Services
Contact Info
Reshaping Technology Consulting
OtterBear Enterprises is a specialized advisory firm designed to improve the operational, strategic, and communication capabilities of companies looking to innovate with technology. The approach combines deep industry insight with a personalized strategy to meet the unique challenges and opportunities of each client. Led by Mark Schindler, OtterBear excels in helping businesses grow, work smarter, and deliver better results.
We simplify the process of navigating technological improvement, reducing stress and uncertainty as we guide you along clear paths of software and systems advancement.
Unlocking Success in the Digital Age
OtterBear's modern twist on consulting, termed "Digital Pathfinding," helps businesses succeed in today's tech-focused world. We offer clear advice and practical help for companies big and small, no matter where they are on their technology journey. Our team works closely with you to understand your unique challenges, whether it's updating old systems, sourcing and designing new solutions, or using data more effectively. We turn complicated tech problems into simple, actionable steps that drive your business forward.
Read more
Digital Pathfinding is about crafting the ideal blend of systems, people, and strategies to propel your business forward. We focus on creating solutions that not only address your current challenges but also anticipate future needs. By leveraging cutting-edge software, data insights, and AI, we streamline your operations and elevate customer experiences. Beyond technology, we nurture leadership, providing expert coaching to individuals and teams while optimizing your organizational structure for maximum efficiency and innovation.
Click here to learn more about Digital Pathfinding.
OtterBear Services
We empower digital leaders to drive comprehensive transformation across their organizations. Our strategic approach aligns technology initiatives with business goals, fostering innovation and efficiency. By enhancing organizational capabilities and developing tech-savvy talent, we ensure a sustainable and successful digital pathway tailored to your company's unique needs.
Agile Transformation
In today's fast-paced digital world, agility and scalability are the keys to survival. At OtterBear we help transform rigid businesses into nimble powerhouses, aligning IT and operations to drive innovation and efficiency. Our proven approach dismantles silos, streamlines processes and feedback loops, as well as develops an organization rooted in adaptability and iteration.
Technology Sourcing
Sourcing the right software solutions can make or break your business, and the challenges are real: overwhelming options, integration hurdles, and the pressure to innovate while controlling costs.
But the rewards of getting it right are game-changing.
We turn help you identify valuable options, seamlessly integrate new technologies, and build strategic partnerships that drive innovation. All while balancing cost control with accessing top-tier capabilities, ensuring your technology investments propel your business forward.
Organizational (re)Design
Successful redesigns go beyond structural tweaks, addressing holistic design imperatives aligned with business strategy. Our approach assesses unique organizational strengths to create effective operating models that ensure accountability, foster collaboration, and tackle behavioral barriers. Using tech-enabled methods, we deliver more impactful results in less time, ensuring redesigns translate into tangible, sustainable performance improvements.
Other Services:
  • Recruiting for hiring managers and department heads
  • Embedded Advising for SaaS and established tech companies
  • Coaching for non-executives and new managers
  • Professional Feedback for design and product managers
  • Client Representation for outsourced development projects
OtterBear Focus Areas
Strategic Excellence
Craft go-to-market strategies, refine product development processes, and optimize operations for growth and efficiency. Results include increased sales operations and revenue, as well as overall organizational productivity.
Innovation
Seamlessly integrate IT and business strategies, accelerate product iterations, improve user satisfaction, and achieve enhanced market positioning.
Organization Design and Development
Strengthen leadership, mentor manager roles at all levels, guide effective resource deployment, and foster cohesion among growing teams.
Communication Improvement
Address communication challenges to reduce misinterpretation and costly mistakes. Offer expertise across all organizational levels and adapt to both project-specific and ongoing support needs.
How It Works

1

Retainer Model
OtterBear's month-to-month model prioritizes flexibility, aligning seamlessly with your business's operational cadence and providing access to services without the worry of accruing extra costs for each meeting.

2

Blended Meetings
Scheduled, recurring meetings for consistent guidance, are complemented by ad hoc workshop sessions and periodic onsite visits to ensure the most effective means of delivering services.

3

Pricing
OtterBear's services are thoughtfully priced to
reflect your organization's size and revenue,
ensuring access our expertise throughout your company’s lifecycle.
Additional Information
Learn more about what OtterBear can offer you and your company.
My Advisory Values
From The Trusted Advisor by David Maister
OtterBear White Papers
Non-Executive Coaching

PDF file

[White Paper] Non-Executive Coaching.pdf

118.6 KB

Digital Pathfinding

PDF file

[White Paper] Digital Pathfinding.pdf

79.6 KB

Online Resources
Ely Lerner: Should Startups Hire Advisors (VIDEO)

01:01:06

YouTube

Ely Lerner: Should Startups Hire Advisors & How much should they be paid? | E1075

Every single 20VC episode is recorded with Riverside.FM. It is the one product that I could not live without. Try it today here (https://creators.riverside.fm/20VC) and use the code 20VC for 15% off. ----------------------------------------------- Ely Lerner is an EIR at Reforge and an advisor for startups transitioning from traction to hypergrowth. Previously he was Head of Consumer Product at Chime, and before that spent an incredible 8 years at Yelp in a number of different roles including Head of Product at Eat24, and Product Leader/GM at Yelp. ----------------------------------------------- Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (00:21) Background and Experience (04:57) Business Challenges and Lessons (08:21) Advisory Roles and Leadership (14:02) Hiring and Working with Advisors (28:36) Compensation and Equity in Advisory Roles (31:27) Building Relationships and Team Dynamics (34:57) Strategic Bets in Business (46:32) Prioritization and Mistakes in Advisory Roles (51:39) Personal Reflections and Decisions (57:12) Quick-Fire Round Insights ----------------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode with Ely Lerner We Discuss: 1. Entry into Growth: How did Ely make his way from engineering manager to growth leader? What are a couple of his single biggest takeaways from his time with Yelp and Chime? Why do employees in large companies have to have P&L ownership when innovating within the larger company they are in? 2. Advisors: What, When and How: What are the three different types of advisors founders can work with today? When is the right time to engage with each of them? Should the advisor have had direct experience with the problem you need help with? How should these advisors be compensated; what is normal? What are 1-2 of the biggest reasons startup advisory roles do not work out? 3. Offense vs Defence: The Tricky Balance: What is the difference between offense and defense in product strategy? What should the resource allocation be between the two? What is the right amount of offensive strategies to have on at the same time? How can leaders prevent their defensive teams from feeling like second-class citizens? 4. Ely Lerner: AMA: Why does Ely disagree with many and suggest that horizontal products do have a core ICP? Should growth teams sit on their own or within functions in the org? What are the core reasons teams fail to ship fast? What state should your data be in when you bring in your first growth hire? ----------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Ely Lerner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elylerner Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vc_reels Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact ----------------------------------------------- #ElyLerner #Reforge #venturecapital #20vc #HarryStebbings

Laugh More, Lead Better (VIDEO)

McKinsey & Company

Laugh More. Lead Better.

A presentation by Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturers Naomi Bagdonas and Connor Diemand-Yauman