped a Small NGO Land a Major Donor

From Unnoticed to Funded — How Pholus Helped a Small NGO Land a Major Donor

You’ve done the work. The results are real. But the right funders aren’t noticing—or worse, they’re visiting your site and…
Reducing Donor Acquisition Costs Without Taking Over the Campaign

Reducing Donor Acquisition Costs Without Taking Over the Campaign

Your donor acquisition costs are climbing. The board is asking tough questions. You’ve tried agencies before—but they overpromised, underdelivered, and…

When funders drift or the mission blurs, your team feels it first — and your outcomes feel it next.

Schedule a triage call to refocus alignment before the gaps widen.

Browse All Case Studies

Each case was real. Every outcome negotiated quietly, without the noise of litigation, media, or scandal.

From Burn Rate to Breakthrough — Pholus Saves a Mobile Gaming App’s Marketing Strategy, Then Walks Away

From Burn Rate to Breakthrough — Pholus Saves a Mobile Gaming App’s Marketing Strategy, Then Walks Away

You’re spending over a dollar to acquire each user—but almost none of them deposit. The dashboards look fine, but the…
Sale Blocked to Prevent Criminal Exposure — How Pholus Uncovered a Hidden Risk Before It Became a Legal Disaster

Sale Blocked to Prevent Criminal Exposure — How Pholus Uncovered a Hidden Risk Before It Became a Legal Disaster

You’re ready to sell. The buyer looks clean. The deal feels done. But something’s off—maybe in the paperwork, maybe in…
Managing Founder Disengagement Through Mission Reframing and a Respectful Exit

Managing Founder Disengagement Through Mission Reframing and a Respectful Exit

Your founder isn’t failing. He’s just… absent. The energy’s gone. Strategy sessions feel hollow. Deadlines slip without tension. The board…
Quietly Navigating Internal Misconduct and Advising a Clean Exit

Quietly Navigating Internal Misconduct and Advising a Clean Exit

You trusted a local partner to handle compliance and keep operations above board. They were well-connected, familiar with the terrain,…
Relocating Operations After a Cartel Killing — Without Losing Staff or Shutting Down the Mission

Relocating Operations After a Cartel Killing — Without Losing Staff or Shutting Down the Mission

A trusted staff member gets a call: someone close to them has been killed—broad daylight, cartel-linked, blocks from your headquarters.…
Quietly Containing a Framing Allegation While Repairing Trust and Filling a Critical Role

Quietly Containing a Framing Allegation While Repairing Trust and Filling a Critical Role

One staff member accuses another of theft. It lands hard—because the accused is well-liked, and the accuser is senior. Leadership…
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