How We Work
Every engagement begins with a conversation. Work is prescribed at the depth your business requires. Not sold as a fixed package.
The Approach
RiverHouse is not a consulting firm that delivers recommendations and exits. Not a software platform that calculates demand without governing decisions. And not a staffing solution that fills a seat without structural intent.
Every engagement is personal. Ray Hurt works directly with your leadership team inside your existing systems, operating cadence, and data environment. No junior associates. No handoffs. No decks that sit on a shelf.
We advise with precision. We install with authority. We govern with discipline.
How Engagements Are Scoped
RiverHouse prescribes engagement depth based on three factors: the severity of capital exposure, the urgency of the structural gap, and the bandwidth of your leadership team.
Every engagement begins the same way: a diagnostic conversation. The structural condition of the business is assessed and the right entry point is identified. No engagement is sold before that conversation occurs.
From there, work proceeds at one of three levels.
LEVEL 1
Structural Performance Audit
The diagnostic entry point.
A 21-day consulting engagement that defines enforceable capital boundaries before additional exposure compounds.
RiverHouse works inside your data and planning environment to separate committed from flexible exposure, define buy-limit thresholds tied to liquidity tolerance, and deliver a stabilization blueprint your team can use immediately.
If capital behavior corrects once thresholds are defined, no further engagement is required.
Best for: Brands where inventory exposure is present and uncontrolled capital deployment must stop before it compounds further.
LEVEL 2
Commitment Gate Installation
The structural fix.
An 8 to 12 week engagement that installs a live commitment gate inside your weekly operating rhythm.
RiverHouse integrates into your planning cadence to enforce approval boundaries before purchase orders are released, govern Open-to-Buy against liquidity tolerance, and document overrides with capital impact.
Best for: Brands where capital drift is visible and thresholds alone are insufficient to hold commitment discipline.
LEVEL 3
Embedded Governance
The ongoing seat.
Ongoing fractional inventory authority inside the planning and commitment seat. Hours are scoped to client complexity with no fixed weekly commitment.
RiverHouse leads cadence, enforces thresholds, documents overrides, and maintains decision discipline. Engagement intensity steps down as discipline holds.
Best for: Brands where inventory decisions materially influence liquidity, executive attention, and board visibility.
What Does Not Change
You retain final capital authorization at all times. Work happens inside your existing environment. No software is sold. No implementation project is required. RiverHouse works inside your ERP, planning tools, and marketplace systems.
Senior authority is present in every session. Capacity is intentionally limited so the same operator is present in every engagement. No junior associates. No handoffs. If capital behavior corrects at a lower level of engagement, no further work is required.
How to Start
The first step is a diagnostic conversation. Not a sales call.
The structural condition of your inventory and capital commitment architecture is assessed.
If RiverHouse is the right fit, the appropriate engagement level is recommended and scoped.
If it is not, that will be said directly.
No obligation. No pitch before that conversation happens.