Working With Duran on Value Improvement
Value Acceleration Methodology™ — Three Gates
This page covers Gate 2. The Value Builder Score and the CVGA 8 Functions are the methodologies that drive it.
Take your Value Builder Score from where it is to where it needs to be, using the proven 8-driver methodology, accelerated by AI and automation.
Gate 2 of the EPI Value Acceleration Methodology is where the actual value-improvement work happens. You have taken the Value Builder Score. You know your starting number, your strongest drivers, and your weakest. Now we put the work in, together, to move the score, document the systems, and make the business calmer and more profitable to run while we do it.
How Gate 2 works at Duran
Most coaching programs stop at the diagnostic. Ours does not. We layer four frameworks together so the work is always grounded in what to measure, what to learn, what to act on, and how to move fast.
Value Builder Score. The 8 drivers, scored 0–100. The starting baseline we improve against.
The drivers also make the business easier and more profitable to run today, not just to sell.
CVGA's 8 operational functions tell us which levers to pull, and in what order, to move each driver.
AI and automation applied to the prioritized functions. Fewer months. Bigger lift. Deep dive →
Two ways to work with us
Both tracks use the same methodology. The difference is the rhythm, and who you are in the room with.
1-on-1 Track
Direct advisory engagement, paced to your business.
- 90-day sprints. Matches EPI's Prepare-gate cadence. Each sprint targets 1 to 2 drivers.
- Monthly working sessions. A senior Duran Advisors advisor in the room with you, not just on a call list.
- Quarterly score remeasurement. We watch the number move, not just the activity.
- Full Value Builder platform. Driver-level tools, benchmarks, planning materials.
- AI/automation implementation. The differentiator, baked into every sprint.
Status: forming. Currently accepting applications from owners interested in being among the first founding clients of this program.
Group Cohort Track
FastTrack-format: a small group of owners working through the methodology together.
- Small cohort. Limited spots so every owner gets real airtime.
- Weekly group sessions. Methodology one week, owner-led problem solving the next.
- Peer learning. The other owners in the room are often the most valuable part.
- Full Value Builder platform. Same toolkit as the 1-on-1 track.
- AI/automation playbooks. Same differentiator, tuned for cohort pace.
Status: pilot cohort forming. Limited founding-member spots in the first cohort. Cohort start dates announced once the roster is set.
What founding clients get
Because we are building these programs with the first owners in the room.
- Shaping influence. Your feedback shapes the format itself.
- Founding pricing. Held lower than the post-pilot rate.
- Senior-advisor lead. Founding engagements run under direct senior-advisor leadership in every session, not handed off to a junior associate.
- Case-study consideration. Public credit with your permission, never without.
What we are working toward
Outcomes Gate 2 is built to produce
- An improved Value Builder Score. The headline measurement: a higher number, every quarter.
- Documented systems. What stays in the business when you leave the room.
- Decreased owner dependence. Decisions move out of your inbox and into the team.
- Demonstrable AI/automation lift. Marketing, sales, and operations measurably faster and more consistent.
- Cleaner, more profitable monthly operations. The business gets calmer to run today, not just better to sell later.
A note on the AI & automation layer
Every Gate 2 engagement at Duran is AI- and automation-first. That is not a feature. It is the engine. Where traditional value-builder programs ask owners to find the time to do the work, our model uses AI and automation to compress timelines, decrease owner load, and produce measurable lift on the operational levers that drive the score.
For the deep dive on how this works, the 8 Drivers mapped to CVGA's 8 functions, and where AI/automation gets applied first, see AI & Automation for Value Growth.
Apply as a founding client
Tell us about your business and which track fits. We will respond within a few business days with a fit conversation.
Start the application