Data Everywhere. Decisions? Not So Much.

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Hey, it’s David

Welcome back to M&A from the Plane, quick stories and insights drawn from the many miles I log in the air talking to business owners, founders, and dealmakers.

The other day, I sat down with a founder who had all the right pieces in place.

✅ Dashboards
✅ KPIs
✅ Regular team syncs

But after two hours of conversation, one thing was clear:

They had no idea what success actually looked like.

We’re circling and circling. Is this plane ever going to land?

You’ve probably been there.

The cabin is clean.
Seat backs are up.
Tray tables stowed.
Landing gear is ready.

And still the plane just keeps circling.

That’s exactly what this business felt like.

The team had motion.
They had metrics.
They even had meetings.

But they didn’t have direction.

Every week was another round of stale reports.
Lots of data. Zero traction.

And just like fuel burning in a holding pattern, their time and resources were quietly evaporating.

What Stood Out Right Away

They weren’t lacking data. They were drowning in it.
But none of it helped the business move forward.

• Metrics were tracked, but nobody could say why. There was no shared goal.

• The reports were long and colorful, but didn’t say what to do next.

• Strategy stayed the same, no matter what the numbers showed.

• Sales, ops, finance? All optimizing their own way. No alignment.

On the surface, it looked like a smart, data-driven operation.
Underneath? Just noise.

This wasn’t a system problem.
It was a leadership problem.
A clarity problem.

At some point, every leadership team hits this choice:

1. Keep reviewing reports and hope the breakthrough magically shows up
2. Get clear on what matters, align the team, and make the data work for you

Here’s what buyers look for:

Not just clean books.
But clear thinking.
A team that knows how to define success, track it, and act on it.

Final Thought

You can’t make good decisions when no one agrees on the same outcome.

If you’ve got dashboards full of numbers, but every conversation feels like you’re circling the same problem…

Maybe it’s not the dashboard that needs an update.
Maybe it’s the system being used to drive the business.

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David