Companies that could be way bigger right now had they played their cards right

I really think Jellyfish Entertainment could have been at the level of Starship right now had they played their cards right around PD101. VIXX was a healthy upper mid-tier boygroup with a really unique angle. They had three of the buzziest trainees on the show, and I think they squandered that by (a) debuting Gugudan before IOI ended (which felt like a bit of a betrayal to fans who supported them through the show - not saying I actually agree with that POV but I do think some fans felt kind of lost between the two groups), and (b) Gugudan having a bit of a strange concept with 9 members. They ultimately made some great songs, but I think the artistic direction of the whole thing was kind of off. Sejeong/Mina/Nayoung walked onto PD101 with this vocal-pop TTS Twinkle style concept. Had they maintained that for a 4-5 member group AFTER IOI ended, I think they would have easily been up there at least at MAMAMOO's level if not bigger. And I think that would have left the company in a position to really grow and establish a line of successful acts to follow.

MNH Ent is a similar case to me. Chungha became a super successful act on her own, but they clearly did not manage her well and torpedo'd her career to support newer acts they wanted to debut. Nothing against those acts, but I think MNH should have leaned harder into building her into a global act. I actually don't even know if MNH should have pursued debuting a group. It would have been really cool if they leaned into debuting soloists or duos. One of Chungha's male dancers went viral at one point for being really attractive, and I've always wondered what would have happened if they debuted him or someone like him as a male solo.

Brave Entertainment could have come back from ruins if they managed Brave Girls' success properly. At their peak, they were literally the buzziest act in kpop back in 2021. It was clear that the success might not have lasted at that level forever, but they could have sustained it for longer. I think they should have pursued fixed positions on variety shows (especially some of the bubblier members), and tried to maintain the summer queen buzz by coming back in summer months and carrying on the SISTAR/brave bros legacy.

Given that miniskirt by AOA has been having a bit of a sleeper hit moment right now, I think if they could have lasted under Brave until 2024-25 and dropped something like that and moved back into sexy concept, I think they would have swept up a huge wave of interest from fans who are looking for something more mature in kpop right now. I think Brave was very focused on using Brave Girls' flash in the pan to fuel new groups, but that clearly didn't pan out. If they had maintained Brave Girls, they could have used that momentum for newer girl groups. Since Brave Girls already felt like a legacy act, it would have been smart to do a YouTube series of them training/working with a newer act. I think Brave sound has such an important place in kpop's past 10 years that it's sad the company hasn't been able to sustain itself even after the virality gods handed it an opportunity out of nowhere.

Are there others you can think of?