Bring meaning to your business through vision, operations, and leadership.
As a consultant, I turn dreams into plans, plans into actions, and actions into experiences. I help my clients question what’s always been done while creating blueprints for what’s possible.
My approach is both imaginative and pragmatic.
I help organizations get unstuck by providing actionable, focused direction that’s synthesized from decades as a leader at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group and advising clients in different corners of the service sector.
I work with you to improve outcomes in three key areas:
Customer experience
Employee experience and
Financial performance
Focusing on these three interconnected elements helps leaders wrap their arms around even the most daunting challenges. When teams are unified to optimize all three processes, their purpose becomes crystal clear, their momentum accelerates, and the business becomes unstoppable.
Here’s how I work with clients:
Step One
Meet
Our first discovery call is an opportunity to share your aspirations and your business’s most pressing issues. Through dialogue, we discuss how I can help.
You’ll also have the opportunity to learn about me – my process, experience, and personality – to ensure we’re a good fit for each other.
Step Two
Discover
This is where things get fun.
In discovery, I dive into your organization to gain an understanding of the business today. I review internal documents, your online presence, and social media reviews of your products and services.
I then conduct an on-site evaluation to understand your business through the eyes of your customers and employees. I meet with individuals across the organization, and I engage with your leadership team to get a full picture.
Following my in-person visit, we meet to discuss my observations and consider potential new strategies. At the end of discovery, we create a roadmap for the future.
Step Three
Engage
We’ve nailed down a vision. We’ve created a plan. Now, I support you to make it happen.
From this point on, I’ll help wherever you need it most – as a seasoned expert, client representative, trusted advisor, or accountability partner. In whatever I do, I will be your constant advocate. I’ll help you stick to a plan while providing guidance when obstacles present themselves.
Here’s how I help:
Leadership
Identifying where you are and getting you where you want to go
Navigating the landscape of other leaders and executives
Effectively leading a team in a way that’s true to you
Operations
Understanding your business’s numbers to increase sales and profits
Creating systems to maximize efficiency
Setting meaningful KPIs to see what’s working
People & Culture
Creating a culture that engages and inspires your team
Re-imagining your organizational structure for clarity of purpose
Improving how your team collaborates and supports one another
Innovation
Generating new ideas to set your business apart from the rest
Actualizing a plan to bring your audacious goals to life
Unifying your leaders to create a laboratory of ideas and possibilities
Hospitality
Stepping into the shoes of your customers to improve their experience
Designing unforgettable moments for your team and customers
Maneuvering through customer challenges
Change Management
Communicating company changes—big and small—effectively
Constructing systems to help change happen—and stick
Course-correcting when business doesn’t go as planned
“What makes Mark especially valuable is his firsthand experience in entrepreneurship within one of the country’s top restaurant companies; his deep understanding of the importance of positive employee culture; and his ability to operate a variety of successful businesses through all the turbulences imaginable. I have used Mark as a thoughtful resource to assist me with developing solutions and methods of implementation. I consider him to be one of my most trusted assets.”
—Steve Zagor, Professor at Columbia and NYU, former Dean of ICE Culinary Management Program
“As an operator, Mark knows the numbers and how operational choices impact profitability. He understands financial results and the story behind the numbers. As a mentor, he shared financial results to develop managers’ awareness on how their decisions impacted the bottom line.
In opening new venues, Mark implemented critical paths and value engineered with contractors to keep openings on time and on budget. He empowered department heads to create standards to ensure the service and product matched the mission. Mark communicates across functional lines to ensure a cohesive team.”
—Patrick Shalloo, Chief Financial Officer, Turning Point Restaurants
Bring your business dreams to life.
Let’s have a discovery call to discuss your needs.
