“Without strategy, execution is aimless. Without execution, strategy is useless.”
– Morris Chang
I understand that modern entrepreneurial businesses need people with deep skills and experience across a wide mixture of areas, so I’m progressive with my approach while bringing in over 25 years of experience in leadership, management, strategy, technology, sales, marketing, product development, market development, M&A, finance, legal, fund raising, exits, business planning, and other areas.
I am successful at building positive relationships with peers and reports while focusing on improving metrics such as revenue, profitability, market penetration and customer satisfaction. I’m on boards so I understand creating them and working with them. I’ve built and sold companies for a profit.
I create order from chaos. I understand the intersection between creating processes and maintaining culture. In startups and small to mid-size businesses you do what’s needed, so I lead, strategize and sell, but I can also code, develop websites, write content and do SEO. You generate revenue. You watch cash flow. You look to the future.
My Thoughts And Musings
Shout! Scream! Yell! Your Company Depends On It!
A friend said to me yesterday, "Your company has strong offerings, but they mean nothing unless people know you exist." I proffer this same advice to my clients, but it really clicked personally when he repeated these words back to me. "What you offer will never be...
read moreSmarts + Experience + Listening = Greatness. The Magic Formula.
People often ask me how I was able to make my last business successful. What special skills and capabilities did I bring to the table? How was I able to make the Inc 500 list for several years and manage continued fast growth? Having a big ego definitely wasn't the...
read moreCompany Messages Are Critical
Company messages are critical. What should you be thinking about when creating...
read moreSearch Engine Optimization (SEO) From A CEO’s Perspective
There are a billion articles and blogs on search engine optimization, but most of them target webmasters, digital marketers and technology people. I struggled with whether or not I should write yet another article on SEO - especially since it's not my specialty - but...
read moreHow to Sell Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to your CEO
Wow. My last post about SEO from a CEO's perspective must have struck a chord. I've never had such a wonderful response, so I'm guessing that looking at SEO from a CEO perspective must be of interest. With that in mind, I thought I'd focus this post on how to convince...
read moreThe World Continues to Change. Think Different.
I wrote this several years back when I owned an IT company, but as I revisit my prior musings I see how applicable they still are today. The original, along with many other random thoughts, is available on our blog. I've slightly modified this version. --- Why would...
read moreIt’s Time to STOP
This post is going to be short and simple. One of the most overused quotes on the Internet - maybe in general - is by Albert Einstein. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." There's a reason it's...
read moreDisruption, Comfort Zones and Dying
Newspapers and magazines always felt that when the Internet came around they could continue to survive on print editions. Wrong. Journalism lives, but the printed word on paper continues to decline as more and more periodicals move to an online-only approach. Trickle...
read moreEmotional Branding: 4 Critical Questions, and Stupidity
We all believe that getting your message right will resonate with potential buyers, improve your brand’s positioning and increase your sales. By reading this article, you’ll have a better understanding of a valuable tool – emotional branding - to improve your how you...
read moreEight Important Actions You Should Take Today to Update Your Website
Don't forget that on January 1st you were supposed to change all of the batteries in your smoke detectors! It's also a great time to review and update your website. Here are a few things you should make sure you do at the start of each year. Update Your Copyright...
read more#Your #customer #service #may #suck
CxOs, Vice-Presidents and other senior management - those who have the opportunity to make the biggest impact on customer experience - are mostly tasked with managing the big picture. Unfortunately this leads to having little idea of daily customer interactions on an...
read moreWhat NOT to do in an interview
I've been interviewing a number of people over the past several weeks for an internal IT job. It's a fairly entry level position and the compensation information is spelled out on the job ad. We also suggest a few things to do to prepare. Here are a few...
read moreInterviewing: What they say vs. What they know
An older "adage" about interviewing updated to today... Interviewer: How long have you been designing websites for? Candidate: Five years Interviewer: Do you understand HTML CSS and Photoshop? Candidate: Yes, Yes and Yes Interviewer: Can you design responsive sites?...
read moreM&A Talk: The Why and When of Selling Your Company
This is the first post of a series on Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A). I've experienced both the buyer side and the seller side of this process and plan to share some of my insights on buying and selling companies, and the M&A process. I know way too much about...
read morePros/Cons and Risks/Benefits of Raising Your Prices
What are the pros and cons of raising your prices? What are the risks and benefits of raising your prices? Interestingly enough, at least to me, I did a search today for some background information on this. Result number one? "The pros and cons of rising-rate CDs"....
read moreSustainable futures: Innovation vs. Cost-Cutting
Albert Einstein once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Why is it that so many businesses today are strictly focused on cost cutting as opposed to internal innovation? Please note that I say...
read moreConflict creates evolution
After having driven eight hours from Rockland County to Albany a few hours after Hurricane Irene smacked the region - a drive that normally takes two hours - I had the opportunity to reflect on the destruction and all of the rebuilding that will need to take place. I...
read moreEmotional Success
A number of years ago you couldn't walk into your office with a Starbuck's Coffee in hand without someone saying, "You went to Starbucks and didn't tell me???" They didn't say, "You bought a cup of coffee?" It was, "You went to Starbucks??" When Apple releases a new...
read moreYour Employees are a Tremendous Resource
I always think that certain things were taught in "Leadership 101" class, but when I read articles like this one - I sometimes realize how easy it is to lose touch with your customers as your business grows or you climb the corporate ladder. The link is to an open...
read moreChanging market? Change solutions.
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943 IBM was the market leader in technology throughout the years with their market status really only declining in the 1990's. If IBM still only focused on selling...
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