01 · Clarity Through Cadence
A disciplined operating rhythm that aligns execution with vision and drives continuous improvement. Weekly, quarterly, annual. Every meeting has a job.
AUSTIN, TEXAS · SERVING CLIENTS NATIONWIDE
Business clarity.
Execution aligned with vision.
Black Knight Strategy Group helps founders, visionaries, integrators, and leadership teams work on the business. We build the cadence, structure, and people that turn strategy into results.
Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Based in Austin, serving clients nationwide
- Former COO
- Private Equity Exit & Integration
- Integrator
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
- Two Decades of Leadership
What does Black Knight Strategy Group do?
Black Knight Strategy Group is an Austin, Texas strategy and operations firm. We install the operating system a growing company runs on: clear values and vision, the right people in the right seats, and a weekly-to-annual meeting cadence that keeps execution aligned with vision.
We look for simple, innovative solutions to complex problems. Three pillars drive every engagement:
02 · Right People, Right Seats
Clear structure, defined accountabilities, and the right people in the right seats. When everyone knows what they own, the founder stops being the bottleneck.
03 · Cross-Pollination
We bring best-in-class practices from eight industries to your challenges to find opex multipliers. What works on a manufacturing floor can fix a law firm's intake. What works in a roofing branch can fix a clinic's schedule.
Who do we help?
We work with the people responsible for where a company is going and how it gets there: founders, Visionaries, Integrators, and leadership teams.
- Founders and Visionaries who have the ideas but are stuck working in the business instead of on it.
- Integrators and COOs who carry the execution load and need a seasoned sparring partner.
- Leadership teams that meet often but don't move: same issues, every week.
- Owners and operating partners facing growth, an acquisition, or an integration that the current structure can't absorb.
What changes when you work with Black Knight?
| Area | Without clarity | With Black Knight |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | Meetings are ad hoc, and nothing gets decided. | A weekly meeting with a set agenda where issues get solved. |
| Clarity | Everyone has a different version of the plan. | One vision and 90-day priorities everyone knows. |
| Accountability | Unclear who owns what. | Every seat has an owner. |
| People | Tolerating C players. | Right people in the right seats. |
| Founder | Stuck in the weeds. | Freed to lead the vision. |
| Execution | Fire drills. | Predictable progress. |
How can we help?
We coach, design, and facilitate. You can bring us in for a single session, a 60 to 90 day operating system build, or an ongoing partnership.
- Integrator Coaching: Sharpen the person who runs the business day to day.
- Visionary/Integrator Relationship Coaching: Get the two people at the top pulling in the same direction.
- Values and Vision Establishment: Define what you stand for and where you're going, in plain words your team can repeat.
- Cadence and Organizational Build-out: Design the meeting rhythm and org structure, including a Right People, Right Seats assessment.
- Quarterly and Annual Planning Sessions: Facilitated sessions that set priorities and keep them on track.
- Weekly Leadership Meetings and Integration: A weekly meeting that solves issues instead of just reporting on them.
- Fractional COO and Integrator: Embedded operating leadership for a defined term.
- M&A and Post-Acquisition Integration: Bring an acquired company onto one operating rhythm.
What is an operating cadence?
Definition: Operating cadence. The fixed rhythm of meetings (weekly, quarterly, and annual) through which a leadership team sets priorities, tracks progress, and solves issues. A strong cadence makes execution predictable instead of heroic.
Most companies don't have a strategy problem. They have a follow-through problem. Cadence fixes follow-through.
- Daily huddles (stand-ups) Every day
- Weekly leadership meeting Every week
- Quarterly planning Every 90 days
- Annual planning Once a year
How does an engagement work?
Every engagement follows four steps: Assess, Align, Install Cadence, Sustain.
- Step 01
Vision, people, and gaps
Assess:
Vision, people, and gaps. Where you are, where you're headed, and what's in the way.
- Step 02
Values, priorities, seats
Align:
Values, priorities, and seats. The leadership team agrees on what matters and who owns it.
- Step 03
Weekly to annual rhythm
Install Cadence:
The weekly-to-annual rhythm, built and run until it holds.
- Step 04
Coach and improve
Sustain:
Coaching and continuous improvement, so the system gets better instead of fading out.
Which industries do we serve?
We've built operations in eight industries, and we carry what works in one into the others.
- Legal
- Manufacturing
- Construction
- Media
- Direct Marketing
- Agency
- Home & Trade Services
- Medical
- Fintech
- Non-profits
Legal · Manufacturing · Construction · Trades & Field Services · Media, Marketing & Creative · Medical & Healthcare · Fintech · Non-Profits
Who is Will Dahlstrom?
Will Dahlstrom is the Founder & Principal of Black Knight Strategy Group. He is an operator with two decades of leadership, including COO roles at a National Top 100 roofing company, a multi-state law firm, and a media and printing company.
He is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and an Integrator. He has led a private equity exit and integration, run multiple manufacturing businesses, and served as an Operating Partner across a five-company holding-company portfolio. When you work with Black Knight, you work with Will.
How much does it cost?
$500 per hour, $2,500 per half day, or $5,000 per full day. Larger engagements (an Operating System Build-out, an Ongoing Integration Partner retainer, or Fractional Operating Leadership) are quoted per scope.
Why trust Black Knight?
Black Knight is a Disabled Veteran-Owned Business led by Will Dahlstrom, a former COO, Integrator, and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with two decades of leadership across 8 industries.
- Credentials: Integrator · Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
- Operating experience: Led a National Top 100 roofer through a private equity exit and integration · COO roles in law and media · General Manager of manufacturing businesses · M&A in cryogenics · two decades of leadership
- Breadth: 8 industries, from law firms and clinics to plants, contractors, and non-profits
- Ownership: Disabled Veteran-Owned Business
Common questions
What does an Integrator coach do?
Helps the person in the Integrator seat run the company's operating cadence, hold the leadership team accountable, and translate the Visionary's ideas into executed priorities.
How much does a fractional COO cost in Austin?
At Black Knight, fractional operating leadership is quoted per engagement. Discrete work is $500/hour, $2,500/half day, or $5,000/full day.
How do I fix the Visionary-Integrator relationship?
Clarify who owns what, agree on a shared vision, and give the two of you a recurring meeting to resolve issues before they reach the team.
Do you only work with companies running EOS?
No. We use an EOS-style cadence because it works, but we tailor it to your business.