Published on

Mar 2024

Provar's Transformation: From Reactive Operations to Strategic Market Leadership

Use Case

Five months after completing Metavolve's Scaling Masterplan Programme, Provar saw a 30% increase in revenue and a transformative leap in profitability, ensuring long-term sustainability and a stronger foundation for future growth.

Provar, a research and development company in the deciduous fruit industry, had grown organically by responding to stakeholder needs. However, as scientists, the leadership team recognised the need to strengthen their business acumen and take a more strategic approach to growth.

"We needed to develop our 'business acumen.' We knew we wanted to grow, but we didn't know how to approach it strategically."

Founder and CEO, Dr. Iwan Labuschagne, sought to define a clear vision, empower the management team, and position Provar as a market leader. Partnering with Metavolve, Provar embarked on a journey to sharpen its strategic focus, enhance sustainability, and strengthen its leadership capabilities.

The challenge

Navigating the Shift from Reactive Operations to Strategic Clarity

Provar was established to fill a gap in the deciduous fruit industry by providing independent crop evaluations. However, its growth had been largely reactive, driven by external stakeholder demands, which created several challenges:

Lack of Strategic Direction – The company lacked a self-defined strategy, making it difficult to steer towards long-term goals.
Founder-Centric Decision-Making – Iwan’s central role in daily operations hindered the empowerment of the management team.
Inconsistent Market Engagement – Without a clear market positioning, Provar struggled to assert its value proposition effectively.
Unstructured Growth – The team saw new opportunities but lacked the structure to capitalise on them effectively.

"We conduct regular SWOT analyses. These analyses, especially those focused on business leadership, revealed that we needed a transition. We'd been improvising for the past 10 years, and it was time to take a more structured approach." – Dr. Iwan Labuschagne

To address these issues, Provar sought to develop a clear, actionable strategy that could be communicated across the company, empowering managers and reducing dependency on the founder.

Dr. Iwan Labuschagne

Founder & CEO

Our company was less focused on business than it was on investigating possibilities of growth. We were trying stuff out and then learning that it's not working. Tristan and Tatenda also repeatedly have shown out some aspects in terms of my leadership that need some changes and some more focus.

Tristan Dorfling

Senior Strategy Manager

As scientists, we recognised that we needed to develop our business acumen. That's why we initially contacted Metavolve—to become more business-oriented. We had a strong technical foundation, but we lacked the structure and strategic thinking to scale effectively.

The Approach

Strategic Realignment and Management Empowerment

Metavolve facilitated a structured Strategy Development process to help Iwan and his leadership team commit to a direction for reliable growth. This approach aimed to redefine Provar’s market engagement and internal leadership dynamics.

1. Clarifying Market Positioning – Redefining Market Engagement

"We wanted to figure out how to access new client segments, which led to developing a clearer business concept. We needed someone to facilitate this process - to help us define Provar's offerings, our clients, and our future direction."

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2. Honing Competitive Advantages – Assessing Unique Strengths

Using Porter’s Five Forces, Provar evaluated its competitive advantages through a customer-centric lens. This assessment allowed them to refine strategies to become the preferred partner in the industry.

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3. Refining the Vision – Aligning Future Direction

Metavolve facilitated the clarification of Provar’s long-term vision, ensuring it was both ambitious and attainable. This involved setting strategic goals aligned with their market position and competitive strengths, providing a clear roadmap for the organisation.

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4. Empowering Managerial Decision-Making – Strengthening Leadership

By involving managers in the Strategy Development process, they gained a deeper understanding of the company’s direction and objectives. This inclusion fostered a sense of ownership and empowered them to make decisions aligned with Provar’s strategic goals.

"It was a learning curve in terms of leadership. I learned that innovation needs to be balanced with goal orientation. We need to ensure the business is profitable and sustainable for the long term."

The Outcomes

Transitioning to Proactive Market Leadership

Through collaboration with Metavolve, Provar transformed from a reactive organisation to one with a clear, proactive strategy. The management team is now empowered to lead, reducing dependency on the founder and positioning Provar as a leader in the deciduous fruit industry.

✅ Strategic Clarity

"As a company, we've adopted a much more focused approach. We’ve realised that we can't do everything at once. We're now selecting key objectives and directing our energy towards those."

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✅ Empowered Management

The leadership team is equipped to make informed decisions, fostering autonomy and reducing founder dependency.

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✅ Enhanced Market Position

With refined market positioning and competitive strategies, Provar has strengthened its industry standing.

"I've noticed that our clients are more aware of our attention to the business side of things. They perceive Provar as more innovative and forward-thinking."

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✅ Significant Business Growth

Just five months after completing the programme, Provar saw a 30% increase in revenue and a transformative leap in profitability, ensuring long-term sustainability and a stronger foundation for future growth.

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✅ Long-Term Sustainability

‍"The whole experience gave us a new framework to work from. It wasn't just about the details; it was about changing our mindset and understanding the dynamics of running a sustainable business."

Tatenda Kawhena

COO

The process gave me more confidence and less anxiety about the company's future. I was able to think more constructively about how the business would develop and how we could ensure its sustainability. The whole experience gave us a new framework to work from. It wasn’t just about the details; it was about changing our mindset and understanding the dynamics of running a sustainable business.

Dr. Iwan Labuschagne

CEO

We provide a valuable service at a reasonable price. I no longer feel the need to undercut ourselves. We've gained a clearer understanding of our worth and our clients' needs. Going through this process has made me feel much more secure in our position.

In Short

By partnering with Metavolve, Provar shifted from a reactive operational model to a strategically driven organisation. This transformation involved clarifying their market positioning, honing competitive advantages, refining their vision, and empowering their management team. As a result, Provar is now positioned for sustainable growth and proactive market leadership.

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