PRAGMATIC RHINO / INSIGHTS

Operating judgment. Put to work.

Practical perspectives on AI, fractional leadership, marketplace and eCommerce growth, M&A integration and operating value creation.

Written by Michael Schnapf, founder of Pragmatic Rhino and operating executive across commerce, marketplaces and technology.

BROWSE BY THEME

The decisions behind a stronger business.

Explore practical operating questions across AI, fractional leadership, marketplaces, integration and value creation. Choose a theme below to find the articles most relevant to your business.

AI · Fractional Leadership · Marketplace & eCommerce · M&A Integration · Operating Discipline & Value Creation

AI

Making AI useful in the business: economics, execution, accountability and the judgment people need to lead.

AI & OPERATING VALUE

AI ROI for Private Equity: Where Do the Saved Hours Go?

Measure AI ROI in a portfolio company. Separate saved time, cost avoidance, cash savings and revenue contribution before scaling an initiative.

Michael Schnapf

AI & EXECUTION

A 90-Day AI Roadmap for a Mid-Market Company

A practical 90-day AI roadmap: select a workflow, test real cases, measure the full cost and put an operating owner behind the result.

Michael Schnapf

AI & ACCOUNTABILITY

AI Agents in Business: Decide What They Can Do Before You Deploy

Define permissions, approval points, exception handling and recovery before AI agents act on customer records, payments or business commitments.

Michael Schnapf

AI & LEADERSHIP

AI and Leadership Development: Protect the Work That Builds Judgment

How CEOs can improve productivity with AI while protecting the work, customer exposure and coaching that build future leaders and operating judgment.

Michael Schnapf

Earlier note: Put an operating owner behind the AI initiative.

Fractional Leadership

Defining the executive remit, decision rights and outcomes a company needs from outside leadership.

FRACTIONAL LEADERSHIP

When to Hire a Fractional CTO: Start with the Decisions You Need Made

When does a company need a fractional CTO? Define the technology decisions, executive authority and operating outcomes before choosing the engagement.

Michael Schnapf

Marketplace & eCommerce

Connecting marketplace growth to contribution margin, customer experience and the operating work behind each transaction.

MARKETPLACE OPERATIONS

Marketplace Growth Strategy: Follow Contribution Margin and the Exceptions

Assess marketplace growth through contribution margin, product data, customer experience and exception work so more transactions strengthen the business.

Michael Schnapf

M&A Integration

Making the decisions that protect customer continuity and turn an acquisition plan into operating progress.

M&A INTEGRATION

Post-Merger Integration: The Decisions That Make a 100-Day Plan Useful

Build a post-merger integration plan around decision rights, customer continuity, operating-model choices and measurable benefits that have owners.

Michael Schnapf

Earlier note: Integration starts with decisions, not systems.

Operating Discipline & Value Creation

Finding the constraints, costs and ownership gaps that hold a business back, then building an accountable execution agenda.

OPERATING DISCIPLINE

SaaS Sprawl: A Cost Problem That Can Become an Operating Risk

A practical SaaS sprawl review covering owners, access, renewals, workflow dependencies and confirmed savings, including post-acquisition complexity.

Michael Schnapf

VALUE CREATION

An Operating Diagnostic for a Business That Needs a Turnaround

Diagnose operating constraints, connect customer workflows to economics and build an accountable execution agenda for a business that needs a turnaround.

Michael Schnapf

Earlier note: Before another roadmap, identify the operating constraint.

A useful next conversation.

Bring the operating problem, the investment priority or the decision that keeps getting deferred.