The GRITT System

A System Built for
Lasting Business Results

GRITT is not a one-time strategy session. It's a structured system that changes how your leadership team thinks, communicates, and executes. Permanently.

The Philosophy

Born in a Living Lab

GRITT wasn't built by academics or theorists. It was born from the real-world success of PFSbrands - a company founded by Shawn Burcham and his wife Julie from their home in 1998 that became a $100M+, 100% employee-owned enterprise across 40 states.

The GRITT methodology is a no-nonsense, "roll up your sleeves" system designed for operational scaling. Straight talk. Proven practice. Results you can measure.

Shawn Burcham distilled that experience into Keeping Score with GRITT: Straight Talk Strategies for Success, a Forbes Books publication that captures the principles behind GRITT's approach to business literacy and performance.

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The PFSbrands Story
1998 - Founded

Shawn & Julie Burcham started PFSbrands from their home with a simple belief: treat people like owners.

Growth - Scale

Scaled to 2,000+ foodservice locations across 40 states using the same principles that became the GRITT methodology.

Today - $100M+ & 100% Employee-Owned

PFSbrands operates as a fully employee-owned (ESOP) enterprise - proof that the GRITT system works at scale.

Who It's For

Built for Leadership Teams Ready to Scale

GRITT is designed for CEOs, presidents, and leadership teams who are serious about growth.

You're a strong fit if:

  • Execution is inconsistent despite having capable people
  • Financial performance feels unclear or disconnected from daily decisions
  • Leadership meetings feel unproductive, lacking clarity or traction
  • Your business depends too heavily on the owner or CEO
  • You've outgrown your current operating model
  • You're planning a significant growth phase, acquisition, or ownership transition
See If GRITT Is Right for You
Manufacturing & Distribution
Complex operations, thin margins, and teams that need to pull together to compete.
Professional Services
People-driven businesses where leadership culture directly determines client outcomes.
Growth-Stage Companies
Organizations of all sizes that need structure, clarity, and alignment - without losing the agility that got them here.
ESOP or Transition-Bound
Businesses planning an ownership transition who want to maximize value and protect their culture.
The Framework

Three Pillars of Business Literacy

At the center of GRITT is one belief: people perform better when they understand the business they're part of.

Financial Literacy

How the business makes money

People Literacy

Right people, right roles

Business Literacy

Systems that support scale

This creates an ownership mindset across the organization.

The Engagement

Four Stages. One Integrated System.

Every GRITT engagement follows a structured path, customized to your business, industry, and starting point.

1

Assess

Identify what's actually holding the business back. A comprehensive diagnostic across your people, financials, and operations to uncover the real constraints limiting growth.

  • Executive interviews
  • Team surveys
  • Financial analysis
  • Operational process mapping
  • Leadership team evaluation
  • Bottleneck and constraint identification
Timeline: 2–4 weeks.
Outcome: Clear visibility into what's actually limiting growth, delivered as a comprehensive findings report with prioritized recommendations.
2

Align

Get your leadership team moving in the same direction. Define your vision, clarify roles, and establish the shared language and priorities needed to execute with confidence.

  • Facilitated vision and values workshop
  • Strategic priority setting
  • Role clarity and accountability mapping
  • KPI scorecard design
  • Leadership team alignment session
Timeline: 4–8 weeks. Includes offsite facilitation and follow-up planning sessions.
Outcome: Alignment at the leadership level.
3

Execute

Turn plans into consistent, measurable action. Install the rhythms, scorecards, and accountability structures that drive daily performance, not just quarterly intentions.

  • Weekly and quarterly meeting cadence
  • 90-day sprint planning and review
  • Financial literacy training for leaders
  • Open-book management implementation
  • Issue resolution and decision protocols
  • Scorecards and KPIs
Timeline: Ongoing quarterly rhythm. Typically 3 years for full system adoption.
Outcome: Install the systems that drive consistency. Strategy turns into daily action.
4

Sustain

Make performance part of how the business operates. Embed the GRITT system into your culture so results continue and compound long after the engagement ends.

  • Leadership development
  • Documentation and playbook creation
  • Leadership coaching and succession prep
  • Annual strategy review facilitation
  • Ongoing advisory access
Timeline: Full 3-year engagement.
Outcome: The system runs without dependence on the few.
The Roadmap

A Three-Year Transformation

Every GRITT engagement follows a structured three-year model, designed to build alignment first, then strategy, then disciplined execution. Here's how it progresses:

1
Year 1

Foundation

Install the core systems, tools, and leadership capability needed to create clarity across the organization.

2
Year 2

Strategy

Translate that foundation into a clear, actionable plan with defined priorities, ownership, and direction.

3
Year 3

Execution

Drive consistency. Enforce accountability. Deliver results that compound.

Optional deep-dives expand the system as your organization matures.

What to Expect

How the Engagement Works

Consistent Cadence

Monthly coaching sessions, quarterly planning, and ongoing support between sessions.

Full Team Alignment

We work with the entire leadership team, not just the CEO, so alignment happens across the business.

Measured Outcomes

We track what matters most: revenue growth, margin improvement, leadership effectiveness, and execution consistency.

Customized Approach

The GRITT framework is proven, but every engagement is fully customized to your business, team, and goals.

Confidential & Trusted

Everything shared is handled with complete confidentiality and the seriousness your business deserves.

Built to Scale

The systems we install are designed to grow with your business, so what works today continues to work as you scale.

Flagship Tool

Profit & Cash®

A hands-on business simulation that brings the realities of managing business finances to life, for everyone from senior leaders to front-line employees.

Participants step into leadership roles and make real financial decisions, learning how profit is generated and how cash actually flows, in a way that sticks through gamification.

Used by 500,000+ participants to build true business understanding and endorsed by the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO).

Learn More About Profit & Cash®
Profit & Cash simulation in action
The Mindset Shift

When the simulation ends, participants don't just understand the numbers. They understand how the business works and how their decisions impact results.

500,000+
Players Worldwide
Endorsed by
NCEO
Common Questions

Frequently Asked

Most GRITT engagements run 3 years. The first three to six months are the most intensive - assessments, alignment sessions, and system installation. After that, engagements transition to a quarterly and monthly rhythm. Many clients continue beyond 24 months in an ongoing advisory capacity.
EOS is a strong operating framework focused primarily on execution and organizational structure. Great Game of Business centers on open-book management and financial literacy. GRITT integrates both - plus leadership development, strategic planning, and ESOP support - into one connected system. We're not a replacement for those methodologies; we're a more complete approach for companies that need all three working together.
Real commitment. GRITT is a high-touch engagement - leadership team members should expect to invest meaningful time in assessments, workshops, and implementation. The CEO's active participation is essential. If the top isn't committed, the system won't take root. We're transparent about this upfront.
We establish baseline metrics at the start of every engagement - revenue, margin, cash cycle, leadership effectiveness scores, and execution reliability. We review these quarterly. Success means measurable improvement on the metrics that matter most to your business, plus a leadership team that can sustain performance independently.
GRITT engagements are priced based on company size, scope, and the specific services included. We offer custom proposals following an initial discovery conversation. Schedule a call and we'll give you a clear picture of investment and expected return - honestly, not with inflated projections.
Take the First Step

See How the GRITT System Applies to Your Business

Every business is different, but the need for alignment is universal.

Let's walk through how this system would apply to your team.

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