I have been in this industry for over 40 years. I have been a consultant for over 25 years during that time I have worked with 150 companies, so I have literally seen it all. I am also a constant learner reading at least 150 business books a year. I am a sponge when it comes to learning about marketing. I am a constant adapter more focused on what is happening today and tomorrow than what happened yesterday. And most importantly I have a true passion for what I do and a true compassion for the people I do it with.

I work with PCB and PCBA companies as well as the companies who support them. I work with sales teams and rep firms, and I also work with non-profits. My goal is to make any company I work with better. To show them how to find a path to success. I try to help everyone I meet, from businesses, to my church to my public library.

I help companies with their focused direction. Helping them decided where they are going and then developing and implementing a plan on how to get there. In short, I help them develop their vision and achieve it. If a company does not have enough business, I help them grow their business. If a company is having morale problems, I will help them raise the morale of the company. If a company is going out of business, we turn them around.

We visit the company; we spend three days with them meeting and talking with all of the key people. We hold a one day brainstorming session with key team members going through our specific business plan questions. Then a week later we deliver their strategic business plan complete with actions and a timeline and we get to work. We hold regular meetings to make sure we are all on the same page as we implement the plan. Probably the most important aspect of our process is that we lead the way. We make sure that they plan is consistently being implemented. The company/ client now has a path to success, and we make sure they follow it.

It’s all about having a plan, getting everyone to agree to that plan and then executing that plan. We are very good at developing a good solid strategic direction with our clients and most importantly gaining of consensus from all key people to believe in the plan enough to commit to it. Then we act as personal trainers, making sure that no matter how busy the client is, we are going to stick to the plan. Most plans are only as good as their implementation.

My entire career is based on building trust. If I relay information from one customer to another that trust is broken, and I am out of business. And I never talk about prices. I don’t like talking about pricing and do not participate in talks about pricing with my customers.

Often companies we work with are owned by people who are at the top and have no one else to talk to about their business problems. Sometimes they are tired and want to leave the industry and don’t know how. Sometimes they are having problems with their second in command and need to talk to someone about making a change. Obviously, they cannot talk to anyone in their company about this. so, they turn to me. They know they can trust be to tell them the truth, to validate or help to correct the path they are on. I work very hard at being confidential and trustworthy and the only way to have that kind of reputation is to be confidential and trustworthy…not to mention compassionate. I seldom start off as being a trusted advisor with a company leader, it evolves over time as they get to know me.

First of all, we know the business, the industry. During that time, we have established a vast network of candidates as well as people who might know the right candidates. We also can evaluate the candidates to make sure we place the right person int the right position. It’s all about being part of the industry and knowing it cold. We have also become well-known as a company that helps people when they need a job, so the right candidates often come to us for help. We only charge the hiring company, never the candidate. In fact, we have been known to reduce fees, or waive them altogether to help the right person who needs a job, get a job.

Our most common type of failure is when our clients do not listen to us. If they do not have the patience or the trust to succeed. And the worse case of all is if they want us to solve problems, they are not ready to solve themselves. The last engagement that did not work out was with a company that only wanted fast results without commitment. They wanted us to do everything while they were too busy to do even their small part.