March 25, 2026

How To Do a Reverse Merger Into a Public Shell Company in 9 Not So Easy Steps. Or SPAC in 10!

How To Do a Reverse Merger Into a Public Shell Company in 9 Not So Easy Steps. Or SPAC in 10!

A reverse merger into a public shell company or completing a SPAC merger can provide a path for companies going public without an IPO. While these strategies can happen faster than a traditional IPO, they are complex transactions involving regulatory compliance, financial restructuring, governance changes, and investor scrutiny. That means they need seasoned C-suite leadership to execute properly.

The Market Context: Why Reverse Mergers and SPAC Deals Are Returning

During the market surge of 2021, SPAC mergers became one of the most talked-about alternatives to the traditional IPO. In a zero-interest-rate environment, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) brought many private companies to public markets with fewer barriers than the standard IPO process.

When market conditions tightened and stocks declined, SPAC activity slowed significantly. However, the SPAC market has begun to rebound.

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February 6, 2026

FABS: Why the Right Leadership Mindset Matters

FABS: Why the Right Leadership Mindset Matters

Every organization needs a leader. But not just any leader will do. Success depends on finding the right leader to meet the organization’s needs in that precise moment.

But, as we have learned over more than 12 years of working to place the right leader into the right organization at the right time, doing that is no easy feat.

In fact, it’s why we wrote our new book on leadership, Right Leader Right Time: Discover Your Leadership Style for a Winning Career and Company. (Visit Right Leader to learn more.)

The book is the culmination of our experience over the last 12 years, experience that has shown us what the most successful leaders do well.

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October 15, 2025

Expanding and Scaling Your Company: The Growth Interim’s 4-Part Success Strategy

Expanding and Scaling Your Company: The Growth Interim’s 4-Part Success Strategy

When a company reaches the point where momentum alone can’t sustain growth, it often faces the hard truth: the systems, people, and leadership that got it here may not get it there. That’s where a growth interim steps in — to stabilize, realign, and set the stage for sustainable expansion.

Whether you’re running a manufacturing business or scaling an SaaS company, the principles of disciplined growth remain the same. You must assess what’s working, fix what’s broken, and put the right leadership in place to grow without losing quality or direction.

Below, veteran growth interim Charlie Shalvoy shares the four success stages that help organizations scale strategically — and what to do when the CEO can’t scale the company alone.

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May 8, 2025

Embracing VUCA in the Workplace: How Your Company Can Thrive in a World of Constant Flux

Embracing VUCA in the Workplace: How Your Company Can Thrive in a World of Constant Flux

The landscape of the business world has always been in motion. Today, that reality is amplified. We’re operating in an era defined by unprecedented speed and interconnectedness, where disruptions can emerge from anywhere and reshape entire sectors overnight.

This hyper-dynamic environment makes traditional planning feel increasingly precarious. As Mike Tyson famously said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Today, those punches can land swiftly and unexpectedly, making it difficult to predict what’s next.

The U.S. Army War College has an acronym for that: VUCA. It stands for:

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August 16, 2024

Fraud Risk Management 101: How to Protect Your Business From Corrupt Clients and Employees

Fraud Risk Management 101: How to Protect Your Business From Corrupt Clients and Employees

Maribeth Vander Weele once saved a client from a disastrous $250 million deal. The client was $90 million into the deal when intuition told him something was wrong and he hired her firm to do a fraud risk assessment. Ten days later, her firm had “put together enough red flags about that individual” that the client was able to withdraw from the deal without losing a dime. A year and half later, law enforcement investigated, shut down the company, and sent the leaders to prison, she says.

Wander Weele, whose company, The Vander Weele Group, now specializes in oversight of large-scale grant programs for government agencies, says that more people need to do “pre-diligence.” That is the deep dive into the background of the partners that will tell you whether they are people you want to do business with.

“People come to us when they have some intuition about a deal. Everything else looks good in the deal, but that intuition is kicking in. We deep dive the internet. We put together facts, dive through thousands of references to that individual or company, and put together a story of who this person really is,” she told Robert Jordan, CEO of InterimExecs in an interview.

In another case, her team investigated a company that grew from $27 million to $300 million very quickly — an unbelievable feat given the company’s limited infrastructure. Learning that requires looking beyond the usual data points of the financials.

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August 8, 2024

Why Acquisitions Fail and How to Get it Right: Advice from Experts Who Have Mastered the Acquisition Integration

Why Acquisitions Fail and How to Get it Right: Advice from Experts Who Have Mastered the Acquisition Integration

During a wide-ranging discussion, our panel of powerhouse women business leaders — Sarai Schubert, Cristina Iaboni, and Kim Marren, led by InterimExecs President Olivia Wagner — shared their insights about why acquisitions fail and the expertise they’ve gained leading companies through big and small, strategic and tuck-in mergers and acquisitions.

This insightful discussion dives into the critical aspects of navigating the M&A process, from developing a strong integration plan to fostering a positive culture for a seamless transition. You can get all of the insights by watching the full webinar here, or by reading through this edited transcript. Or get the highlights in this post that tells you how to ace the acquisition integration.

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May 22, 2024

Resolving Conflict on the Management Team: Why it Starts and How to Fix It

Resolving Conflict on the Management Team: Why it Starts and How to Fix It

Not long ago, InterimExecs was approached by a human resources professional who was concerned about the level of conflict among the members of the management team. The clashes had reached a point where they were, she said, ready to kill one another.

That got us thinking: Is conflict simply the nature of the beast these days?

Turns out the answer is no, according to Alicia Fortinberry and Bob Murray. Their company, Fortinberry Murray, is “committed to arming people and businesses with the knowledge and practical skills to build the organizations, communities, families and relationships that are compatible with our ‘design specs’ and enable people to be healthy and fulfilled.”

InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan sat down with the duo to talk about conflict on management teams and how to handle it. This is an edited transcript of their conversation.

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February 27, 2024

The 6 Biggest Business Mistakes and How to Fix Them

The 6 Biggest Business Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Interim executives, by definition, come into difficult situations, assess them quickly, and create a plan for success. That means they have a front-row seat to the most common business mistakes companies make in the areas of leadership, operations, human capital, strategy, business finances, and change initiatives.

Focusing on these fundamental business needs is a good starting point for any struggling business.

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April 28, 2023

The 4 Key Parts of Strategic Plan Execution and Why Interim Executives Excel at Them All

The 4 Key Parts of Strategic Plan Execution and Why Interim Executives Excel at Them All

We believe talk is cheap, execution is precious and when well done, makes everything sing. Plan execution is why interim executives can be the answer for a company struggling with any sort of transition — from an unplanned vacancy in the C-Suite to unexpected market disruption to the desire to expand to new products, new types of automation, or new parts of the world.

Unlike consultants who come in, assess the situation, develop a strategic plan and leave, interim leaders understand that their job is to shine in the execution phase. Interims are experts at transforming organizations, leading companies through challenges that must be solved to survive and thrive.

Interims approach project objectives using a framework that has them Assess, Plan, and Execute (APE) repeatedly, revising approaches based on the client’s most pressing needs.

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April 28, 2023

6 Reasons Your Business Strategy is Failing and How to Fix It

6 Reasons Your Business Strategy is Failing and How to Fix It

Great strategies often fail as a result of poor execution and, at the same time, great execution cannot save a truly poor business strategy.

Even great organizations can struggle due to the limitations of their thinking or approaches. The existing leadership team may fail to plan, execute, measure, and refine business goals as the company grows and faces the tough headwinds of a competitive marketplace.

Decision-making gives way to “analysis paralysis” as the team contemplates large-scale change with very high stakes. The longer this cycle continues, the harder change becomes.

Here we take a deep dive into the most common reasons business strategies fail and how to fix them with the help of interim executives who bring a unique combination of strategy and execution.

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