Most people think differentiation comes from better pricing, better features, or better marketing.
Will Duke proved that wrong.
Will Duke is the former CEO of a Texas-based enterprise security integration company that he spent two decades building and scaling. In an industry where most competitors raced to the bottom on price, Will took a different path. He focused on client collaboration, internal culture, and long-term relationships. Along the way, he co-founded and spun out a SaaS platform to manage thousands of security devices across large organizations. Both companies were ultimately sold in the same exit process, one to private equity, allowing Will to step into full-time investing with real operational scar tissue.
What made his story interesting was not the industry. It was the strategy.
At the center of everything was a deliberate, repeatable customer collaboration strategy that turned his company into a trusted partner instead of a replaceable vendor.
Customer Collaboration Strategy Starts by Putting the Client in the Room
One of the biggest shifts Will made was changing how conversations with clients even started.
Instead of leading with products, pricing, or proposals, he brought people together.
“Creating like collaboration workshops. We build out five-year road maps… We put them all in the same room together, and we had asked them, ‘What are you guys trying to achieve? Where are you trying to go?’”
This was not a sales pitch disguised as a meeting. It was a working session that included real stakeholders across the organization. The goal was clarity, not closing.
That approach immediately separated his company from competitors.
“And our competitors never did that. They were just trying to sell stuff. We were actually trying to help them.”
The outcome of these workshops was not just better deals. It was alignment. Clients felt understood. They felt supported. And most importantly, they felt like Will’s company was invested in their future, not just the current contract.
That mindset showed up everywhere internally too.
“We don’t get to skip down the hallways unless our clients are skipping down the hallways first.”
That single line explains why this customer collaboration strategy worked. Client success was not a slogan. It was the measuring stick for everything else.
Customer Collaboration Strategy Only Works if Culture Is Operational
Most companies talk about culture. Very few operationalize it.
Will did.
He created a simple, repeatable system that made culture usable in daily decisions.
“We came up with an acronym, SOLID… serve others, outstanding attitude, learn and grow, incredible initiative, and dream big.”
The power was not in the words. It was in how often they were used.
“And I would use them everywhere, every day… ‘Which core value are they showing? Which one’s lacking?’”
Culture became a shared language. Feedback was clearer. Expectations were clearer. And recognition became part of the system instead of an afterthought.
“In our all-hands meetings, we’d give away challenge coins… somebody would get up and nominate another person based on the core value.”
Even personal goals were tied into the company’s direction.
“We did a dream big wall, which we put everybody’s goals in writing one-year, three-year, and five-year on the wall.”
That kind of internal alignment directly supports a strong customer collaboration strategy. When employees understand why the work matters and how it connects to their own future, clients feel it in every interaction.
Customer Collaboration Strategy Requires Ruthless Clarity Before Any Deal
The same discipline Will applied to clients and culture showed up in how he evaluated opportunities.
He did not rely on gut instinct or hype.
“I have to understand what the company does, how they make money at its very core, at like a really fifth grade level. You deliver this, you get paid for that, and walk me through that.”
He also wanted to know exactly where things could break.
“What are the ways in which it might not come out? And tell me all the ways in which things can go off the rails.”
Transparency was non-negotiable.
“I will not invest in anything if they don’t send out at least a quarterly report of what’s going on.”
But what mattered just as much as the answers was how people responded.
“It’s like 67 questions… how long they take to get back to me… are they annoyed… If they are, that’s like a major red flag.”
Because at the end of the day, execution comes down to people.
“It can’t be ignored, the sponsor over everything.”
This same filter protected his operating company and made it more attractive at exit. Buyers are not just acquiring revenue. They are acquiring clarity, systems, and leadership behavior.
Why Customer Collaboration Strategy Creates Premium Exits
Will Duke did not win by being louder, cheaper, or flashier.
He won by building a business that clients trusted, employees believed in, and buyers could understand.
A strong customer collaboration strategy does three things at once. It deepens relationships, strengthens culture, and reduces risk. That combination is exactly what private equity and strategic buyers look for, even in industries that seem boring from the outside.
That is how a company in a crowded, commoditized market sells for a premium.
Not by selling harder. By collaborating better.
If you want to hear Will Duke break this down in his own words, including how these decisions showed up during the exit process, listen to the full episode of Beyond A Million. Will shares the behind-the-scenes thinking that helped him sell a “boring” business for 2x market value and transition into full-time investing. You can listen to the full conversation here: https://beyondamillion.com/audio/will-duke-boring-business-sold-for-2x-market-value/
