{"id":13,"date":"2026-06-05T22:39:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T22:39:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/?page_id=13"},"modified":"2026-06-05T23:30:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T23:30:44","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n  :root {\n    --hdg-navy: #102033;\n    --hdg-slate: #2F4A62;\n    --hdg-gold: #C89B3C;\n    --hdg-bg: #F6F4EF;\n    --hdg-white: #FFFFFF;\n    --hdg-text: #1E1E1E;\n    --hdg-muted: #5F6670;\n    --hdg-border: #E4DED2;\n  }\n\n  .hdg-page {\n    font-family: inherit;\n    color: var(--hdg-text);\n    line-height: 1.6;\n  }\n\n  .hdg-section {\n    padding: 72px 24px;\n  }\n\n  .hdg-section-sm {\n    padding: 48px 24px;\n  }\n\n  .hdg-container {\n    max-width: 1120px;\n    margin: 0 auto;\n  }\n\n  .hdg-eyebrow {\n    color: var(--hdg-gold);\n    font-weight: 700;\n    letter-spacing: 0.08em;\n    text-transform: uppercase;\n    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class=\"hdg-brand-mark\">\n        <div class=\"hdg-logo-box\">HD<\/div>\n        <div class=\"hdg-brand-name\">Howard Dee Group<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"hdg-hero-grid\">\n        <div>\n          <div class=\"hdg-eyebrow\">Plain-English Business Tools<\/div>\n          <h1>Practical Business Tools for Expensive Decisions<\/h1>\n          <p>\n            Howard Dee Group creates checklists, scorecards, templates, and guides that help business owners and operators ask better questions before they spend money, buy software, chase AI, or trust another perfect-looking dashboard.\n          <\/p>\n          <div class=\"hdg-cta-row\">\n            <a class=\"hdg-btn hdg-btn-primary\" href=\"#tools\">View the Tools<\/a>\n            <a class=\"hdg-btn hdg-btn-secondary\" href=\"#scorecard\">Start with the Vendor Demo Scorecard<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-hero-card\">\n          <h3>Built for the moment before the mistake.<\/h3>\n          <ul>\n            <li>Before the software contract is signed.<\/li>\n            <li>Before the dashboard becomes trusted.<\/li>\n            <li>Before AI gets layered on top of messy data.<\/li>\n            <li>Before vague requirements become expensive surprises.<\/li>\n          <\/ul>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <section class=\"hdg-section hdg-bg\">\n    <div class=\"hdg-container hdg-center\">\n      <div class=\"hdg-eyebrow\">The Problem<\/div>\n      <h2>Most expensive business mistakes start before anyone signs the contract.<\/h2>\n      <p class=\"hdg-section-intro\">\n        Businesses rarely get into trouble because they asked too many questions. They get into trouble because the demo looked great, the numbers looked clean, the requirements sounded obvious, and everyone assumed the hard parts would be figured out later.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"hdg-card-grid\">\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>Bad Software Decisions<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            A great demo can hide weak requirements, hidden costs, unclear ownership, and painful implementation surprises.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>Messy Data and Reporting<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            Dashboards are useless if nobody trusts the numbers, definitions, workflows, and source systems underneath them.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>AI and Automation Hype<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            AI can help, but not if your workflows, data definitions, exception handling, and responsibilities are a mess.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <section id=\"scorecard\" class=\"hdg-section\">\n    <div class=\"hdg-container\">\n      <div class=\"hdg-product\">\n        <div class=\"hdg-product-grid\">\n          <div class=\"hdg-product-copy\">\n            <div class=\"hdg-eyebrow\">Start Here<\/div>\n            <h2>The Vendor Demo Scorecard<\/h2>\n            <p>\n              Software demos are designed to make everything look easy. The Vendor Demo Scorecard helps you ask better questions during the demo, compare vendors side by side, catch vague promises, and document what needs to be confirmed before you sign.\n            <\/p>\n\n            <ul class=\"hdg-product-list\">\n              <li>Vendor Demo Scorecard Workbook<\/li>\n              <li>Demo Summary Worksheet<\/li>\n              <li>Vendor Comparison Matrix<\/li>\n              <li>Red Flag Phrase Tracker<\/li>\n              <li>Follow-Up Questions Tracker<\/li>\n              <li>Post-Demo Email Template<\/li>\n              <li>Final Decision Checklist<\/li>\n              <li>Plain-English PDF Guide<\/li>\n            <\/ul>\n\n            <a class=\"hdg-btn hdg-btn-primary\" href=\"https:\/\/howarddee.gumroad.com\/l\/vendor-demo-scorecard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get the Vendor Demo Scorecard<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n\n          <div class=\"hdg-product-side\">\n            <h3>Don\u2019t let a great demo turn into a bad software decision.<\/h3>\n            <div class=\"hdg-price\">$19<\/div>\n            <p>\n              Launch price for the downloadable guide and workbook.\n            <\/p>\n            <p>\n              Best for business owners, operators, managers, consultants, and anyone responsible for evaluating software vendors.\n            <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <section id=\"tools\" class=\"hdg-section hdg-bg\">\n    <div class=\"hdg-container\">\n      <div class=\"hdg-eyebrow\">Who This Is For<\/div>\n      <h2>Built for people who have to make the decision.<\/h2>\n      <p class=\"hdg-left-intro\">\n        Howard Dee Group tools are built for practical business people, not software experts.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"hdg-card-grid-4\">\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>Business Owners<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            You need to buy, approve, or replace software without getting buried in jargon.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>Operators and Managers<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            You are the one who has to make the system work after the contract is signed.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>CFOs and Finance Leaders<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            You need better visibility into cost, risk, scope, implementation, and reporting impact.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>Consultants and Advisors<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            You help clients make better decisions and need reusable tools to guide the conversation.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <section class=\"hdg-section hdg-dark\">\n    <div class=\"hdg-container hdg-center\">\n      <div class=\"hdg-quote\">\n        The clean dashboard in the demo is not your data. The simple workflow in the demo is not your process. <span>The demo is not the decision.<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <section class=\"hdg-section\">\n    <div class=\"hdg-container\">\n      <div class=\"hdg-eyebrow\">Coming Soon<\/div>\n      <h2>More practical tools are on the way.<\/h2>\n      <p class=\"hdg-left-intro\">\n        Howard Dee Group is building a library of plain-English business decision tools.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"hdg-card-grid\">\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>Software Buyer Survival Kit<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            A complete toolkit for choosing business software, comparing vendors, planning implementation, and avoiding expensive surprises.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>AI Readiness Scorecard<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            A plain-English assessment to help business owners determine whether their data, workflows, and reporting are actually ready for AI.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-card\">\n          <h3>Business Data Readiness Toolkit<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            Templates and checklists to help teams define source-of-truth rules, clean messy data, and document key business fields.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <section class=\"hdg-section hdg-bg\">\n    <div class=\"hdg-container\">\n      <div class=\"hdg-about\">\n        <div class=\"hdg-about-box\">\n          <h3>Better questions before the decision usually cost less than better explanations after the mistake.<\/h3>\n          <p>\n            That is the working philosophy behind Howard Dee Group.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-about-copy\">\n          <div class=\"hdg-eyebrow\">About<\/div>\n          <h2>Built by someone who has seen the mess behind the demo.<\/h2>\n          <p>\n            Howard Dee Group was created by Scott Mahler, a software and data executive, business owner, and operator who has spent decades working with systems, reporting, workflows, data quality, and implementation realities.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            The goal is simple: turn hard-earned business lessons into practical tools that help owners and operators make clearer decisions before expensive problems show up.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            This is not theory. This is the stuff people usually learn the hard way.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n  <section class=\"hdg-section\">\n    <div class=\"hdg-container hdg-center\">\n      <div class=\"hdg-email-box\">\n        <div class=\"hdg-eyebrow\">Free Checklist<\/div>\n        <h2>Get 21 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Software Demo<\/h2>\n        <p class=\"hdg-section-intro\">\n          Start asking better questions before the vendor gets you excited.\n        <\/p>\n\n        <script async=\"\" data-uid=\"65001c5360\" src=\"https:\/\/howard-dee-group.kit.com\/65001c5360\/index.js\"><\/script>\n\n        <div class=\"hdg-footer-note\">\n          No fluff. No hype. Just practical tools for better business decisions.\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HD Howard Dee Group Plain-English Business Tools Practical Business Tools for Expensive Decisions Howard Dee Group creates checklists, scorecards, templates, and guides that help business owners and operators ask better questions before they spend money, buy software, chase AI, or trust another perfect-looking dashboard. View the Tools Start with the Vendor Demo Scorecard Built for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"disable","_kad_post_title":"hide","_kad_post_layout":"fullwidth","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"unboxed","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":true,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18,"href":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13\/revisions\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/howarddeegroup.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}