2. Current cash flow constrains the ability to add
key expertise and resources
Leadership must wear many hats and is often
spread too thin
Functional gaps are filled with staff who may
not possess the best experience or knowledge to
perform optimally
Developing efficient processes to manage the
product life cycle and detail profitability/costs
data is a struggle
Leadership has little or no experience with the
various stages of growth

3. Focused on the unique challenges of small-to-
medium sized businesses (SMBs)
A 360 degree perspective
Incorporates the full spectrum of internal and external
variables into the decision-making process
Versatilist versus Specialist
Leverages an unmatched breadth of experience to
maximize flexibility and resource allocation
Partnership versus Pontification
Aligns the goals of client and consultant with a shared
risk/reward model

4. A Small business owner
There is no substitute for knowing what it takes to make
payroll
Extensive experience with SMBs in every stage
of development
A breadth of knowledge ideally suited for the
challenges faced by SMBs
A mindset and true passion for the small
business environment

5. Encompasses all facets of an operation
Cradle-to-grave product life cycle management
Supporting infrastructure: manufacturing, finance,
distribution/sales strategies, customer support
First-hand knowledge of how needs and
challenges evolve with growth helps avoid the
pitfalls of trial and error
Versed in a multitude of ways to “skin a cat”
Aligning the goals, strategies and tactics ,with the culture
and resources is crucial to maximizing resources
It’s about what you can and cannot control
Integration of the macro environment into the
decision-making process

6. What is a versatilist?
A cross between a specialist and a generalist
Possesses the skills to address specific needs with one key
difference: they are adept at seamlessly changes roles
when necessary
The term was first coined by the Gartner Group
“Versatilist are able to apply a depth of skill to a
progressively widening scope of situations and
experiences, equally at ease with technical issues as with
business strategy.”
The Gartner Group was focused on CIO and senior
IT leadership but the concept may be more
applicable to the SMB community

7. There are no MBA courses in becoming a
versatilist, nor are there any shortcuts
There is one path to achieve the status: experience
Not the experience garnered from following a
traditional career path but from one that constantly
seeks new challenges
Most people spend their entire career in a single industry,
focused on a specific discipline
During a traditional career few people experience the full
array of stages of growth
Most careers are limited to a handful of organizations
And most important: most people have never had to
make a payroll

8. Business ownership & entrepreneur
Understand the responsibilities of making payroll
Senior leadership
Organizational, board of directors, legislative commission,
task forces, and peer support
Functional expertise
Foundation formed from decades of executing cradle-to-grave
marketing
Product management & marketing communications
Sales/distribution strategies
Operations/manufacturing
Finance
Customer support
Information technology
Planning and execution
Equally adept tactically and strategically

9. Organizational Knowledge
Businesses of all sizes: startups, to Fortune 500, to non-profit
(critical to understand the shifting dynamics that occur when
evolving through the various stages of growth)
Worked with eight industry leaders (know what it takes to
succeed)
Also worked with companies that failed (know what not to do)
Industry Experience
Direct experience in dozens of industries and market segments
including healthcare, technology, telecommunications, retail,
construction, renewable energy, nutraceuticals, and art
Distribution Strategies
Experienced in the full array of distribution models including B2B,
B2C (direct), e-commerce, OEM, manufacturer reps, and multi-
tiered channels

10. Macroeconomics
Understand how to integrate the macro environment into the decision-
making process
More importantly, a demonstrated ability to accurately project
economic trends
Communications
For over a decade wrote a weekly business/economics column for the
Nashua Telegraph - New Hampshire’s second largest newspaper
Write a monthly business advice column for Business Monadnock
Magazine
Contributed columns to New Hampshire Business Review
Authored and published “The Management Mind Field”
Hosted a daily business call-in radio show
Teaching/Mentorship
Adjunct professor at Bentley University
Taught graduate course in marketing at U Mass Lowell
Instructed in marketing and business modeling at
River University

11. Healthcare: Acting COO for Greater Nashua Mental Health
Center (turnaround)
Market Research/Media: General Manager for Ziff-Davis
Infobeads – a pioneering e-commerce Web site
Children’s Vitamins: COO for HNP - one of the first
“gummy” vitamin companies that was seeking to establish
retail distribution
Renewable Energy: Established product development
process for Avera - a concentrated solar energy company
Construction: Acting CEO to address balance sheet issues
(later created spin-off company)
Venture Capital: Retained by Soros Fund to perform due-
diligence in high tech arena
Fraud Detection & Prevention: Evaluated potential
to monetize in-house technology for AT&T

12. Traditional Consulting Model
Approach their profession in a detached manner
Provide a service for a fee
Often attempt to apply the same strategies
regardless of the client’s unique circumstances
Frequently offer strategy but no support in
implementation
They assume no risk if their advice is wrong

13. The Panoptic Model
Performance-based versus fee-based
Goals of the client and consultant are aligned
Compensation structure shares the risk
We put our money where our mouth is
Partnership that supports planning and execution
Tailored work product based on specific goals and
deliverables
Requires a higher level of trust and commitment
Contract/agreement is more complex but
fully defines expectations on both sides

14. Panoptic: permitting the viewing of all parts or
elements
Uniquely positioned to cost-effectively fill
multiple voids
Provide assistance with both planning and
“roll up your sleeves” implementation
First-hand experience in the various stages of
growth
Willing to put our money where our mouth is
and share the risk/reward