“During one of our first meetings Keith helped me see that I was long overdue to raise my prices. I was hesitant for several reasons but he helped me step by step and I was able to follow through with it, and I didn’t lose any customers because of the increase. I wound up making more money for the same level of effort and my customers were still paying a fair price.
On another occasion, I was having trouble with all my helpers. After meeting with Keith again, he suggested letting them all go and finding one really good worker, paying her more per hour. Again, I was hesitant, but things work out for a reason. Before I knew it, I was down to one helper & making even more money. Keith has helped me make smart decisions.” - Donna Simpson, Owner of a Home & Office Cleaning Service
“Keith and I crossed paths six years ago when we were both investing in real estate. Since that initial introduction we have stayed in touch and have gotten together for lunch several times over the years. Not long ago, I realized that I have implemented several of the things that he has mentioned over the years. So I wrote down every business decision that I could remember that he had an influence on. I was amazed at the imprint that he had on my company. Because of our casual conversations, I now have a great corporate CPA, cheaper health insurance, great web site developer, fantastic business cards and on and on. In addition to the obvious things, the beneficial nuances of our meetings are just as important to me as the tangible. He has shown me different ways of looking at a situation or different angles of attack to achieve the same goal which I simply could not see on my own. One last thought. With Keith you also get integrity, strong character and a love for life at no extra cost. For me, I want to see these kinds of attributes in a person before I’m interested in hearing what they know.” - Derrick I. Mitchell, Nature’s Apothecary
“My dad always told me to ‘Surround yourself with smart people and you’ll do smart things. Hang out with dumb people and you’ll do dumb things.’ I have tried to follow that advice since junior high and found myself in college engineering classes with Ryan Waldron, one of the brightest, down-to-earth people I know. Fast forward a few years and I discover Ryan (and business partner Keith are) still answering those tough “How do I ….??” questions here in Huntsville. Doesn’t matter if it is tech-related, broken process, or customer relationship, they know the right questions to ask to get to the root of your real business issue. They have helped me grow a successful aerial photography business in the face of declining construction and commercial property markets by concentrating on my clients’ business needs, delivering quality, while working on those things I’m good at, and letting go of those things I’m not so good at. I still believe in surrounding myself with smart people but the older I get, I realize those people have to have a strong work ethic, an intact moral compass and a willingness to share their knowledge. Keith and Ryan exceed my expectations on all fronts and can be found under the “Strategic Competitive Advantages” heading in my business plan.” - Marty Sellers, Owner & Pilot, SellersPhoto Aerial Photography
GetFitAndBeWell.com
The beginning of a new year was approaching and personal trainer Paula Ott needed something tangible to hand out to potential clients. We helped Paula narrow her focus to designing a piece that would convince nervous newbie exercisers they would be safe in her experienced hands.
We put Paula in her element, taking lots of photos of her working with a client at a gym. She supplied several customer testimonials. We put it all together in a simple handout that sells her unique strongpoints, lists her credentials, and encourages prospects to visit her website. This project had a quick turnaround and can be printed off a desktop printer or color copied. The content and focus of the print piece was used as the foundation for building a simple website.
“Keith and I meet for coffee every week or so. We’re working toward clear goals for my business and perhaps most importantly he’s talked me out of two major (expensive!) projects that wouldn’t have helped me get where I really want to go.” - Paula Ott, Personal Fitness Coach, GetFitandBeWell.com
AlabamaLawnmaster.com
Darryl Anderson of Alabama Lawn Masters had a problem: the landscape maintenance market has been flooded with unprofessional startups. With lots of people out of work, there have been quite a few to say, “Hey, I’ve got a pickup and a lawn mower, I’ll go into the grass cutting business!”
Alabama Lawn Masters has been around for 17 years and does a lot more for customers than just cut grass. The first of the year is when it is time to lock down maintenance contracts for the upcoming season, so Darryl needed a print piece he could leave with commercial customers to remind them of most of the points he made in his personal presentation. We helped Darryl strategize what he needed to put on such a print piece, wrote the copy, designed the layout and delivered a print-ready piece. Once the print piece was finalized, we expanded the content to build a website for Alabama Lawn Masters.
“My business has always done well growing by word of mouth, but the economy has put the squeeze on everyone, and I’m no exception. I didn’t need a lot of strategic help, but I did need execution. Keith, Ryan, and Karen developed new brochures for me as well as a web site and email presence. They guided things when I wanted them to but were quick to turn over the vendor relationships to me so that I could save money going forward on the parts I wanted to handle. I got great value and will look to them again when I need an unbiased outside look into my company.” - Darryl Anderson, Alabama Lawn Masters, Inc.
