The Next Phase...

Happy New Year!  Welcome 2011!

     I am excited for the coming year.  Many of you are aware that a few months ago I officially turned over the helm of the company to our President and Chief Executive Officer – Bill Diederich.  Bill has been serving in the capacity of President for over 4 years and had developed into the strategic visionary for the company several years prior to accepting that role.  I have been evolving into the Chairman role since Bill became President in 2006, but relinquishing the title of CEO, provides a formal challenge to reinvent myself.  As this transition has occurred, my number of golf rounds has increased and my stress level has decreased.  I am very happy to have reached this milestone and I am extraordinarily pleased for Bill.  He has earned the opportunity to stake claim to his body of work.

     I believe that most entrepreneurs have the dream of creating a thriving organization and either selling out, or having it “run itself”.  So, by definition, I am living the dream and I know that.  While I cringe at using the cliché, I am blessed!  At the same time, the situation creates an interesting scenario.  I’m too young to retire and still have a strong desire to conquer new challenges. 

     Since starting my computer store back in 1982, I have gone through a number of personal “re-engineering” phases, driven by a combination of the rapid growth of the company and a series of extraordinary circumstances that we encountered over the years.  

Mike’s Career Transitions: 

Start-up Entrepreneur > Business Operator > Manager > CEO > Chairman

     Each of these various phases required an entirely different set of tools and demanded accelerated learning to meet the pace of the job.   The combination of my involvement with CEO Project and these various roles have shaped my entire perspective to business and provided me with unique experiences to leverage into my next phase.  As background, I have been involved with CEO Project for over 10 years.  CEO Project (www.ceoproject.com) is a collaboration group involving a team of CEO’s from high growth companies.  The groups meet quarterly to share best practices, challenge each other towards achieving their goals, and to serve as a quasi-advisory board.  My involvement with CEO project has been the inspiration for many of the processes that we have incorporated over the years.  It became the foundation for my personal growth and development.  In addition to the tools that I have been able to develop through CEO Project, I have been able to develop some great relationships with some gifted people and great leaders.  The intangible factors have been even more valuable than the tangible ones.

     I’ve been contemplating the next phase, and as of this writing, I’m viewing this phase to be – Entrepreneurial Investor / Advisor.   This blog will serve as a living diary of sorts while I deal with this challenging career and life transition.

     In addition to providing a periodic look into the next phase, I am going to gear the content around books, technology products and business.  I want to cover the topics that you find interesting and relevant, so I’ll need your help.  There are a number of ways that you can assist.  First of all, please forward this link on to anybody that you feel might be interested.  Next, please share any business or technology topics that interest you.  Finally, I am looking to get involved with one or two business opportunities where the business needs help in achieving growth.  It doesn’t really matter what industry the business might be involved in.  My criteria are specific.  I am interested in businesses that are already in a revenue creation phase and have significant growth potential. Most critically, the business needs to have a capable operator that is interested in learning and developing and becoming a strong manager.  My key interest is helping that individual or those individuals realize their potential through coaching and advising, while having a financial stake in their success.  If you know a candidate, please consider an introduction.  

     I enjoy writing and look forward to sharing my experiences with you.   My next post is going to touch on a hot topic – the tablet craze ignited by the iPad!  If you find the posts interesting, please either follow the blog by clicking on the follow link on the sidebar or send me an email.  You can also friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn.  I am very interested in the social media phenomenon and developing a clearer picture of its impact on business as the reach continues to broaden.  Thanks for sharing your time with me!  Until the next post – Happy 2011!