Case Studies
This New York City based non-profit provides an essential community development service by helping aspiring and established entrepreneurs flourish and gain a foothold in their industry. Consumers of this non-profit's services receive business support at a subsidized rate for three years, long enough to become established businesses in their own right. They also receive other benefits, including business training and coaching.
This non-profit is accountable to the entrepreneurs it serves, the organizations that provide them with grants, and the city based governing body that oversees the non-profit. The good news is that it has successfully received grant funding to maintain its operations, and the organization enjoys a close relationship with a prestigious university. Unfortunately, poor leadership left the organization in disarray and created a poisonous atmosphere for the entrepreneurs that need strong guidance and leadership.
To help right the ship, a key staffer of the non-profit, the current Executive Director, was promoted to rebuild and grow the organization. Although the Executive Director was eager to help, she questioned her ability to leap from doer to orchestrator.
Off and running, this construction services company experienced what every business dreams about: early success; a growing client list; strong cash flow, and high profitability. Unfortunately, this success also created havoc for the three partners.
As the company grew beyond a small, easy-to-manage operation to a company with 40 employees, the partners were not prepared to handle the challenges that accompany a growing staff.
Because the company had loose employee policies and procedures in place, and failed to address its outdated operating systems, it seemed the only thing on the fast track was discontent. This sour atmosphere put a strain on relationships both inside and outside of the company. Put simply, the company was like a speeding train running out of control. But there was good news: the partners knew they needed help and reached out to the ABEL Business Institute.
A seasoned owner of a mailbox franchise business, this entrepreneur understood firsthand the headaches and hassles of those in the mail and parcel industry. Especially troublesome was the inability to track a package after it was delivered to a building with multiple occupants because there was no way to prove the package reached the recipient at the deliver address.
Determined to custom-build software to solve this frustrating problem, the entrepreneur worked with a software programmer and designed a web-based software application that tracks a package once it arrives at its destination (deliver address). His intimate, insider understanding, coupled with his "inside-the-box" thinking, resulted in a software tracking product that received rave reviews from those in the mail and parcel industry.
Although this entrepreneur's "inside-the-box" thinking was an obvious strength that resulted in a problem-solving product and a spin-off company, it was also an "outside-the-box" thinking weakness. Because he focused solely on solving a problem for one industry (mail and parcel), he was blinded to the "outside" market potential of his product.
Case Study - Bolstering Suffering Sales
After more than eight years in business, David Goldstein, the owner of DMG Consulting--a full-service IT company that provides outsourced tech support and network design for small and mid-size businesses in and around New York City--watched his company suffer from slumping sales, while he suffered from this common business owner affliction: do-it-all syndrome.
Even though DMG Consulting had six employees, Goldstein spent much of his time focusing on the daily activities of running the business. And since he is also the primary salesperson for the company, Goldstein lacked the time and the insight needed to evaluate his company to make sure it was operating efficiently and effectively.
To make matters worse, Goldstein was stuck in a sales comfort zone that was no longer increasing sales, and he wasn't sure how to fix it--until he brought in the ABEL Business Institute and started working with his ABEL Adviser.
Case Studies