Cara Nicoletti was an emerging food entrepreneur that had recently launched her first product, a sustainably sourced, vegetable-infused meat sausage. Brooklyn, New York City-based Seemore Meats & Veggies had seen promising signs of success in local markets and pockets of the west coast, such as Los Angeles, California. Customers overwhelmingly approved of the product, and bought them by the case. Nicoletti was ready to scale her operation. However, she encountered challenges meeting the mounting demand for her products nationwide. She had already managed to enter a crowded industry dominated by industry giants Tyson Foods, JBS USA, and many others. Faced with the challenge of costly delivery expenses in her direct-to-consumer business (DTC), Nicoletti needed to decide whether she should, remain a digital DTC brand or shift to a multi-channel sales strategy that could include any combination of options such as grocery store, private label, or food service partners. Shrinking cash reserves left from her Seed Round expansion made the problem more pressing. Nicoletti needed to prove to investors that she could effectively scale, which would allow her to campaign for the funds to expand her product offering and sales operation.

After launching a successful hot cloud storage company, Founder and CEO David Friend is ready to scale the venture rapidly. Wasabi Technologies had focused primarily on direct sales, but an opportunity to pivot to channel sales was on the horizon. The company's major competitors-Amazon, Google, and Microsoft-all sold their cloud storage products through multiple channels, and Friend feared that direct sales could never provide the momentum Wasabi Technologies needed to compete. However, channel sales would include changing its sales, marketing, and staffing strategies dramatically-effectively veering the company away from its already successful course. Was channel sales the right play for the burgeoning cloud storage provider? If so, how should Friend go about it?

In May 2018, celebrated journalist Katie Couric and her husband, John Molner, had recently launched a full-service media firm called Katie Couric Media (KCM). Couric treasured the opportunity to address important social issues like gender equality, environmental sustainability, and mental health. The couple had raised enough funding to launch the venture. Now, they needed to land a first client to underwrite production costs, sign a partner to promote and distribute the content, and identify a story Couric wanted to tell. The first customer would be crucial in establishing a strong foundation for future work. They wanted to partner with a brand interested in the purpose-driven content about which they were passionate, but they did not want to sell a one-time consulting engagement. Rather, they were interested in customers to sign on for a recurring, subscription-based contract.