MABC Blog

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

 It began in a Zoom meeting. Little boxes reflecting our attendance at a meeting during the pandemic.

We listened that morning about how to fulfill our dreams. We heard that dreams can be attained by eating an elephant, one spoonful at a time. We understood that if you have others working beside you toward your dream you can be successful.

This book represents our collective dream of publishing a book. Thirty consultants generously shared their tip to help you grow your business. We thank Mary Helen Conroy for the inspiration, prodding and means to complete this task. We thank Ann Massie Nelson for her generous time in editing this work so we sound brilliant. We thank Mary Jane Connor for her cover sharing the wish we have to share our consultant knowledge.

We acknowledge all our families, our friends and mostly the clients we have all worked with through the years. Without any of you we would not have dreamed at all.

FOREWORD

Welcome to exploring the minds of Madison Area Business Consultants. We’re a relatively small organization and we attract people with big ideas. We discovered a way to unlock the brain power of 30 Madison area business consultants in this book. We all come to this group with the hope of connecting with people who can create value for each other and our clients, while creating a platform for giving to others.

In this book you’ll find an objective point of view, specifically presented to help you and your organization identify and analyze challenges that are in need of a solution. Some you’re aware of and others you might not be able to see or recognize. We can help you reduce inefficiencies, pinpoint solutions, save money, make money, improve overall performance, and facilitate the change necessary to achieve your goals.

Our organization was created to provide a shared learning experience for Madison’s best business consultants. Our focus is always on improving our consulting skill sets and finding great businesses that want to benefit from the knowledge and expertise our members bring to the market. We support each other.

Time to dig in and learn if there’s a tip or trick that you can add to your knowledge base.

Thank you for your time and interest in the life lessons brought forward by our expert professionals.

John Russell, President, 2019-2021

ANOTHER CHANCE TO BE AN AUTHOR!

We're doing it again! It's another opportunity to be an author! One of our best opportunities to share the expertise of MABC has been our #1 Best Selling book. We Wish We Had Known was published in November 2021. We've sold 345 copies! It's time to do it again! As of August 2023, all members are eligible to write their best tip for our second volume. The first 30 members who sign on will be included in this volume. Whether you were in the first volume and have another idea, or if you're new to MABC, you are welcome to contribute. If you're thinking about joining MABC…wow! Please do it now! Ready to commit? Please get in touch with Mary Helen at maryhelenconroy@gmail.com. Action Dates: August 1: All commitment Letters are due. September: MABC meeting will talk about how to write up tips and tricks. October 1: All three pages are due! October 31: We press "publish." November 9: Formal launch date for the MABC book! Be an author! Share your expertise with the world through MABC!

Jen Wilson, New Leaf Coaching & Consulting

https://consultnewleaf.com/

A university Dept of Nuclear Engineering was challenged by their external Advisory Board to create a bold 10-year vision and 5-year strategic plan that would earn them #1 academic ranking and position faculty as thought leaders in their field. Their last strategic planning retreat was 5 years ago and consisted of several senior faculty making presentations to their colleagues, and faculty feedback was that it was "deadly boring." Additionally, several new faculty were hired during the pandemic, and the entire faculty had not met face to face in years. The Dept Chair knew something different was called for, but he wasn't sure what. Our first steps were to assemble a faculty Design Team and create a POP (Purpose, Outcomes, Process) that centered relationships as much as product. Next, we conducted a departmental inquiry which consisted of 1:1 learning conversations with Dept heads and surveys (mix of quantitative and qualitative) for students, staff/admin, and faculty. The goals of the inquiry were to engage people in co-creation and allow all voices to be heard equitably. Based on the input we received, the Design Team crafted Guiding Questions to help faculty develop their 10-year Vision and converge on 5-6 strategic goals. The most important innovation was designing an experiential offsite retreat that strengthened relationships by maximizing interaction vs. presentation. Faculty were assigned to various groups throughout the day to ensure they mixed with colleagues both within and outside of their specialties, and long breaks and meal times were designed to support informal collegial interaction. In each round, groups grappled with Big Questions designed to spark innovation, creativity, and bold ideas. To support equitable process, the Dept Chair stepped back to listen and observe, and junior faculty were given facilitator roles to elevate their voices and visibility. The faculty emerged with a bold 10 year vision and alignment around 5-7 strategic goals to take into further strategic planning. Just as importantly, people felt connected and energized at the end of a long day and wished they had another full day together. This comment from a new faculty member illustrated the success of the relational design: "You know, I was skeptical about this day because as a younger woman in this field, I'm often not listened to even when I assert my ideas. But I found out that I have a lot more in common with senior faculty than I imagined, and I feel closer to my colleagues beyond my expectations."

Mike Schuster, FiddleSmart Marketing LLC, www.fiddlesmartmarketing.com

Mike works with clients to develop marketing that actually works. And makes it easier for the right people to learn about, buy from, and tell others about their business. A recent client approached him with a goal to increase sales through his farm’s online store. Mike worked with him to:
• Strengthen the message and story on his homepage,
• Improve the site's navigation to make it easier for people to shop the website,
• Build out enhanced product descriptions
• Add elements to improve visibility and rankings within search engines,
• Redesign the format of his emails to make them easier to read and showcase more products, plus
• Send targeted emails to segments of buyers.
As a result, online sales have significantly increased year over year. And the business is adding new customers who have not purchased from the business' physical location.

Heather Dean, M.Ed, NBPT Creative Across The Curriulum 

Many industry-specific experts (doctor, accountant, scientist, real estate agent, marketer, etc...) know their field like the back of their hand. They can quickly assess the information, easily apply their skills, and move forward on a clear path with professional confidence. Because of this expertise, it can be difficult to mentor or educate clients or teams needing to learn, adapt, and grow. This is where Creative Across the Curriculum’s (CATC) Taking a Teaching Approach Workshop Series steps in to make an impact. Through a set of interactive sessions, participants explore high-quality instructional design and delivery approaches. They work 1:1 with Heather to improve their interactions with customers or clients, or during conferences and presentations, or throughout their program and course designs. All without needing an education degree. CATC’s clients marvel that tweaking just one step or one portion of a training can make a world of difference in the audience’s understanding. Other CATC’s clients shared the success of higher productivity and creativity amongst their team by teaching rather than telling. Another manager commented that she learned more about her employee’s strengths and professional needs during the Taking a Teaching Approach series than she had in the whole year of working together. Contact Heather today to explore how to give your teams or clients the best learning experience. heatherdean@creativeacrossthecurriculum.com

Susie Moon, Owner of Susie Moon Consulting

A horse walks into a bar, the bartender says ‘Why the long face?’......... There is a time and a place for being funny. Work can be one of them if it’s done well. In the workplace, you have to balance being funny enough to entertain your coworkers, but not so funny that you end up in the HR office. In my business, humor is one of our core values. We all spend enough of our time at work, we need to make it fun and enjoyable. Being an adult, in the business world, is serious stuff. I find that bringing some humor, levity and playfulness into the day can lift everyone’s spirits, which increases energy, creativity and productivity. What does it look like though? What lines should we color in so that we use humor to our benefit and not allow it to work against us? It’s important to know your audience. Share a comical story, something that happened to you that made you laugh. Revealing that side of yourself allows you to bring your whole self to work, showing some vulnerability and a connection to the human experience we all have. There are commonalities amongst groups that are fun to explore, and those kinds of topics are a nice place to find humor. Bringing humor into the workplace is a way to connect and build rapport. You can relieve tension and stress, you can increase trust. I mentioned increasing energy and creativity, how about increasing recall? I remember presentations that used humor far more than those that were a dry, dull repeat of the presenter’s slides. We all remember lines from our favorite funny movies or television shows, don’t we? You can put people at ease, perhaps win over an audience and make a memorable first impression. Being a little lighthearted in the workplace is a welcome counter to the heaviness of tasks sometimes. What doesn’t work? Well, unkind behavior will do the opposite of lightening the mood. Don’t look to be provocative or mean. You aren’t at a nightclub, you are with your coworkers. Roasting or teasing is out of bounds. Topics that might stir up negative emotions or conflict would be off limits as well. And, what if you ‘just aren’t funny’? Some people say that, but everyone has a little humor. You don’t need to be a stand up comedian, just be yourself, don’t take everything too seriously and don’t be afraid to laugh. Here’s the challenge - How can you use humor in the workplace to your advantage? How can this enrich your day and connect with others? Where do you see value and benefits? That’s the #moonchallenge. Take it.

Stuart Fields  
Working directly with employers in customized training programs; courses are modified to meet the special needs that company. Instruction may be provided in diverse settings, such as the establishment’s training facilities, educational institutions, offsite conference centers, the workplace, and virtually through web conferencing.
http://www.stuartbfields.com/

stuart@stuartbfields.com

Consulting Specialties Include:

• ·       Training and Development
• ·       Coaching & Personal Development
• ·       Leadership
• ·       Performance Improvement
• ·       Strategic Planning

Services

Business and Executive Coaching (group and one-to-one)

Management Team Coaching

Strategic Retreat Facilitation

Employee Training Workshops delivered include (but are not limited to):

* Sales

* Customer Service

* Team building (including virtual teaming)

* Change management

* Motivation, self-esteem, accountability

* New employee orientation

* High Potential and Management transition

* Recruiting and selection

* Performance improvement

* Negotiation

* Stress management

* Intercultural management

Background Info

Certified Business and Sales coach (Growth Coach - Strategic Mindset process). Certified Success Coach and Facilitator (Jack Canfield). Learning solutions consultant; design, redesign and delivery of employee education programs. Certified in Development Dimensions International ( DDi) and Achieve Global Leadership facilitation. Experienced in educational program management, vendor relationship management and virtual teaming.

- Certified Administrator in Behavioral Interviewing through Development Dimensions International (DDI)

- Certified Achieve Global and DDI Leadership curriculum facilitator.

- International Bureau of Standards in Training, Performance and Instruction (IBSTIPI) Certified Technical Trainer + (plus designation includes all aspects of facilitated training delivery).

- Completed Professional of Human Resources (PHR) certification in 2010.

- Overseas professional experience, Europe and Asia-Pacific - international acumen

- 10 years direct management experience

- Master Degree in International Administration {MIA} (School for International Training)

- Bachelor of Art (UW - Madison)

Matthew is one of the Founding Partners of SX Wisconsin. Matthew helps small to mid-sized businesses achieve profitable and sustainable revenue growth. As an executive with over 25+ years of experience in leading highly successful sales teams, Matthew has executed the vision and strategies that built industry leading financial and insurance organizations. Matthew has seamlessly worked with cross-functional teams to remedy complex situations.

 

Matthew partners with your company as an Outsourced Chief Sales Officer to assist sales teams in reaching exceptional levels of performance, profit and increase revenue while building winning strategies to help you reach business objectives.

My goal is to drive sales growth. I do this with Sales Xceleration’s proven system that focuses on creating record-breaking

sales for your company, defined in these 3 steps:

* Create a Sales Plan

* Find Your Best Customers

* Grow Your Sales

Creative Across The Curriculum, LLC
Redesign the Learning Experience

Discover how using creativity enhances the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of your students and teams.

EDUCATORS:

Frustrated with scripted, mandated curriculum that does not meet the needs of your students? Struggling to design high-quality creative experiences that meet state or professional standards? CATC works with educators to improve curriculum design and delivery in early childhood, elementary, middle, high schools, colleges, universities, and graduate programs.

BUSINESS:

Tired of typical, boring business meetings and getting little buy-in from attendees? Eye rolls and negative attitudes are toxic when authentic change needs to happen. CATC works with business leaders, consultants, and HR departments to improve trainings and learning experiences for their employees and clients.

COMMUNITY:

Struggling to tackle complex social, emotional, economic, educational and logistical issues within a community? It's difficult for organizations to engage citizens across generations and neighborhoods. CATC works with community organizations, government departments, and parent groups to improve communication, address needs, and enhance lives.

Background Info

There is an ever-growing list of demands placed on business leaders, employers, school districts, teachers and caregivers. People are asked to squeeze more out of every moment in their work day and home life. The CATC process was developed to fit within these demands without overwhelming individuals or systems.

The creative thinking process allows all to thrive when given the opportunity to explore, integrate, analyze, and create in a meaningful way. Participating in this design and implementation process also increases professional motivation and satisfaction for both teacher and learner.

I am passionate about meeting your curriculum needs and I look forward to working with you soon!

National Board Professional Teacher (MC Gen - 2025)

Master's in Education (DePaul University)

B.A. in Studio Art/Art History (Denison University)

ESOL and Gifted Endorsements

Over 20 years teaching experience

Ann Massie Nelson is an interviewer and writer with more than 35 years of experience in marketing and communications, working primarily in financial services and trade associations. She has interviewed people on a wide range of topics for news and features articles that have appeared in print, video, web, broadcast and social media. Nelson has facilitated meetings and focus groups, developed and presented continuing education seminars, and taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She returned to the university in 2010 to earn a certificate in consumer health advocacy from the Law School. She holds bachelors and master’s degrees in life sciences communications from the UW-Madison.

Life Messages Media, LLC, offers video storytelling services to individuals, organizations and small businesses. We come to your location, guide you through the interview, and record other footage to tell your unique story. Our high quality production process - using professional cameras, lights and sound - results in a video you will be proud to share with others. Your finished video is a natural reflection of you that speaks volumes more than text or photographs alone can do.