Great insight shouldn't belong only to great big companies.
Great Path exists to put enterprise-grade clarity in the hands of the owners who need it most. It started with a simple frustration, and a business named after the five people who matter most.
For nearly two decades, I built the reporting and decision systems that billion-dollar companies run on. I saw firsthand how much leverage comes from simply seeing the numbers clearly. Every big decision gets easier when the data is organized and the next move is obvious.
Then I'd look at the small businesses around me, the ones with real revenue, real ambition, and real data sitting unused inside the tools they already paid for. They didn't have a team of analysts. They had a gut feeling and a hope. And they were leaving growth on the table, not for lack of effort, but because no one had ever turned their numbers into a plan.
“The answers were already there. Someone just had to dig them out.”
So I built Great Path to bring that same enterprise discipline, the structure and the KPIs and the automation, down to the businesses that need it most, in a way that's simple enough to actually use. No jargon. No analyst salaries. Just the next move, every month.
Great Path carries my kids' name. The five of them spell out GREAT. A daily reminder of exactly who I'm building for, and the standard I hold this work to. Every owner I help is somebody's livelihood, somebody's family. I don't take that lightly.
Structured Paths. Not one-size-fits-all programs.
Proven systems from the corporate world
Nearly two decades in a corporate environment focused on hitting targets consistently, building systems that scale, and finding inefficiencies and closing gaps. We bring that same discipline to small businesses without the bureaucracy.
- Hitting targets consistently
- Building systems that scale
- Identifying inefficiencies and closing gaps
Clear structure, better decisions, and measurable outcomes.
We think like operators, not consultants
We've sat on both sides: running a business day to day, evaluating performance and making real decisions, and buying a business and navigating the transition firsthand.
- What actually improves profit
- What reduces risk
- What makes a business easier to run, buy, or sell
Not theory. Not generic advice.
AI is a tool. Not a strategy
There's a lot of noise around AI right now. Our position is straightforward: it's powerful, but only when applied correctly. Not using it today is like choosing to run a business without email, a website, or a phone. Forcing it where it doesn't belong creates just as many problems.
- Turning raw data into clear insights
- Identifying trends and opportunities faster
- Supporting better decisions, not replacing them
We use AI where it creates leverage, and nowhere else.
Built for owners, not for theory
Most advisory firms start with a framework or a tool and try to apply it across hundreds of businesses. We start somewhere different: with the owner. Great Path was built by someone actively running a small business, not just advising one.
Structured Paths. Not one-size-fits-all programs.
The values behind every path.
Long-term thinking
We optimize for where you'll be in five years, not just this quarter. Durable value beats a quick spike.
AI where it helps, human where it matters
The engine does the watching and the math. A real person makes sure it fits your business, your goals, and your life.
Focus on what moves the needle
A handful of decisions drive most of the results. We spend our energy there, and cut the noise.
Consistency builds value
Small, smart moves, made every single month, compound into something worth a great deal.
If you're an owner sitting on data you've never had the time to use, I'd genuinely love to show you what's hiding in it. No pitch, no jargon, just a straight conversation about your business and where it could go.
Dan Merkel, Founder, Great Path Advisors