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Kem Krest: A Case Study of Resilience & Rebuilding

February 6, 2023

As Pres­i­dent of Kem Krest, Amish had seen remark­able year-on-year growth. But when the com­pa­ny con­front­ed a rut, he found it was hard to rise above the sit­u­a­tion to get an unbi­ased per­spec­tive. And yet, this would be exact­ly the per­spec­tive he need­ed to keep the team account­able and face the bru­tal facts with a results-ori­ent­ed mindset. 

Turn­ing a New Leaf

It was at this point, in turn­ing to his CEO group that he faced unan­i­mous advice: get a coach. It wasn’t some­thing that had crossed Amish’s mind before, but as he took the first step to reach out to Lawrence & Co. things start­ed to fall into place. This is where a co-pilot is critical.

“I’m a moun­tain climber, so I think about the per­spec­tive of the peak. Say you’re climb­ing Kil­i­man­jaro, on the first day, it’s a switch­back. It takes a few days to get per­spec­tive, to be the trail­head at the top. An advi­sor stand­ing at a dif­fer­ent per­spec­tive can help you see where you’re going. I think it’s phys­i­cal­ly and emo­tion­al­ly impos­si­ble with­out that per­spec­tive,” says Amish. 

A Bal­anced Perspective

With some per­spec­tive, Amish could see the real­i­ty — busi­ness­es go through cycles, they ebb and flow. The CEO often feels that they have to do it alone. But hav­ing an advi­sor can help you reach your full poten­tial. Amish found that much to be true for Kem Krest. 

The keys to his suc­cess were: 

  • A cul­ture of strate­gic thinking
  • Atten­tion to detail
  • Dis­ci­pline
  • Humil­i­ty
  • Will­ing­ness to do the work

Lawrence & Co. brought an objec­tive out­side view, a man­age­ment sys­tem, and a mis­sion to keep things sim­ple and ensure success.

To learn more about how Amish turned around his team into a C‑suite of A‑players or rebuilt his strat­e­gy, read more here. 

The Chal­lenge

  • How can you put your sup­ports in place in advance, so that if you ever run into a low spot, you know exact­ly where to turn?

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About Lawrence & Co.
Lawrence & Co. is a growth strategy and leadership advisory firm that helps mid-market companies achieve lasting, reliable growth. Our Growth Management System turns 30 years of experience into practical steps that drive clarity, alignment, and performance—so leaders can grow faster, with less friction, and greater confidence.

About Kevin Lawrence
Kevin Lawrence has spent three decades helping companies scale from tens of millions to hundreds of millions in revenue. He works side-by-side with CEOs and leadership teams across North America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Europe, bringing real-world insights from hands-on experience. Kevin is the author of Your Oxygen Mask First, a book of 17 habits to help high-performing leaders grow sustainably while protecting their mental health and resilience. He also contributed to Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0). Based in Vancouver, he leads Lawrence & Co, a boutique firm of growth advisors.