No matter your business or your industry, we all know pricing is critical. But it can be complicated too. Knowing how to value your products or services is just the start. One of the most challenging parts of pricing is that it is fluid, and changing prices, for any reason, can be hard. All these factors and more came into play with a new assignment I had early in my career.

The company I was working for had just completed its first acquisition of a smaller business that was intended to help expand product offerings, geographic presence, and customer base. The acquired company was primarily controlled and managed by its founding owner and the business had limited performance metrics, documented processes, reporting, or transparency. A few months into the transition, it was not going well, and I was asked to relocate immediately–as in within one week–to become the financial controller and help get things turned around.