Navigate through uncertainty with
the support of strategic business and design consulting
Key Challenges
Small company does NOT equal small challenges
A company with a few employees face the same problems as big companies with thousands of collaborators. The size of the company does not determine the size of the challenges.
Metis is tailored to the needs of small businesses.
Importance of relationships
More than ever, small companies have to take care of the relationships they build with their collaborators, employees, clients, and extended network.
Metis’ creative and analytical process engages the whole team to make sure everyone is happy onboard.
Limited resources
With a lot less resources than big companies, small companies cannot afford to waste their time and energy.
Metis helps companies use their limited resources in a smart and creative way.
Staying Agile
Small service companies must remain flexible to have the ability to change within an competitive environment.
Working with prototypes and iterations, Metis approaches projects with versatility and agility.
Cash is reality
Small businesses cannot afford to wait and see. Being profitable requires the regular maintenance of the organization structure and processes that go in to running a good ship. It’s hard to commit to a change, carry it out, and evaluate its effectiveness.
Metis accompanies small companies to commit, implement their change process, and check regularly on their performance.
Key Success Factors
Know your bearings
Use strategic audits to know where you are, and how you compare with your competitors.
Set a direction
Have a plan, and test the waters. Use insights to create strategies to differentiate from your competitors.
Team work
Focus on the needs of your clients and your collaborators to make sure everyone is in the same boat.
Row, row, row the boat
Navigate through uncertain waters by constantly making small steps and adjustments.
What We Can Do for You
How We Work
Design and facilitation of workshops
Engage the whole team by involving them in collaborative workshops.
Stakeholder Interview
Collect real-life insights by interviewing internal and external stakeholders.
Research
Backup intuitions with information collected from research.
Iterations
Continuously test and improve on prototypes in a group setting or independently.
Deliverables
Reports
Documents resulting from collaborative workshops or independent analysis.
Strategic audits (a snapshot of the current state of your company including internal, external analysis and recommendations) and business plans are examples of outcomes.
Presentations
Branded and ready-to-use presentations to communicate better with your clients, team, and investors.
Style guides and sales decks are examples.
Websites and Apps
Live or prototype websites and apps to communicate and test your ideas.
Skills
Business Consulting
Business Strategy
Financial Analysis
Business Model Generation
Organizational Structure and Change Management
Design Consulting
Branding
Marketing and Communication
User Interface and User Experience
Service Design
How Long It Takes
Step 1
A FREE Dive
1 hr / FREE
Have a conversation about you and your challenges. Get some insights, no strings attached.
Book a session
Step 2
An Excursion
1 day
Invite Metis to your workplace to work on a mini-project.
The outcome of the session will be determined beforehand.
Request case studies
Step 2
An Expedition
3 days
Invite Metis to work on-site for a short challenge, to address a specific issue or to produce a prototype with your team.
Strategic audits, new business models, mini brand guides, mini websites, or sales decks are some examples of outcomes.
Request case studies
Step 3
Cruising Together
3 weeks + / Only available to select partners
If you and your company work well together with the Metis consultant, you can continue working together on an on-going basis.
What our partners say
Who is Metis
Ellen Zhao
Business and Design Strategist, Lead Consultant
Having spent each third of my life in China, USA, and France, I love living in a state of constant change and evolution.
With a broad knowledge of the different practices of design and business, leveraging both my creative and analytic skills, I help businesses and organizations plan and succeed their transformations.
What Partners Say
Our long term relationship has helped both companies grow. Ellen’s strategic analyses have provided fresh and very useful insights as MediaCombo’s business has evolved to meet new challenges. She has a well honed sense of how to communicate the identity mission of a company through design and she is genuinely committed to the success of her partners and clients.
We engaged Metis research to help us develop a strategic gameplan for positioning our company in a competitive industry. Their insight and industry research helped us niche down our go to market strategy and prepared us for our first VC conversations. What I liked, in particular, was the constant back and forth, the point-on case studies they provided, and the quality of the questions they asked. I highly recommend them.
I was amazed at how quickly and efficiently Metis gathered relevant and synthesized information about us and our industry. Their presentation helped getting some difficult messages through to the team.
Metis helped us clarify our concepts and prototyped in a very short time. They also made great recommendations for additional services to add to our app.
