Denise Cornell — What I’m Doing Now

(This is a now page. You can make one too.)

Updated April 2, 2024 from Austin, Texas

Behind the scenes at work.

Interesting Recent Project

Pattern I Identified: A well-connected client was frequently approached by important connections for assistance in fundraising. (This is outside their core business.) Refusing to help could damage relationships, but engaging in these efforts was time-consuming with a fairly low ROI and posed reputational risks if suboptimal deals were promoted.

Opportunity: Presenting high-quality fundraising deals offered a two-way benefit: it helped the requestors access potential investors and provided the client's network with interesting deal flow opportunities.

Solution: Transform the due diligence process into a comprehensive, fee-based evaluation service to assess the readiness of the customer to pitch their deal and determine the investment opportunity's quality.

Results: 1) New revenue stream from monetizing due diligence expertise 2) Streamlined due diligence process, saving time and resources 3) Protected reputation by promoting only well-vetted, high-quality deals 4) Maintained important relationships while focusing on core business 5) Provided client’s network with solid investment opportunities.

My work in its simplest form…

  • Asking a better set of questions

  • Asking those questions at the right time (both sequentially and emotionally)

  • Asking them of people who are willing to answer

  • At the heart of every engagement, the ultimate question we’re answering is, What business am I really in? or at the personal level, Where in this business should I really be spending my time and how?

    • This is the true definition of Value Proposition

    • Building off of the work of Theodore Levitt and Clay Christensen

    • Astoundingly simple and astonishing hard to answer when you’re in the weeds with your heart and pride on the line

Who is more important than why or what. I’m way more interested in who I work with than the specifics of the scope of work. I gravitate towards:

  • curiosity, a willingness to embrace new ideas or new ways of thinking

  • people seeking answers instead of needing to be right (There’s freedom in being wrong.)

  • thoughtfulness, kindness

  • brave, crazy ideas that change the conversation (New and improved is for toothpaste.)

  • the Zero to One phase of company building

Reading.

The Power Law by Sebastian Mallaby

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

The Women: A Novel by Kristin Hannah


Storytelling.

Wow, it’s been almost two years since I debuted my latest story, The Red Tractor. I’m so damn proud of this story — the writing of it, having lived it and performing it. It’s starting to feel like this story wants a bigger stage.

Personal.

Asking myself at least once a week, “Is this where you want to be? Is this what you want to be doing? What would you like to add? What would you like to take away?” Answering honestly will, quite literally, change everything.