Sidebar is a private, highly vetted leadership program that accelerates your career. We have the people, the process, and the technology to drive your impact and growth.

2023/2024 — HolonIQ’s annual list of the 200 most promising EdTech startups from North America.Ziplines Education (formerly GreenFig) partners with universities to deliver industry-focused certificate courses that prepare professionals for the demands of today’s digital-first workforce.I spearhead the strategic direction for growth, leveraging deep industry insights and innovative marketing strategies to drive our mission forward: to redefine education in the digital age. Here's how I'm contributing:• Strategic Growth Initiatives: Develop and execute a comprehensive growth strategy that integrates digital marketing, partnerships, and product innovation, leading to a significant increase in enrollment and revenue growth year over year.• Product Development & Innovation: Collaborate with product teams to expand our portfolio, introducing new courses in emerging fields like AI, business analytics, project management, and digital marketing, tailored for immediate real-world application and success.• Data-Driven Marketing: Implement advanced analytics and business intelligence tools to refine our marketing approach, achieving significant improvements in lead acquisition and conversion rates through targeted, personalized campaigns.• Leadership & Team Building: Cultivate a culture of excellence and innovation within the marketing team, mentoring staff to develop their skills and encouraging cross-functional collaboration to drive project success.Through these efforts, I'm not only contributing to the growth of Ziplines Education but also advancing professional education, ensuring our students are equipped to navigate and succeed in the digital economy.

I focus on helping fast-moving Founders, young, growth-driven CEO's, and forward-thinking executives identify the insights that can unlock their growth and drive innovation within their organizations and in their careers.• Marketing Technology AdvisorAssist in planning for the next phase of your growth and ongoing innovation by ensuring that all elements of your Marketing Technology strategy AND execution are in alignment with the priorities and goals you seek to achieve. • Executive MentorI provide practical-actionable guidance, based on my background, past successes, and avoidable failures as well as ask smart, probing questions to successfully work through key obstacles and uncover your potential latent opportunities.• Strategic Managment ConsultantGuide relevant stakeholders as they discover what is and isn’t working, find latent opportunities within the problems and evolve a set of goals and strategies. When people find solutions by working together, they own the results.

SpendSmart Networks, Inc. (previously known as SMS Masterminds), provided proprietary loyalty systems and a suite of digital engagement and marketing services to merchants. We delivered and managed loyalty platforms, such as merchant-funded rewards, loyalty rewards tablets/kiosks, and proprietary rewards management systems. We also offered mobile marketing technology, which included text and email messaging, customer analytics, propensity marketing, and a patent-pending automated engagement and drip marketing engine. We delivered and managed enterprise-level loyalty and mobile marketing consulting with monthly hands-on reviews by our Certified Masterminds, creating and optimizing campaigns, and localized support. In addition, we delivered and managed proprietary mobile-responsive website building platform(s), which included software that let resellers and merchants create and administer their own websites, run audits of existing merchant websites, and integrate social media streams and consumer reviews into their websites.• Responsible for P&L delivery• Planned and led board of director meetings• Negotiated transaction to sell assets of the company and negotiated with debt holders to establish a debt-free balance sheet• Coordinated with legal, finance, and outside auditors to generate quarterly and annual public filing reportsAccomplishments• Reduced monthly cash burn by $400K/month in my first three months as CEO• Maintained top-line revenue run-rate while reducing monthly expenses by 40%• Participated in multiple fundraising rounds generating over $15MM in equity and debt financing• Implemented goal-setting and measurement systems for the executive team• Established KPIs and stretch goals for every department• Led strategic planning session with the executive team to establish key priorities in turning the business around• Negotiated with outside debt holders and AP vendors for favorable repayment terms, reducing outside debt repayment by 40%

Managed the day-to-day operations of a 70+ person team who built and marketed a digital mobile marketing SaaS platform that served nearly 10 million subscribers, processed over 7 million text messages a month, and transacted over $8M in annual billings.Continually drove the adoption and refinement of our unique business model, which combined text messaging, mobile web and specialty app development, and turned the Internet into a user-friendly lead generation and client retention tool that delivered measurable results and an incredible return-on-investment for our merchants.I was instrumental in both the founding and the rapid growth of this SaaS-based platform for SMS loyalty reward technology. We went from two people in a tiny one-room office to an INC Magazine 5000 company in just four short years. This eventually led to the successful acquisition of SMS Masterminds in 2014 by SpendSmart Payments Company, a Des Moines-based prepaid payments provider.• Operationally responsible for 70+ employee digital marketing SaaS platform• Managed and oversaw technology and product development, finance & accounting, customer service, sales & business development• Coordinated transaction to acquire and integrate digital marketing services companyAccomplishments• Grew from a small two-person team with an idea to $5MM run-rate in 6 years• Achieved profitability in our first year• Developed, planned, and implemented a national conference for our reseller network, improving buy-in to our systems and client acquisition model• Achieved #731 on Inc Magazine’s 5000 list, the first year we were eligible, with 629% revenue growth over 3 years• Participated in transaction to merge with a public company and take SMS Masterminds through IPO• Planned and implemented development of a new product offering that delivers mobile-responsive web, reputation management, review generation, and social media integration. This generated $1.5MM in additional revenue over the following year

Responsible for day-to-day operations and strategic direction of this $3 MM 50+ employee Managed IT Services company that specialized in delivering innovative IT solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses in the San Luis Obispo area.TechXpress served the San Luis Obispo area beginning in 1999, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and technology consulting to regional SMBs. I made sure that the staff provided enterprise-level IT practices and solutions, with affordable prices that were also profitable to the business. I built, developed, and managed the infrastructure needed to keep our prices competitive and our clients’ systems continuously up and running.• Oversaw a staff of 10 IT technicians and customer support representatives delivering on-site and remote IT managed services• Worked with sales staff to prospect, present, and close new recurring managed services agreementsAccomplishments• Implemented technician performance tracking system, increasing efficiency and profitability• Presented and closed managed services contracts with PG&E and local municipality, increasing managed services revenues by 25%