Dan McMillen

Challenge

Leadership suspected third-party sellers were undercutting genuine product sales on a major marketplace, but had no way to measure the impact.

Approach

Built custom web scraping tools to identify and track non-genuine listings. Developed algorithms to estimate third-party sales volume and connected the data to internal metrics.

Result

Discovered non-genuine sales were significantly higher than estimated—impacting millions in revenue. Leadership gained visibility into a hidden problem, enabling targeted enforcement and channel strategy changes.

Challenge

Inside sales spent hours manually calculating government contract bids. Complex pricing rules meant mistakes either lost deals or left money on the table.

Approach

Reverse-engineered the complete government bidding system. Derived mathematical relationships that optimize bid pricing and built an automated tool for the sales team.

Result

Bid preparation dropped from hours to minutes. Removed guesswork, reduced errors, and freed the team to focus on winning deals instead of spreadsheet work.

Challenge

Monthly sales reports showed erratic seasonality that didn't match reality. Leadership couldn't trust the data for planning, and no one could explain why.

Approach

Investigated the full data pipeline from retail partners to internal reporting. Discovered retail calendar conventions were creating artificial distortions. Re-derived correct formulas.

Result

Forecasting accuracy improved immediately. Planning teams finally had data they could trust—improving every downstream decision that depended on seasonality patterns.

Challenge

Engineers spent significant time manually creating complex assembly drawings. The process was slow, error-prone, and pulled technical talent away from higher-value work.

Approach

Broke down all components of the technical drawing process. Identified patterns and rules that could be systematized. Programmed a complete automation solution.

Result

$200,000 in annual savings. The system is still running 17+ years later—a testament to building solutions that last.

Challenge

A nationwide network of retail kiosks was underperforming. The company needed to optimize placement across thousands of locations but lacked a systematic approach.

Approach

Identified primary performance drivers using big data analytics—store traffic, demographics, category-specific factors. Built a scenario modeling tool with geographic visualization.

Result

Reallocated 158 kiosks and added 512 new locations based on data-driven optimization. Net result: $10M increase in annual sales.

Challenge

A major CPG company needed to reduce SKU count but couldn't align internally on which products to cut. A previous 9-month engagement with a top consulting firm had failed to deliver a workable solution.

Approach

Built a complete market simulation linking product decisions to financial outcomes. Created scenario modeling tools that connected SKU changes to actual margin impact.

Result

Delivered a working solution in 8 weeks. Enabled 20% SKU reduction with full organizational alignment. Teams moved from reactive analysis to proactive strategy.

Challenge

A premium chocolate brand needed to establish category thought leadership with major retailers to influence shelf placement and category strategy.

Approach

Developed a comprehensive thought leadership platform grounded in shopper insights. Created retailer-specific strategies and compelling data-driven presentations.

Result

Won Progressive Grocer 'Category Captain' award—industry recognition for excellence in category management and retail partnership.