Best Practice for First 100 Days?

July 11, 2025

by a searcher from IESE Business School in Cambridge, UK

I’m keen to hear from fellow operators: What are your top recommendations for setting up a strong first 100 days? Specifically: • What should we prioritise to build trust with the existing team and clients? • How should we structure reporting, communication, and decision-making early on? • What frameworks or tools have you used to balance quick wins with long-term goals? Any checklists, playbooks, or personal lessons learned would be incredibly helpful. Looking forward to your insights.

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Reply by an investor
from Columbia University in Fairfax, VA, USA

Tactically speaking, one of the best things you can do is tighten up the company’s Working Capital and Cash Conversion Cycle. It’s a low-disruption, high-impact activity that mostly happens behind the scenes - but it can materially improve your cash position and flexibility. Things to focus on: - Improve revenue collections (DSO) - Negotiate (within reason) more favorable payment terms with vendors (DPO) - If inventory is a factor, streamline the full inventory lifecycle (DIO) Beyond the financial upside, just going through this exercise should give you a fast track into how the business actually operates. You’ll quickly identify which vendors, customers, or systems are pain points, and who internally owns or influences them. We find it to be a great way to build early credibility (both internally and externally). And if you pair this with a few early wins in customer experience or employee morale, it's a great way to build momentum while strengthening the balance sheet.

Reply by an investor
from IESE Business School in Paseo de la Castellana, 210, 28046 Madrid, Spain

Investor's POV: 1.- Be humble; ear a lot, talk little, ask a lot. DO NOTHING but learn 2.- Reporting is the last priority (safe for a bad surprise, in such case report inmediatedly). IMHO in the firts 100days "no news = goog news". No decision making early on please! 3.- This is about people & expectations managements; humble attitude & common sense are the only framework Best of luck!

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