Operations and Marketing Consultant

Over 25 years of experience providing strategic, cutting-edge solutions, and on-going operational support.

PERSONAL SUMMARY

Anyone who knows me for more than 10 minutes will tell you that I have a strong faith in Jesus Christ. I apply Biblical principles to every problem or crisis by praying for help from the One who created us to exceed limitations and acknowledging the blessings when He exceeds our expectations.

My faith has taught me the power of perspective, the promise of polarity, and the potential of perseverance. When we elevate our thoughts above the obstacles that obscure our vision, when we choose to think positively regardless of what appears possible, and when we commit to overcoming every challenge, we will gain the wisdom to dream bigger and aim higher. We’re not in control of our destiny, but we do get to choose our direction and the source of our determination.

Too deep? Let’s get back to the surface. Nothing makes me happier than spending time with my family and teaching my children how to prepare for their life’s journey. I also enjoy making people laugh, although I’m not very good at it. But practice makes perfect, and pride prevents progress. I like to read espionage novels and self-improvement books. I’m drawn to the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean, but there is so much more of the world I hope to explore. I’m also an audiophile with a passion for country music, classic rock, old school hip hop, and EDM (electronic dance music). However, the one attribute that might shock everyone is my lifelong obsession with technology.
 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Entrepreneur in Training
June 1995 – December 2001

In my mid-twenties, the tech-boom was just a rumble in the distance, but I knew it was coming and that a shockwave of opportunity would ripple out from its epicenter. To prepare, I hustled my skills and enthusiasm for learning to multiple temp companies specializing in technical support contracts. Instead of vying for the coveted long-term projects, I chose the opposite strategy. By seeking out the 3-week to 2-month gigs, I quickly earned a “rockstar” reputation within the temp community and became a sought after commodity. Leveraging the laws of supply and demand, I negotiated a $1 per hour raise for each new contract until I peeked at $35 from $12 in under five years.

This experience taught me how to plan and keep my schedule always filled with upcoming projects. I learned how to promote my capabilities, negotiate contracts, and ask lots of questions. More importantly, I paid close attention to the details of what was going on in front of me because every desktop I serviced was a window of insight into the inner workings of Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, and other departments. I became a sponge for business and knew that if I could earn a smile, I could gain influence.

Shortly after the Y2K scare at the turn of the century, the boom finally hit, and it was time to surf that wave.

Pioneer & Owner Operator 
Tech-Knowledgy Services, LLC
January 2002 – July 2013

I founded Tech-Knowledgy Services in 2002 as an on-site computer repair service. At first, it was just me, a car, and a handful of tools to fix computers and home networks for Northern Virginia families. I picked up their computers every morning, dropped some off in the afternoon, and repaired them from home in the evenings. Within just a few months, after lots of well-earned word-of-mouth advertising, I picked up a couple of small business clients. More and more began asking for consults, startup tech advice, telecommuting solutions, and ongoing maintenance.  

By 2007, with a small staff of ten admins, technicians, and engineers, we became the leading IT Managed Services provider in the Washington-DC Metro Area. I converted the 1200sqft unfinished basement of my home into our “Bat Cave” where two to three techs fixed about fifteen to twenty computers per day. The rest were in the field picking up, dropping off, and doing all the on-site work I used to do. As my role continued to change, I created our standardized repair procedures, managed reseller relationships, negotiated new equipment purchases, coordinated warranty logistics, developed our trouble ticket tracking system, and built an evolving knowledge base. I also designed all the marketing collateral and steered our business processes to maintain optimum efficiency while preventing employee burnout.  

As hardware prices dropped and national technical support chains began to saturate the market, I saw my dream of national expansion getting fuzzy, so I re-calibrated direction. I’ve never been one to follow the pack or conform to the status quo because when you do, their limitations become your own. I don’t believe in limits, only challenges to overcome by changing perspective. 

In 2009 I invested the profits & resources from Tech-Knowledgy Services to seed a sibling company called Exec-u-sist, which performed virtual admin services for many of the businesses TKS was already supporting. We had the in-house capability to manage computers and servers remotely, but at that time, virtual services were still in their infancy stage. By tapping into my staff’s creative expertise, we collaboratively brainstormed and implemented custom solutions for a team of administrative assistants to perform their duties from home. As the financial scales started to tip toward virtual services, I decided to sell off the physical assets and contracts of TKS to double down on this new venture’s success.

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Exec-u-sist, LLC
July 2009 – December 2016

Building a completely virtual administrative firm was an unbelievable challenge, but there is so much freedom as a trailblazer to discover new opportunities. I knew if (when) we could create a business model where everyone worked from home, our CODB (Cost of Doing Business) would be minimal. This way, we could pay our people more while charging our clients less. 

We started with a broad spectrum of service offerings. Our motto, “how can we help?” was a bold and stupid marketing plan, but we were full of ambition and coffee, so we threw caution out the window and went for it. Small business clients came from everywhere with small wallets and big requests, so we took that as a sign. Don’t do business with the smalls? Not at all. They inspired us to continually adapt to this new climate of need for part-time admins.

As we got better and standardized the mechanics, our productivity increased, but our invoice totals decreased because we were doing everything expected in less time. Something that typically translates to a renewed focus on volume, yet that would significantly increase overhead, which went against our low CODB vision. Another option, the one we chose, was to pool all of our resources and efforts into the single most requested service (answering the phones) and let all the others fade to black. It was time to retool and rebrand once again; Above the Call was born.

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Above The Call, Inc.
July 2016 – June 2018

In 2009 the “Cloud” was still just the Internet, and telecommuting required clunky VPNs or cobbled hybrid technologies. With a little creativity, however, I architected a solution that allowed Exec-u-sist employees to log in to a server in my home, enabled with the latest VOIP telecommunications software. We mailed out phones to every employee, which was a logistical nightmare (I mean challenge). In 2013, however, I negotiated an agreement with our primary telecommunications vendor to configure multiple servers, exclusively for our company, that would be housed in their facilities and managed by their engineers. It was the break we needed. FUN FACT: Today, that solution is called IaaS or Infrastructure as a Service. 

In October 2016, we had matured well past the growing pains of a bootstrapping startup to a company ready to take on the world. Gone were the days of a single shift in a single time-zone, updating spreadsheets and transposing chicken scratch to digital documents. We became a competitively priced, 24x7x365, 70 employee virtual call center with a clear view of our objectives. 

My highest priorities were to continually tweak our efficiency, which I did by analyzing key areas, pivoting our procedures, and developing custom applications to automate routines and repetitive tasks. One of the most significant of these was our Virtual Office (a proprietary application) to help manage all HR functions, Quality Assurance, Productivity Monitoring, Quarterly Reviews, and more. Another was a semi-automated recruiting portal that produced better candidates and reduced time to hire by 75%. I also built an online training center with account-specific courses that our clients reviewed and approved before our nationally diverse work-from-home agents took the lessons. This solution automated our ability to keep representatives updated on their account’s latest procedures while getting new employees successfully on the phone in just three days. 

After signing numerous multi-year contracts with large call-volume clients, ATC experienced exponential growth with no sign of leveling out. Two years later, blindsided by a personal tsunami, I resigned to refocus my attention elsewhere for a season.