Case Studies

Sales blames marketing. Marketing blames sales. Both teams are hitting their metrics—but deals are stalling, morale is slipping, and no one agrees on what’s actually going wrong. If you’ve ever heard “the leads are garbage” or “sales can’t close,” you already know where this is headed. This case study is…

When staff are detained, panic spreads fast. Internal teams scramble for answers. Stakeholders press for updates. And behind the scenes, someone always suggests “just paying to make it go away.” But bribery isn’t an option—especially if you plan to keep operating with integrity. This case study is especially relevant if…

Client updates are getting stale. Competitors are catching up too quickly. Nothing’s confirmed—but something’s off. You suspect there’s a leak. The team is small. You trust them. But trust doesn’t stop data from walking out the door. This case study is especially relevant if you are: A founder sensing a…

The lawsuit named the company—but it also named a director. At first, the leadership team stuck together. Then the story shifted. The company stepped back. Their legal strategy changed. And one director was left exposed—with no insurance, no internal backing, and no plan. This case study is especially relevant if…

You trust your advisor’s work. The filings are accurate. The guidance is solid. But calls go unanswered, emails linger, and tension is rising. You’re considering a change—not because of a mistake, but because you’re tired of feeling ignored. This case study is especially relevant if you are: A founder or…

An anonymous blog starts publishing false stories about your company—accusing leadership of fraud, inventing quotes, and fabricating screenshots. It’s not in the news cycle yet, but it’s showing up on Google. Stakeholders are noticing. And legal action would only make it louder. This case study is especially relevant if you…

You’ve made the hard call: the program is ending, the funding is gone, and the country office must close. But you’re operating in a region where quiet exits rarely stay quiet. Vendors expect continuity. Staff expect fairness. And one poorly handled moment can turn a clean wind-down into a reputational…

The founder stops showing up to board meetings. At first, it’s a scheduling conflict. Then silence. Frustration builds. People start talking about exit votes, formal censure—even leaving the board entirely. No one’s saying it out loud yet, but the relationship is breaking. This case study is especially relevant if you…

Your donor acquisition costs are climbing. The board is asking tough questions. You’ve tried agencies before—but they overpromised, underdelivered, and left your team feeling sidelined. You don’t want a rescue. You want clarity, structure, and a way forward that leaves your team stronger, not replaced. This case study is especially…

You’re ready to sell. The buyer looks clean. The deal feels done. But something’s off—maybe in the paperwork, maybe in their pitch. You hesitate, just long enough to get a second opinion. And that decision may be the only thing standing between you and a criminal investigation. This case study…

You’re spending over a dollar to acquire each user—but almost none of them deposit. The dashboards look fine, but the runway’s vanishing. Investors are restless. Your team says marketing is working. Your bank account says otherwise. This case study is especially relevant if you are: A founder or CMO facing…

Your staff starts getting strange phone calls. The voices claim to be local officials. No money is demanded, but the tone is unmistakable: “We’re watching.” There’s no clear threat—just unease. You sense the intent isn’t fraud, but fear. And you’re right. This case study is especially relevant if you are:…

You’ve been overbilled. The service is falling short. The vendor won’t fix it—and they won’t let you out. Legal action feels like overkill. But silence is costing you real money. You need leverage, not escalation. This case study is especially relevant if you are: A COO or founder stuck in…

You’re offered a lucrative contract—fast cash, minimal questions, full creative freedom. But something about it doesn’t sit right. The urgency feels rehearsed. The polish feels performative. And suddenly, you’re not just questioning the project—you’re questioning the risk of becoming part of something you can’t walk away from cleanly. This case…

The numbers made sense. The partner checked out. But something felt off. Rumors of transit strikes. Allegations of extortion. A few vague warnings that didn’t make it into the pitch deck. The investment team needed clarity—before committing capital in a region where optimism often outruns reality. This case study is…

You’ve done the work. The results are real. But the right funders aren’t noticing—or worse, they’re visiting your site and moving on. You know you need more than passion to get in the room. But you don’t want to fake scale, overpromise, or get lost in grant databases. This case…

The founder is slipping. They miss meetings. They show up unwell. Decisions stall. The team’s whispering, and the board’s watching—but no one wants to be the first to say it: the leader is in crisis, and the company is at risk. This case study is especially relevant if you are:…

You’ve made the decision to close a department. Strategically, it’s sound. But you’re operating in a jurisdiction where even lawful layoffs can trigger lawsuits, union complaints, and reputational backlash. One wrong phrase, one rushed notice, and you’re not restructuring—you’re firefighting. This case study is especially relevant if you are: A…

The campaign was working. Conversions were up. Then a cease and desist letter landed—loud, legal, and full of threats. Panic spread. Should they shut it down? Call a lawyer? Go silent? Instead, they called Pholus. And the campaign got better. This case study is especially relevant if you are: A…

An employee walks off the job—carrying a stack of sensitive client files. No exit interview. No handoff. No digital backup. The documents aren’t encrypted. And the stakeholders? They’re 3,000 miles away, already asking who needs to resign. This case study is especially relevant if you are: A COO or founder…

You rely on a vendor for critical infrastructure. Without them, your product fails, your compliance collapses, and your revenue vanishes. Then one day, they flag your account for termination—citing risk you know isn’t real, but can’t dismiss without sounding defensive. This case study is especially relevant if you are: A…

Sales are rolling in. Ads are converting. But behind the scenes, something’s breaking. Chargebacks are climbing. Refunds are stacking up. Your processor is warning you to fix it—fast—or risk getting shut down. You’re not trying to deceive anyone. But you might be confusing them. This case study is especially relevant…

A founder stepped away for paternity leave—something earned, not improvised. But during that brief absence, a long-trusted employee began quietly diverting client payments into a personal bank account. By the time the founder returned, reputational risk was escalating, and client trust was already fraying. This case study is especially relevant…

One staff member accuses another of theft. It lands hard—because the accused is well-liked, and the accuser is senior. Leadership acts fast. But something doesn’t add up. The evidence is thin. The motive seems personal. And now the organization is one wrong move away from legal risk, internal collapse, or…

Your founder is brilliant—maybe even irreplaceable. But the product keeps changing. Deadlines slip. The team’s exhausted. And what started as a bold vision is now a moving target no one can keep up with. Everyone sees the burnout coming. No one knows how to stop it. This case study is…

A trusted staff member gets a call: someone close to them has been killed—broad daylight, cartel-linked, blocks from your headquarters. Panic spreads. Staff stop showing up. Rumors of retaliation surface. You don’t have time to convene a task force. You need to move—calmly, but now. This case study is especially…

You trusted a local partner to handle compliance and keep operations above board. They were well-connected, familiar with the terrain, and seemed like the safe choice. But over time, inconsistencies started to show—figures that didn’t add up, deadlines that slipped, and reporting that just didn’t make sense. Now you’re wondering…

Your founder isn’t failing. He’s just… absent. The energy’s gone. Strategy sessions feel hollow. Deadlines slip without tension. The board doesn’t want conflict. The team needs direction. And no one knows how to say what’s become obvious: the founder has outgrown the mission. This case study is especially relevant if…

They’ve gone quiet. No updates. No replies. No clear path forward. You backed the founder because they were promising. Now you’re wondering if the promise is gone—or if there’s still something to save. This case study is especially relevant if you are: An investor facing founder silence after months of…

Your product starts gaining traction—then a near-identical version appears online. The branding is eerily familiar. The marketing language feels lifted. And it’s pulling your customers away. You think about lawyers. You think about headlines. Then you call someone who can do both damage control and long-term positioning. This case study…