30 Years Finding Hidden Profit. Now With the Most Powerful Tool I've Ever Had.

Most AI consultants are technologists looking for problems to solve. I'm an operations expert with 30 years of EBITDA value creation—and AI is my newest tool.

Crystal Y. Davis

CEO, The Lean Coach, Inc.

The AI Consulting Problem

Nobody's Talking About

You've probably noticed the flood of AI consultants showing up everywhere. They're smart. They know the technology. They can build impressive things.

But here's what keeps happening:

Business owners invest in AI projects that look great in demos but don't actually change the numbers that matter. The automation gets built. The team gets trained. And six months later, you're wondering where the ROI went.

The problem isn't the technology. It's that most AI consultants have never run a P&L. They've never been through an operational excellence initiative. They've never sat across from a buyer and defended their EBITDA adjustments.

They start with what AI can do instead of what your business needs to do.

That's backwards.

Operational Analysis

Identify waste, leaks, and bottlenecks.

Process Optimization

Fix the flow. Don't automate chaos.

Al Implementation

Scale efficiency where it impacts EBITDA.

My Philosophy

Operations First,

AI Second

I've spent 30 years in the trenches of continuous improvement, operational excellence, and value creation. AI didn't change what I do. It changed how fast and how deeply I can do it.

When I walk into your operation, I'm not looking for places to install AI. I'm looking for the same things I've always looked for: where time disappears, where money leaks, where your team is stuck doing work that doesn't create value.

When AI is the answer, you'll know exactly how it connects to EBITDA. Not theory. Math.

Why This Background Matters

30 Years of Operational Excellence

I've conducted hundreds of operational assessments across manufacturing, service businesses, and professional firms. I know what "broken" looks like before anyone tells me.

EBITDA Value Creation

Focus

I speak the language of value. Normalized EBITDA. Add-backs. Valuation multiples. Every recommendation I make connects directly to what actually matters when you're building—or selling—a business.

Helped a Business Grow and Exit

I've been through the full lifecycle. I know what buyers scrutinize. I understand how operational improvements translate into valuation premiums. This isn't theory—it's lived experience.

The Methodology

How We Find Your AI Opportunities

Discovery

I interview your team at every level—leadership and frontline. Not to understand your vision, but to find the broken stuff. The time sucks everyone's gotten so used to, they don't even see them anymore.

Opportunity Mapping

I translate everything into a visual operations map. Then I build a prioritized matrix: what's high-impact and easy to implement versus what's complex. You'll see every opportunity ranked.

The Business Case

No fuzzy projections. I calculate exact ROI—cost savings and revenue upside. You'll know the implementation cost, payback period, and annual impact before you invest a dollar.

Discovery

You're a business owner preparing for an exit in the next 3-5 years and want AI investments that actually increase your valuation.

You run a PE portfolio company and need operational improvements that translate directly to EBITDA—not science projects.

You lead a manufacturing or service business and you're tired of AI pitches that sound impressive but don't connect to real numbers.

You want someone who's been in your shoes, not just someone who's read about it.

What You Walk Away With

The AI Opportunity Assessment delivers:

A complete visual map of your operations with inefficiencies flagged and prioritized.

A ranked matrix of AI opportunities organized by impact and implementation effort.

Specific ROI calculations for each recommendation—cost savings and revenue potential.

A phased roadmap showing exactly where to start and how to sequence investments.

A clear business case you can take to partners, investors, or your board.

Questions You Might Be Asking

"Do I really need an AI consultant, or is this just hype?"

Maybe you don't need AI at all. That's what the assessment reveals. But if you have manual processes, repetitive tasks, or information bottlenecks, there's likely significant value hiding in your operation. My job is to find it—and tell you honestly whether AI is the right solution.

"What makes you different from other AI consultants?"

"What does it cost?"

The assessment starts at $10,000. Most clients find opportunities worth 10-20x that amount in annual savings or revenue improvement. We can discuss specifics on a call.

Crystal Y. Davis

CEO, The Lean Coach, Inc.

About Crystal Y. Davis

For over 30 years, I've helped businesses find hidden profit through continuous improvement, operational excellence, and productivity optimization. I've worked with manufacturing operations, service businesses, and professional firms. I've helped a business grow and successfully exit.

Now I'm bringing that same operational lens to AI—helping business owners cut through the hype and find the implementations that actually move their numbers.

"I'm not interested in impressive technology that doesn't create value. I'm interested in EBITDA. If that's what matters to you too, we should talk."

Ready to Find What's Hiding

in Your Operations?

The businesses that win with AI aren't the ones that adopt it fastest. They're the ones that apply it to the right problems—the problems that actually move the P&L. Let's find yours.

30-minute call. No obligation. We'll discuss your operation and whether an assessment makes sense for your situation.