Strategic Rightsizing & Compliance Advisory
RESET™ Your Organization.
Review. Evaluate. Streamline. Execute. Thrive.
We make every workforce decision strategic, defensible, and value-protective.
Book a Confidential Consultation
Under Pressure to Cut Costs Fast?
You’re not cutting for the sake of cutting, you’re protecting value.
The board wants speed. The team wants stability. The lawyers want safety.
You need a plan that delivers all three, without breaking momentum (or the law).
Bloated Headcount
Redundant and inflated roles are draining ROI and slowing integration.
Every week you wait costs the company. In burn and morale.
Legal Exposure
Wrongful terminations and misclassifications don’t just stall progress, they destroy deals.
You can’t afford to “figure it out later.”
Operational Disruption
You can't afford a morale collapse or talent exodus that erodes the very value you worked hard to build and acquire.
Conflicting Advice
Legal says slow down. HR says be careful. Finance says cut now.
You need decisive action backed by expertise.
You can’t afford to guess.
That’s why I built RESET™, a proven framework for making every workforce decision strategic, defensible, and value-protective.
The RESET™ Framework includes two engagement options, an initial Audit for rapid clarity, and a full Blueprint for execution and integration.
“Nicole helped us cut costs fast without triggering risk or chaos. Every step was structured, compliant, and crystal clear.”
- Private Equity Operating Partner, Toronto
"I know how hard it is to make cuts without breaking what made the company valuable. My job is to help you move fast, safely."
Meet Nicole Klug
Strategic Rightsizing & Compliance Advisor
Creator of the RESET™ Framework
I help acquirers, founders, and operators right-size and rebuild teams, fast, safely, and without chaos.
My work sits at the intersection of legal precision and operational strategy, ensuring every workforce decision is both compliant and value-protective.
Over the past several years, I’ve led small and mid-sized restructuring and integration initiatives, from reducing headcount and realigning leadership roles to designing contractor-based operating models that improve agility and reduce risk.
I’ve seen firsthand how messy these transitions can get when there’s no clear process, and that’s exactly why I built the RESET™ Framework: to make change defensible, efficient, and human.
Before consulting, I led strategic operations and executive leadership roles where I learned how to stabilize companies under pressure, bring structure to ambiguity, and execute sensitive workforce changes that stick.
Supported by a vetted network of HR, legal, and accounting specialists across Canada and the U.S. Together, we make sure every recommendation is legally sound, financially precise, and operationally feasible.
Certified Working Genius Facilitator. Helping leaders rebuild aligned, high-functioning teams
Zero wrongful-termination claims to date across all rightsizing engagements delivered via the RESET™ Blueprint
Delivered leadership and operational continuity and increased ROI across multiple PE-backed and founder-led companies
Creator of the proprietary RESET™ Framework for defensible workforce change
A Proven, Legally Defensible Path to Restructuring Without Unnecessary Risk
The RESET™ Blueprint turns workforce chaos into clarity. It’s a structured, legally sound approach to rightsizing that protects your business.
Every phase is strategic, defensible, and human ensuring you reduce cost, and risk.
1
Review
We conduct a comprehensive audit of your roadmap, goals, and workforce.
Beyond just contracts and technical classifications, we dig into the DNA of your organization and it's people to surface misalignments and hidden risks. We are experts at uncovering things beyond what's on paper that can lead to legal exposure.
2
Evaluate
We uncover hidden redundancies and pinpoint areas of critical talent.
We combine operational data with assessment tools (including The Six Types of Working Genius, where certified facilitation applies) to identify skills overlap, gaps, and strategic keepers.
This phase ensures you’re cutting based on value and capability, not just titles or spreadsheets.
3
Streamline
We help re-design your organization for the future.
We create a lean, compliant structure that eliminates redundancy while preserving the core capabilities and competitive advantages that drive growth.
Every decision is grounded in strategic intent and defensibility.
4
Execute
We enable you to implement change with confidence and precision.
We handle the legal and operational legwork, compliant documentation, proper sequencing, and communication protocols, minimizing exposure while maintaining stability and trust.
5
Thrive
With a goal to stabilize and strengthen after change.
We help leadership implement retention and performance systems to ensure sustainable growth.
The focus isn’t headcount, it’s building the right foundation for what’s next.
Every phase is strategic, compliant, and human, ensuring you reduce cost, not capability.
Get Clarity Before You Act
Before you make a single cut, understand your exposure. In a brief confidential session, we’ll pinpoint where your greatest compliance and operational risks likely lie, identify immediate red flags, and outline what a defensible, strategic approach could look like, so you can act with confidence, not hesitation.
You’ll walk away with:
  • A high-level snapshot of your compliance and risk posture.
  • Awareness of potential legal and operational red flags.
  • Guidance on whether a RESET™ Audit, a full RESET™ Blueprint, or safely continuing independently is recommended for your situation.
Clients who complete a RESET™ Audit may apply their investment as a credit towards a full RESET™ Blueprint within 90 days.
Get a preliminary view of your compliance landscape, before making your next move.
What You Gain From Doing It Right
When a workforce reduction or integration is handled well, the benefits are immediate and lasting. You protect organizational value, preserve critical talent, and create the foundation for a stronger next phase of growth.
Reduced Legal and Financial Exposure
Defensible documentation, compliant sequencing, and airtight risk handling that eliminate surprises down the road.
Achieve Real and Sustainable Cost Savings
Targeted headcount optimization that protects margins while preserving the roles that drive growth.
Keep Leaders Aligned
Role clarity and reporting cohesion ensure your leadership team is united, not working at cross-purposes after a restructure.
Retain Morale and Performance
Minimize uncertainty, retain key talent, and rebuild a culture focused on execution, not survival.

The outcome isn’t just fewer people, it’s a smarter, more stable organization.
Typical Outcomes You Can Expect
70%
More of the deal value actually shows up
When integration is treated as a real workstream instead of an afterthought, more of the promised deal value actually lands.
Independent coverage of McKinsey research reports that organizations which actively prioritize cultural integration and team alignment during M&A are about 40% more likely to reach their cost synergy goals and 70% more likely to hit their revenue targets.
In other words, a structured operating model and people plan are not a nice to have. They are what turns a spreadsheet case into real cash.
Supporting Studies
51%
Lower voluntary turnover when the dust settles
What you do with people during and after restructuring shows up directly in retention.
Gallup and related analyses of its data show that highly engaged business units can see turnover rates that are roughly 18% to 59% percent lower than disengaged peers, depending on the industry and baseline churn. In lower turnover environments, the gap is still meaningful, with up to 51% less turnover in highly engaged teams.
When you combine clear communication, role clarity and a credible future state, you are not just surviving a rightsizing event. You are protecting key talent and avoiding the slow bleed of credibility that often follows poorly handled cuts.
200%
The hidden cost of losing the wrong people
Headcount cuts only create real savings if you avoid paying for the same seat twice. Gallup estimates that replacing an employee can cost from one half to two times their annual salary once you factor in recruiting, onboarding and lost productivity. In a post M&A context, letting the wrong people walk means you may save on salary in the short term but quietly rebuild the same capability at a much higher all in cost later.
If you rush or poorly strategize and execute a workforce reduction, you can quietly erase much of the savings you thought you had locked in.
Indecision Is the Most Expensive Choice
Organizations often postpone restructuring in the hope that conditions will improve. The data shows the opposite is more likely. Prolonged ambiguity increases financial drag, weakens high-performer retention, and reduces trust in leadership.
Research from the International Monetary Fund indicates that delaying necessary restructuring increases total economic cost. Extended uncertainty slows recovery, suppresses investment, and creates deeper performance challenges than if the change had been addressed earlier.
Across studies from McKinsey, Gartner, and Deloitte, the pattern is clear. When leaders avoid making needed decisions, the organization absorbs more disruption than if the change had been handled with structure and clarity.
The longer the delay, the harder and more expensive the recovery.
Common Consequences of Delay
Financial Drain
When roles, structures, and responsibilities remain unclear, organizations bleed money- quietly but consistently.
Redundant payroll and duplicated functions continue to absorb margin, while integration and execution slow down.
Research shows that prolonged organizational ambiguity reduces productivity, delays value capture, and increases the total cost of transition.
Supporting Studies
Talent Flight
Top performers rarely wait for clarity.
Uncertainty- especially around structure, role expectations, or future direction is one of the strongest predictors of voluntary turnover.
Research shows that ambiguity accelerates exits, impacts retention costs, and weakens team performance long before formal decisions are made.
Lost Confidence
Delay sends a signal- and people read it faster than leaders expect.
Boards, investors, and employees interpret hesitation as instability, and confidence drops when there is no clear direction or timeline.
Research consistently shows that decisive leadership and transparent communication are core predictors of trust, especially during periods of change.
If you’re unsure where your biggest risk lies, a confidential audit can quantify the cost of waiting.
Engagement Options
Choose the level of support that fits your organization’s scale and stage.
Every engagement follows one principle: cut costs without cutting corners or inviting lawsuits.
Tier 1: Advisor Engagement
RESET™ Audit
Strategic diagnostic for workforce and compliance readiness
A rapid, confidential diagnostic led by Nicole to assess your organization’s legal, financial, and structural exposure before making workforce decisions.

This is a fast, data-driven assessment designed to bring immediate clarity and reduce risk.
What’s Included:
  • Key workforce personnel, compliance, and contract review
  • Identification of “safe exits” vs. high-risk terminations
  • Risk Score summary and next-step recommendations
  • 30-minute executive debrief
Ideal For:
Founders, CFOs, Department Leads, or Private Equity Ops teams seeking clarity before acting.
Timeline: 5-7 business days
Investment: $6,000 USD
Clients who complete a RESET™ Audit may apply their Tier 1 investment as a full credit toward Tier 2 within 90 days, the groundwork completed in Audit becomes the foundation of your Blueprint.
Tier 2: Core Engagement
RESET™ Blueprint
Comprehensive rightsizing and compliance blueprint
A full-scale engagement delivered by Nicole and her multidisciplinary advisory team, including HR, legal, and accounting specialists as required.

You receive a defensible, executable plan that protects organizational performance, mitigates legal exposure, and preserves critical talent.
What’s Included:
  • Full RESET™ Blueprint process (Review → Evaluate → Streamline → Execute → Thrive)
  • Legal and HR compliance implementation
  • Workforce redesign and execution sequencing
  • Documentation templates and safe-exit safeguards
  • Optional post-change Thrive Review for stability
Ideal For:
Post-acquisition integrations, board-mandated reductions, or restructuring projects requiring legal defensibility and operational precision.
Timeline: 4-6 weeks
Investment: From $25,000 USD

Engagement fees reflect project complexity, team composition, and jurisdictional risk. All engagements are scoped confidentially in advance to ensure alignment and transparency.
Trusted by Acquirers, Founders, and Operations Leaders Navigating Change
Organizations across industries rely on Nicole to guide them through sensitive workforce transitions, post-acquisition integrations, and organizational resets.
Her approach combines legal precision with operational pragmatism, helping leadership teams act quickly without exposing their business to unnecessary risk.
Industries Served
Technology & SaaS
Venture Capital
Private Equity
Marketing & Advertising
Professional Services
Get the Clarity and Confidence to Act Decisively
When the stakes are high, hesitation costs more than action.
Each month of indecision can add thousands in redundant payroll, delay integration milestones, and amplify compliance risk.

Independent research from the International Monetary Fund and the Federal Reserve finds that delaying corrective action increases the total cost of recovery. Firms that put off restructuring invest less, grow more slowly, and experience a deeper decline in performance. The longer the uncertainty lasts, the more the organization pays for it.
Whether you’re preparing for a restructure, post-acquisition integration, or leadership realignment, the right guidance transforms risk into stability.
Every engagement begins with a confidential discussion focused on your situation, constraints, and goals. You’ll walk away with a defensible plan, a clear path forward, and the assurance that every step you take protects both your business and your people.
What Happens Next
  1. Book Your Confidential Consultation
    Clarify your goals and constraints. We'll uncover where costly risks may be hiding.
  1. Receive Your Risk Score
    Get a high-level view of how exposed you may be and understand compliance gaps.
  1. Decide with Confidence
    Choose whether to begin with a focused RESET™ Audit or move directly into a full RESET™ Blueprint based on your timeline, complexity, and risk profile.
Most organizations use their Risk Score session to determine the right starting point, whether that’s a focused RESET™ audit, a full RESET™ Blueprint, or continuing independently with clarity on their next steps.
Important to note: If you choose to expand your engagement within 90 days of receiving your RESET™ Audit, that audit investment is fully credited towards a full RESET™ Blueprint.
No obligation. All conversations are confidential.
We make every workforce decision strategic, defensible, and value-protective.
© 2025 Right Sized Strategy. All Rights Reserved.
Strategic workforce rightsizing and compliance advisory.
Connect with us: hello@rightsizedstrategy.com
Privacy Policy
Effective Date: November 2025
Website: rightsizedstrategy.com
Rightsized Strategy (“we”, “our”, “us”) provides strategic advisory, workforce planning, and rightsizing services for organizations across Canada. We are committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of the personal information we collect while delivering our services.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal information in accordance with PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) and applicable provincial privacy laws.
If you do not agree with this Policy, please discontinue use of our website and services.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information in three ways:

1.1. Information You Provide Directly
This includes:
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  • Information transmitted through forms, scheduling tools, or intake questionnaires
  • Content of emails, messages, or documentation you share with us
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If we work with you, we may collect:
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  • Operational information (policies, historical decisions, workflows)
  • Leadership or team-based assessment results (e.g., Working Genius)
  • Documents necessary for preparing reports, audits, or strategic recommendations
We only collect what is necessary to provide the services you engage us for.
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When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:
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We use personal information to:
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Under PIPEDA, we collect, use, and disclose information based on:
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You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions.
4. How We Share Information
We may share information with:
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  • Technology service providers (email hosting, analytics, secure storage tools)
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We never share workforce or leadership data with any third party except as explicitly authorized by you.
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We store information using secure cloud-based systems that meet industry standards for data protection. Measures include:
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Because consulting often involves sensitive workforce and operational data, we maintain elevated security standards to protect client information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse.
6. Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to:
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Client files may be retained for up to 7 years unless otherwise required or agreed upon.
You may request deletion of your information at any time, subject to legal retention obligations.
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You have the right to:
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We respond to all privacy-related requests within 30 days.
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Our services are intended for business professionals and organizations. We do not knowingly collect or process information from individuals under the age of 16.
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Our technology tools may store or process data in other jurisdictions such as the United States. These service providers are selected for strong privacy and security standards.
By using our services, you consent to cross-border data transfers as necessary for service delivery.
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Our website may contain links to external sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third parties.
11. Updates to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in law, technology, or our practices. The “Effective Date” above will be updated accordingly.
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For privacy inquiries, access requests, or complaints, contact:
Rightsized Strategy
Email: hello@rightsizedstrategy.com
Website: rightsizedstrategy.com
Terms of Service
Effective Date: November 2025
Website: rightsizedstrategy.com
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Rightsized Strategy website (“Site”). By using this Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms.
If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Site.
1. Purpose of This Site
This Site provides general information about Rightsized Strategy’s services, frameworks, and areas of expertise. Nothing on this Site constitutes:
• Professional advice
• Legal, HR, or employment guidance
• A client–consultant relationship
Engaging Rightsized Strategy as a client requires a separate written agreement.
2. Permitted Use
You may browse and use the Site for lawful, personal, and informational purposes only. You agree not to:
• Copy, reproduce, or redistribute Site content without permission
• Use automated tools to scrape or extract data
• Interfere with the Site’s functionality or security
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We may modify or restrict access to the Site at any time.
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Use of this Site, including contact form submissions or viewing of content, does not create a client relationship. A formal engagement requires:
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Do not send confidential or sensitive information through the Site unless a formal engagement is in place.
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All materials on this Site including text, graphics, frameworks, the RESET™ name and concepts, and any downloadable content are the intellectual property of Rightsized Strategy.
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For questions about these Terms:
Rightsized Strategy
Email: hello@rightsizedstrategy.com
Website: rightsizedstrategy.com