If you are a business owner or executive, you know how difficult it is to manage the day to day activities of your business, while not losing sight of the vision and strategy that will allow your business to prosper in a constantly changing environment. Rarely does there seem to be enough time to accomplish everything that is necessary today, let alone anticipate and plan for the future of your business and your life after your business. The future can be upon you before you realize it, and you could be forced to make reactive decisions that cost time, money, and can jeopardize the future of the business you have worked so hard to build. Unless you intend on working as long as you live, you also need a proactive plan for how you will exit your business while maintaining a desired lifestyle.Look Ahead exists to solve business owners and leaders problems in these areas:- Vision identification and refinement- Strategic planning- Growth strategies and tactics- Transition planning and execution through succession or saleI have been fortunate enough to have learned from great mentors and teachers, and have had the opportunities to put those teachings into practice in my own businesses. I have experience in the entire business life cycle, from greenfield startup to sale and exit, so I have travelled the path that you are on.I also recognize that it is difficult to find people with whom you can discuss the plans, ideas, and challenges that you face in your business. I am a confidential sounding board who can help you work out the thoughts in your head and turn them into action. Being a business owner or leader with many people depending on you and ultimate decision making responsibility can be a lonely job, but you don't have to do it alone.

SCORE is a national non-profit organization that provides business mentoring, workshops, and other resources to small business entrepreneurs and those who wish to become small business entrepreneurs.

After purchasing this business, I built and led a team that served over 14,000 customers. Our culture valued our team members and empowered them to make decisions and plan processes in order to achieve our company's goals. We employed continuous training and technology adoption to anticipate market trends and meet changing customer needs. Engaged marketing, in both online and offline arenas, allowed us to increase visibility and credibility, further fueling our growth. Key activities and results of this approach included:- Top line sales growth of 62% - Market leader in customer volume & sales revenue- Named Best Auto Repair Shop in Athens, GA 6 years in a row- Grew & maintained the largest number of insurance carrier direct repair programs in market area- Acquired & maintained fleet accounts with both government agencies and private sector companies- First collision repair center in market to employ contemporary inbound & content marketing strategies- Attained & maintained Manufacturer Certification from Ford, GM, FCA, Honda, Acura, Infiniti, Kia, & HyundaiDue to our team's efforts and success, Georgia Square Collision became an attractive acquisition target for national collision repair chains. I fielded multiple purchase offers, negotiated terms and contracts, and ultimately closed the sale of the business to a national repair chain.Additionally, I negotiated the purchase of the affiliated real estate, established a tax and liability advantaged ownership structure, & arranged financing. As part of the sale of the business, I retained ownership of the property and negotiated a long term lease with the purchasers of the business.

My original employer invited me to operate and buy into the dealership he had acquired in Athens. The business employed 70-80 team members and achieved annual sales of up to $61 Million. This was the first dealership I led that held multiple franchises from unrelated manufacturers, each of whom had unique & often competing demands. It was also the first dealership that included all departments found in the dealership arena; sales, service, parts, F&I, and collision repair.This was my first opportunity to purchase part of an existing business, so I educated myself in the specifics of buy-sell agreements, facility leases, and capital acquisition. Because we crafted detailed agreements and had excellent legal advice, I was able to understand the consequences, both intended and unintended, of these agreements.From 2005 to 2011, I was responsible for 3 facility remodeling projects and 1 greenfield facility construction project, involving three different franchisors. These projects involved managing contractors, negotiating project parameters with franchisors, and maintaining budget and timeline discipline, all while minimizing disruption to operations and profitability levels. In 2009, We decided to expand and relocate our collision center to an offsite location, which involved site selection, purchase negotiation, and execution of the transaction, including all contracts & leases.In 2004, we realigned our business strategy by acquiring the Nissan franchise and divesting Pontiac, Buick, and Isuzu. My involvement in this buy-sell process provided valuable experience for our next transaction. In 2011, when we decided to sell the business. I was tasked with leading the sale process. I was the primary contact for the buyers, franchisors, and our attorneys. I negotiated the terms of the sale, was responsible for making certain that the business operated properly until closing, and ensured that all conditions & terms necessary for closing were met in a timely fashion.

I founded Value Motors after 13 years working in the automotive retail sector because I wanted to own my own business and because I wanted to try some retailing concepts that were not commonplace in the industry at the time. The business was boot strapped, using only self generated capital and no outside investors. It was also a greenfield business, arising from undeveloped property. I owned & operated Value Motors until I was offered the opportunity to buy into and operate a multi franchise new car dealership, at which point I sold the business to another operator. While the business has changed hands several times over the intervening 20 years, it still exists in its original location.As a greenfield startup, I had to select and outfit a physical facility. This involved market studies, traffic counts, zoning requests, licensing, property acquisition, site preparation, and building acquisition and outfitting, all of which I either performed personally or negotiated the contracts for job completion.A unique value proposition and disruptive marketing were key to making space for Value Motors in a crowded marketplace. I employed online inventory marketing, fixed transaction price selling, Carfax reports displayed on the vehicles, and included third party warranties on all products. These marketing tactics were not in use in 1996, either by franchised new car dealers or by independent dealers.My original business model was to offer all vehicles at a sale price below $10,000. I quickly realized that looking for new market segments to penetrate would be necessary in order to grow the business and achieve our sales and profitability goals. Unique product offerings would also differentiate us from our competitors. I continuously studied market trends and customer interest, identifying vehicle product lines that offered market traction. By the time I sold the business, Value Motors was primarily focused on the SUV, luxury import vehicle, pickup truck, & Jeep lines.

Like the two dealerships I had operated previously, this dealership was not performing to the owner's standards when I was hired. Paramount Honda was in a larger market, and was capable of 2-3 times the sales volume of the previous stores. It was part of a dealership group that included a management company. The owner was not involved in the day to day operation of the dealership, but was active in the operation of the management company and met with me on a weekly basis to discuss operations. Our store's management team built and trained a sales organization that accomplished the following goals:- Sold over 100 vehicles in a 1 month period for the first time in the store's history- Ranked in the top 3 Honda dealerships in the region for new vehicle lease penetration- Consistently achieved new vehicle sales volume consistent with our larger, neighboring market Honda dealerships - Increased used vehicle inventory turn, freeing capital and reducing losses due to inventory aging- Top customer satisfaction scores with a customer demographic that skewed female, a traditionally underserved community in the automobile industryI continued my focus on Service and Parts operations, helping to increase service and parts sales while reducing obsolete parts inventory, thus returning investment capital to ownership.

Running these two dealerships provided me with many first time opportunities:- Tasked with "turning around" underperforming businesses- Operating automobile dealerships for an owner who was not involved in the day to day activities of the businesses- Operating a thinly capitalized business that required constant attention to cash flowBoth of these dealerships were in small towns, within 30 miles of larger markets with high volume dealerships of the same brand. We had to find creative ways to differentiate ourselves, as we could not compete on price or large selection. With the help of the teams and processes we put in place at both locations, we were able to accomplish the following goals:- Showing first monthly profits since the owner's acquisition of the dealerships- Increasing vehicle sales by 233% at Ford and 157% at Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep- Freeing up frozen capital by reducing obsolete parts inventory and aged warranty receivables- Improving revenue streams from both the Finance & Insurance and Service DepartmentsBecause the dealerships were in small, out of the way markets, I had to find ways to attract customers. The small size of the dealerships also meant that we could not receive meaningful allocations of desirable new vehicles. I took a chance on the newly opened diesel light duty truck market, acquiring and maintaining an inventory of late model used diesel pickup trucks, advertising them regionally. I also purchased custom conversion versions of new diesel trucks, since I couldn't get stock ones. These new and pre-owned trucks brought visibility, traffic, and sales gross profit margins that would otherwise not have come to a town of 5000 residents.The opportunity to run these dealerships as if they were mine, with only sporadic contact with the owner, was transformative for me. Like many entrepreneurs, I reveled in the ability to form a strategy and a plan, then execute knowing that the ultimate responsibility for the outcome was mine.

After 8 years with my previous employer, this was my first post-college experience with a different company. It was very different from my prior experience, and is where I learned the importance of a company culture in terms of its effect on employees and customers. Company cultures exist whether or not they are directed by senior management, the difference being the ability of the culture to generate desired outcomes. I also learned that it is imperative that all management personnel need to be comfortable and supportive of the company culture in order for both employees and the company to achieve their goals.I spent a significant amount of my time here training new hires, learning and refining ways to bring team members quickly up to speed on required skills.

While I was in college, I determined that I wanted a career that would allow me to accomplish 3 goals: own my own business, work in sales, and work with automobiles. In my 8 years with Star Automobile Company, I progressed through the following positions:- Salesperson- Finance & Insurance Manager- Sales Manager (single line)- Sales Manager (multiple lines)- General ManagerThe organization was a growth focused one, with ample opportunity for aggressive employees who were willing to achieve and grow. It was here that I gained an understanding of the importance of continual learning and skill acquisition. I also learned how to manage and motivate sales teams through a combination of clear goals, regular communication of feedback, accountability, and recognition. I remained with the organization until the owner sold his dealerships and exited the industry.