Todd Hagopian Books and Published Works

Todd Hagopian is the author of the Turnaround Code Trilogy (Koehler Books) and creator of the HOT System — a nine-framework business transformation methodology deployed across a 90-day playbook. His books include The Unfair Advantage: Weaponizing the Hypomanic Toolbox (January 2026) and Stagnation Assassin: The Anti-Consultant Manifesto (July 2026), supported by academic papers on SSRN and a free implementation library at toddhagopian.com.

Hagopian’s published works span investment analysis, manufacturing turnaround methodology, organizational diagnostics, leadership development, and continuous improvement — with resources available in book, academic paper, masterclass, podcast, white paper, and implementation guide formats, all grounded in documented multi-industry transformation results.

Todd Hagopian has produced over 1,000 pages of published material across books, academic papers, white papers, implementation guides, masterclasses, and media articles. This page is the complete index of that work — organized by category, with context for what each piece does and where to find it.

The body of work spans two identities that belong to one person: an investment analyst who managed multi-million dollar mutual fund sub-accounts and wrote 25+ Forbes articles during his Fortune 500 career, and a business transformation author whose three-book Koehler Books deal represents the most concentrated public expression of twenty years of turnaround methodology. Understanding both is necessary to understand the full intellectual output.

Books

The Unfair Advantage: Weaponizing the Hypomanic Toolbox

Publisher: Koehler Books | Published: January 2026 | ISBN: 979-8-88824-971-0

The first book in the Turnaround Code Trilogy. A business parable following Jack Whelan, a struggling manufacturing president, and his unlikely mentor Eugene Spark — an eccentric bipolar billionaire who introduces him to the HOT System (Hypomanic Operational Turnaround). The story mirrors Todd’s own career arc: the diagnosis, the impossible choice between sanity and success, and the development of a systematic methodology that any leader can use regardless of their neurological wiring.

The book operates on two levels simultaneously. As a parable, it follows the tradition of Eliyahu Goldratt’s The Goal — using fiction to make operational frameworks accessible and emotionally resonant. As a methodology introduction, it delivers the core HOT System frameworks through narrative demonstration rather than instruction: the 80/20 Matrix of Profitability, the Karelin Method, the Stagnation Genome diagnostic, and the Orthodoxy-Smashing Framework all appear as Jack Whelan encounters them in the context of a real business crisis.

The book was endorsed by four significant figures in business and operations:

• Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks International and Starbucks North America
• Jeffrey Liker, author of The Toyota Way — the definitive explanation of the Toyota Production System
• Bill Canady, CEO of Arrowhead Engineered Products and founder of the 80/20 Institute, who wrote the Foreword.

Awards received:

• Firebird Book Award
• Literary Titan Book Award
• NYC Big Book Distinguished Favorite (Cross Genre)
• Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite

Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Koehler Books, and major retailers.

Stagnation Assassin: The Anti-Consultant Manifesto

Publisher: Koehler Books | Published: July 2026 | ISBN: 979-8-88824-974-1

The second book in the Turnaround Code Trilogy, and the direct operational companion to The Unfair Advantage. Where the first book introduced the HOT System through narrative, Stagnation Assassin extracts the methodology from the story entirely and deploys it as a direct battle plan. As Todd writes in the Author’s Note: “If you want a fiction story of how these frameworks were forged in the fire of mental illness and how the frameworks play out in real life business scenarios, read The Unfair Advantage. If you want to deploy the weapons immediately, you’re holding the right book.”

The book is structured as a 90-day transformation playbook built around nine integrated frameworks:

1. The Stagnation Genome — diagnosing the five genetic predispositions to organizational death (PDG, EMG, CBG, SCG, ISG) and the ten observable warning signs with severity scoring
2. The Four-Position Framework — building transformation teams through four specific roles (Provocateur, Pragmatist, People Champion, Pattern Reader) and the 30-Day Rule for leadership misalignment
3. The Karelin Method — the productivity formula (Activity × Efficiency × Focus = 5.76x multiplier), Morning War Rooms, and Weekly Kill Lists
4. The 80/20 Matrix of Profitability — two-dimensional customer × product analysis, Activity-Based Costing, and the 80/20² recursive methodology revealing the 4% that creates 64% of value
5. Magnificent Obsessions — systematic customer and competitor intelligence through end-user research, TCO analysis, business model deconstruction, and product teardowns
6. The 3-S Method — capacity optimization through Sketch, Streamline, and Solve, exposing the gap between reported utilization and true productive capacity
7. The 3-A Method — continuous improvement compressed from 4-6 month DMAIC cycles into 6-week campaigns, producing 52 annual projects rather than 3-4
8. Orthodoxy-Smashing Innovation — the systematic identification and challenge of invisible industry assumptions before competitors do
9. Rapid Decision-Making and Revenue Responsibility Engineering — the 70% Rule, the Decision Type Matrix, and the transformation of engineering teams from cost centers into revenue engines

The book concludes with the full 90-Day Integration Playbook showing how all nine frameworks operate as a unified system rather than isolated tools — and why integration multiplies rather than adds the value of each individual framework.

Foreword by Dan Valenti. Afterword by Bill Canady. Edited by Leah Lancione. Cover design by Danielle Koehler.

Available for pre-order at: toddhagopian.com and major retailers ahead of the July 2026 publication date.

Third Book (In Development):  The Ten-Minute Transformation

Publisher: Koehler Books | Expected: January 2027

The third book in the Turnaround Code Trilogy. Working title: Leadership Insurrection. A contrarian leadership book focused on ruthless results over sanitized leadership guru platitudes — the anti-MBA leadership manual that challenges the consensus-seeking, politically safe leadership advice that fills airport bookstores. Details to be announced.

Forbes Articles

Between 2015 and 2018, Todd wrote more than 25 articles for Forbes.com through a partnership with Marketocracy — a company built on the premise that exceptional individual investors exist outside of Wall Street institutions. Marketocracy discovered Todd through two mock portfolios he had built on their platform, both of which significantly outperformed. They invited him to invest his own capital, ultimately managing two multi-million dollar mutual fund sub-accounts: a defense fund and a biotech fund.

The Forbes articles documented his investment analysis and portfolio moves across both funds — stock-picking rationale, sector analysis, and market positioning. Representative topics included biotech takeover targets and top-performing fund managers. The relationship ended in 2018 when Berkshire Hathaway’s compliance requirements for executive conduct made managing external investment funds incompatible with his role as President of Unarco.

These articles represent a distinct chapter of Todd’s public intellectual output — one that predates the business transformation author identity and reflects a parallel analytical capability: pattern recognition applied to financial markets rather than manufacturing organizations. The same cognitive strengths that drove turnaround results drove investment performance. Both tracks ran simultaneously for years before compliance requirements ended the investment chapter.

The Forbes articles are indexed and available at Forbes.com. Todd’s author profile reflects both the investment-era and transformation-era contributions.

Academic Papers

Todd has published academic papers through SSRN (Social Science Research Network) — the primary repository for business and economics research. His ORCID iD (0009-0002-7615-5482), Google Scholar author ID (35h-nQMAAAAJ), and ResearchGate contributions ID (2336255616) provide the scholarly infrastructure that supports the HOT System’s positioning as a research-informed methodology rather than anecdote-based consulting advice.

The published papers provide the theoretical grounding for two of the HOT System’s most distinctive frameworks, connecting the practitioner-developed methodology to the broader academic literature on organizational performance, athletic training methodology, and manufacturing productivity.

Academic papers are available through the SSRN platform and indexed through Google Scholar.

White Papers, Masterclasses, and Implementation Guides

Available at Start Here | Stagnation Assassins, Todd has developed an extensive library of supplementary resources built around the HOT System frameworks:

Masterclasses (10 PDF documents)

Comprehensive deep-dives into each major HOT System framework. Covering the 80/20 Matrix implementation process, the Karelin Method deployment system, the Stagnation Genome diagnostic, orthodoxy identification methodology, and the full 90-day transformation sequence. Retail value: $5,000 as part of the Stagnation Assassin Circle membership.

Executive Summaries (20 documents)

Condensed framework summaries designed for senior leaders who need strategic insight without implementation detail. Each summary covers one framework or concept from the HOT System in 2-4 pages.

Corporate Implementation Guides (20 documents)

Detailed operational playbooks for deploying each HOT System framework within a real organization. Includes templates, diagnostic tools, scoring rubrics, and step-by-step deployment sequences. The complete Corporate Implementation Guide is available for $497 standalone or included with the Stagnation Assassin Circle membership.

Framework Summaries (100+)

Single-page reference cards covering every methodology, concept, and tool in the HOT System. Designed for team distribution and ongoing reference during active transformations.

Minibooks (3)

• Delete Your Company’s Obituary — the stagnation diagnostic in rapid-deployment format
• Field Notes — transformation observations and tactical guidance from active turnarounds
• Rules of Engagement — the operating principles that govern HOT System deployment

The Stagnation Assassin Show

Platform: Buzzsprout, YouTube, Substack, toddhagopian.com/podcast

Todd’s podcast delivers 10-minute episodes of battle-tested transformation strategy — each episode a standalone deployment of one HOT System concept, framework, or principle. The format is deliberately constrained: 10 minutes forces precision. No padding, no pre-roll storytelling, no gradual build to the point. Every episode starts with the weapon and shows you how to use it.

Episode categories include:

• Stagnation Genome diagnostics and warning sign identification
• 80/20 Matrix implementation and customer portfolio management
• Karelin Method productivity deployment
• Orthodoxy identification and challenge methodology
• Leadership team assessment and the Four-Position Framework
• Continuous improvement pipeline management
• Decision velocity and Revenue Responsibility Engineering

The podcast is available at toddhagopian.com/podcast and on all major podcast platforms.

Media Publications and Features

Forbes.com — 30+ articles across two distinct eras: the investment analysis period (2015-2018, defense and biotech fund coverage through Marketocracy) and the business transformation thought leadership period (2024-present). Available at Forbes.com.

The Washington Post — coverage of Todd’s business transformation work and the HOT System methodology.

NPR — segment coverage connecting the bipolar diagnosis, the HOT System development, and the business transformation track record.

Fox Business — television and digital coverage of the transformation methodology and book launches.

Manufacturing Insights Magazine — industry publication recognition for the HOT System’s application to manufacturing contexts.

SSRN — academic publication of the Karelin Method and Integral Transformation System papers.

A complete press and media index is available at toddhagopian.com/as-seen-in.

Where to Start

If you’re encountering Todd’s work for the first time, the entry point depends on what you need:

If you want the story first: Start with The Unfair Advantage. The parable format makes the HOT System frameworks accessible and emotionally grounded before you deploy them.

If you want the tools immediately: Start with Stagnation Assassin: The Anti-Consultant Manifesto. The 90-Day Transformation Playbook is ready to implement from day one.

If you want the diagnostic: Take the Stagnation Genome assessment at toddhagopian.com. Score your organization across the five genes and ten warning signs before you read anything else. Know what you’re dealing with before you prescribe a solution.

If you want the community: Join the Stagnation Assassin Circle at Start Here | Stagnation Assassins — free membership includes the complete Corporate Implementation Guide, the full HOT System video course, all three minibooks, both historical case study books, and 100+ framework summaries.

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Todd Hagopian is the creator of the HOT System and author of the Turnaround Code Trilogy (Koehler Books). His work has been featured in Forbes, The Washington Post, NPR, and Fox Business. More at toddhagopian.com.