The Butcher: Aggressive Cuts

THE BRUTAL REALITY: FAT IS A DEATH SENTENCE

In a turnaround, "saving money" is not the goal. Staying alive is.

The Conflict: You want to be "nice" to your employees and vendors.

The Truth: If you don't cut deep and fast, the whole ship sinks and *everyone* loses.

The Fix: You must reduce your burn rate by 50% in 48 hours. This isn't surgery; it's an amputation.

1. THE 80/20 SURVIVAL CORE

Identify the 20% of your business that generates 80% of the cash. Protect that core with your life. Kill everything else. Every person, product, or office that isn't part of that core is an anchor.

2. TERMINATION LOGIC

Fire fast. If you delay layoffs because you feel bad, you are stealing from the people who are actually helping you survive. A leader's duty is to the survival of the entity, not the comfort of the individuals.

SMART WORDS

DEFAULT ALIVE

The "Safe Zone." When your current revenue covers all your costs before your cash runs out.

BURN MULTIPLE

The "Efficiency Score." How much cash you have to set on fire to get $1 of new revenue.

RESTRUCTURING

The "Reset Button." Radically changing the shape of the company to stop the bleeding.

TACTICAL DIRECTIVES

1. The Bottom 3: Identify the 3 least profitable employees or vendors. Terminate them today.

2. The Spending Freeze: Stop all non-essential spending. No exceptions.

3. The Remote Pivot: If you have an office, get out of the lease or sublet it immediately.