About Challenging Decisions

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You might think, as many do, that an advanced degree from a prestigious university would be adequate credentials for getting excellent management advice. Stanford, Harvard, Northwestern, U of C, etc. I've hired several of them.  But my path to success was more like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Neither of them finished college, yet they reached the highest levels of success. Their combination of intellect, insight, and the entrepreneurial spirit yielded great ideas, amazing products, and they changed the world. In fact, I spent 4 years at Apple and worked with Steve Jobs personally. He was an amazing influence on me, and the world. Ultimately, I found out that entrepreneurship fit me like a glove! 

My first job was shipping clerk in a camera store. A lowly job, perhaps, but it gave me the opportuity to learn the nuts and bolts of shipping, receiving, inventory management, and more. 

I then entered sales, and learned not only how to be a successful salesperson, but 

developed an understanding of sales incentives: Spiffs in a word. Spiffs would become a really large part of my life, both in corporate sales and later in 

founding my very successful channel sales company, MTCPerformance. 

I spent 4 years at Sony Consumer Products Company, where I learned channel sales, calling on every category of trade you can imagine, from mom and pop stores to national chains, mass merchandisers, department stores, and everything in between. I was the #2 salesperson in the country in 1979, #1 in the Chicago Region. I was a winner of the Sony Samurai award. I met Akio Morita, founder of Sony.

I spent 4 years representing Apple Computer during its foundational days. We learned all about computer technology and software, and introduced the personal computer to the local markets. We became adept presenters, often giving directed seminars to introduce people to their very first computer experience. I was the #1 or #2 sales executive in Chicago for Apple during this period every year. We added all the dealers. We learned how to review and approve business plans. We regularly interacted with top Apple executives both regionally and nationally, including Steve Jobs. Everything you've heard or read about him is true. He was totally brilliant and totally impossible. One of the geniuses of our age.

Nine additional years in the personal computer industry followed. I sold every manner of computer product, from the simple to the very technical. And I expanded my knowledge of that entire industry.  I covered most of the US and all of Canada for a variety of companies as a District Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, or Area Director.

The entrepreneurial itch had been percolating for some time. I decided to found a company: MTCPerformance. I felt I had the experience I needed, so I took the plunge. I had no capital, no formal plan, but off I went. The concept evolved from day 1 continuously over the next 10 years. We started doing travel programs, added merchandise, and then our big opportunity came when, while still working from home, we were approved to issue reloadable debit cards as a sales incentive by First Chicago NBD (now JP Morgan Chase).  That was in 1998. 

By 2003, we had over 30 clients nationally running those programs. We then invented and patented a completely new way for large resellers to manage inbound sales incentives, an enterprise class BPM / workflow system. The #1 computer reseller in the US adopted my technology. Another 8 followed in the next 2 years. My business took off like a rocket ship. 

As time went on, our sophisticated incentive tools and strategies, yielded unprecedented results. That combination allowed key channel clients to increase the amount of incentive dollars that their organization attracted by 400%. ROI was stratospheric. Manufacturers correspondingly were attracted to our expertise, also recognizing dramatic gains in market share and sales.

Our head count grew to 37 as our company grew 473% in 3 years. We made the INC500 in 2005, #278 on the list. Very exciting and rewarding.

As this growth occurred, I knew I’d need more talent to support the growth. I brought in 4 top tier MBAs, plus other experienced executives. 

But what happened was the exact opposite of what I expected. While the company continued to grow, I learned all about buildng a complex and powerful software platform (patented), while managing a group of very strong willed and divergent personalities. It was the most difficult management situation imaginable...

I faced more challenges as a CEO than I ever dreamed. Buidlng an effective team was a challenge.Product managing and crafting the software platform took even longer. 

The need for capital increased. Then 2009 hit. We lost our biggest client. The business shrank 40%. We had to make many, many changes. 

There were levels of anxiety that I never expected. The challenges were unbelieveable.

Without a doubt it can be said that being an entrepreneurial CEO requires a leap of strength and courage most people will never understand. Following that path has made me an effective CEO, grounded with many valuable operating principles that created a culture of success, a product unparalled in our 

industry, and a team that meshed very well together. Finally, I understood the dynamics that made it work. Visioning, Strategy, Organizational Dynamics, Process Design, Project Management, and Software Development became fundamentals that enabled great Execution.

In 2018 I sold my company for a very attractive multiple, and embarked on my next mission: 

Assisting you, the CEO, to navigate the very challenging and rocky waters of operating a business in today’s climate.

We live by a very simple mantra: Reduce complex business problems to simple, solvable structures that can be addressed effectively and at rational costs. 

We begin with a complimentary phone call to answer your questions and find what your biggest challenges are. We then proceed to schedule an initial meeting to dig a little deeper. 

Our goal is first to understand you, your situation, and the nuances of the issues at hand. 

At that point we will recommend an initial engagement and approach for your review and approval. Engagements begin with as little as 3 days of concentrated effort, designed to produce immediate benefits and actionable directions.

We augment our client relationships by becoming a trusted advisor or board member. 

We are here to assist you every step of the way. Let's get started today!

Trusted Advisor:

CEO’s benefit from having a senior advisor outside the company. There are many reasons this is valuable. First, it is possible to speak candidly about internal issues without triggering sensitivities. Second, there is a significant level of objectivity that may be lacking due to biases, internal paradigms, or sometimes flat-out blindness to significant factors and issues. Additionally, our years of expertise can yield dramatic and useful benefits to management methods, successful execution, and improvements to company culture.

$25,000.00 annually.

Board Member:

Board members are very directly involved in understanding the progress of a business. They are always successful executives with years of relevant experience. Generally the CEO reports to the board on progress, key challenges and blockers, and other major issues. Board members assist in holding the CEO accountable for overall achievement of the company’s goals. Our target company size is up to $250mm. 

$75,000.00 annually.

Business Operational Review:

We offer a 3-5 day business review. During this timeframe we will interview the CEO in depth to get a clear grasp of the company’s goals, direction and team. We then meet with each department head to understand their approach to managing their area, including systems, tools, along with positive and negative aspects of daily operation. We also observe the management team’s interactions in meetings. We will notate important areas for improvement, and make specific suggestions for how to approach those remediations. You will be supplied with a report detailing our findings. That report will highlight the 3 biggest opportunities for vectoring the company’s performance to higher levels. Similarly, the CEO will benefit from suggestions and opportunities for personal performance enhancement.

$25,000.00

Process Review and Improvement:

There are often situations where customer satisfaction is lacking. There can be various reasons. It could be poor process definition and mapping, lack of clarity as to what is most important, systems that don’t fully fill the need, and many others. We will work with operational leaders to map key processes, identify missing elements, and develop a plan to refine and correct whatever aspects of process need remediation. The goal is to put that particular area on a path to success and high levels of customer satisfaction.

Price varies with complexity and duration.

Mind Mapping Management Methods:

Managing a complex business, particularly for senior leaders, requires the ability to keep your eye on the ball on literally hundreds of topics of interest. In doing so, they must be organized and prioritized, tracked and managed. The typical methods of checklists rarely adequately serve the needed level of coherent management. Our method of Mind Mapping yields benefits across the organization, including forcing continued clarity around expectations and achievement. 

$3000.00 for a 3 hour training. Extended Engagement $5,000.00 / day.

Building a High Functioning Management Team:

As is often observed, management teams often struggle to work together, struggle to communicate effectively, struggle with prioritization, build fiefdoms, and the list goes on. The CEO is at the center of management team effectiveness. Often, there are major changes in the behavior of all involved that are required to change ineffective dynamics. Our 2 day seminar sets the foundation for understanding these group and management dynamics as well as starting on the path to real and profound change, yielding a company fully capable of achieving its goals.

$15,000.00