Results
Our offerings go much deeper than a pep talks or “silver bullet” solutions. Rock & Sand coaching and facilitation methodologies are based on the proven results of recognized thought leaders and documented business case studies. The resulting insights are significant, measurable and practical.
Here’s what my clients have to say about Rock & Sand, The School of Rock & Sand, and Michael Synk.
“This is exactly what I needed as an entrepreneurial business owner.
Michael does an excellent job keeping me focused on strategic planning while keeping it interesting and fun. The School of Rock and Sand is incredibly convenient and because it is all online, I can use it whenever and wherever I want. The content is perfect – broken up into bite sized, actionable chunks with worksheets and job aids that make the planning easy. Michael has done all the hard work of synthesizing the best strategic models out there into a system that is focused on execution.
I’m more confident about the direction we’re headed, We have alignment; we are all rowing in the same direction. Our meetings have become more efficient because we aren’t focused on trivial things. We also aren’t trying to “boil the ocean”, and instead we are working on the highest priority items first – our rocks!
Working with Michael is like hanging out with an old friend who wants nothing but the best for you. He brings a wealth of experience and strategic thinking to our sessions, with a clear methodology for making progress. The best part is his flexibility and range, he provides sage advice on just about any issue I face.”
Mike Minkler
President, CMIT Solutions
“I’ve really enjoyed the combination of video classes to get the concepts down, and sessions with Michael about how to direct meetings with my team, then having debrief sessions after. It is a very time and cost-effective way to get the desired output we were hoping for – a strategic plan for that we can immediately implement and adapt over the coming years.
After trying to self-implement EOS for several years, we are finally getting some immediate momentum and team buy-in. With EOS, I felt like I was making a list of what I wanted to happen – then trying to delegate those items to others. With Rock & Sand, the whole team that is getting educated through the videos, while I am being coached on how to facilitate the conversations.
The biggest improved outcome is getting alignment across the management team. Everyone is on the same page and heading in the same direction, and at the same time taking ownership over the initiatives. The enthusiasm they brought to the planning process has been really exciting.”
Joe Bottani, IV
Partner, Arch Brokerage
We are following this program with our leadership and it is very enlightening. Although there are many similar programs, Rock & Sand is much clearer, less complicated, and much more easily implemented. It has a logical approach which makes sense. It is definitely worth it for leaders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs.
Annette Rondos-Pitera
The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce
Thank you for today’s session. We can mark today as a day that the path became a little clearer.
As stated earlier, “ This is the clearest I have seen my company, KUDZUKIAN, and its business process ever!” Thank you for illuminating the path ahead. Highest Regards.
Larry Robinson
CEO, Kudzukian
What I like most about Synk’s coaching is the accountability and deadlines he brings to the equation. It forces me to make good decisions that I won’t procrastinate on. It’s helped me stay focused, my stress levels are reduced, and I’m managing others and the projects so much better as a result. The processes we are creating and implementing are creating more profits and increased cash flow. With that I more confidently and consistently focus on what I do best, instead of working on the churn.
If you feel you are in the “spin cycle” of reacting to everything, Synk will help you sort it all out so you can confidently focus on the right things that will produce growth.
Nick Robbins
President and Owner, Nick Robbins Co.
Synk is easy to work with. We established a good chemistry right away. He talks ‘with us’ as we are in the process, not ‘at us’ from 30,000 feet. He’s coaching the entire team, getting them involved and included in planning our future. Rather than a throwing bunch of tools at us, which is overwhelming, we have clarity on what we need to be working on right, now to create growth. Synk is prepared. He’s grounded. You’ll be happy you engaged him.
Kishore Keswani
CEO, Shore Auto Rubber Exports; Pune, India
We brought Michael Synk in to address our “organizational dysfunction.” He grabbed our attention and set a tone that generated great dialogue, which in turn delivered great results. He sold us on creating alignment around a common direction, we bought into it, and created a path forward that energized everyone. We had a few long term folks that couldn’t buy in and they sought opportunity elsewhere pretty quickly. We had a talented team that just needed alignment and shared direction. Everything Michael did with us is something we could have done ourselves, on our own. But for years we didn’t. And you probably won’t either. Michael will make sure you do it. It was a pivotal exercise for our team that built the foundation for years of growth we could not have imagined.
Chris Brubaker
CEO, Progressive Technologies
I found Michael Synk knowledgeable, trustworthy, and approachable. He was easy to work with and considerate of my time. Michael helped guide me through the process of developing a clear core customer profile for a new product my company is creating. His methodical guidance through the process of developing our customer profile, was transparent and focused. I could tell he was invested in our success and would save us from the “buckshot” market strategy we were considering and lead us down a more focused pathway. I anticipate an increase in customer base and profitability as a result of the targeted market approach and having worked with Michael.
Vanessa Sheffield
President, Tilt Events
Michael’s ability to dig in and get us focused when so many balls are in the air and we are having trouble staying focused has been extremely beneficial. He get’s us thinking strategically. It’s helped us pick out the next Rock and move it through to completion, setting us up for 10X growth in the future. Michael is easy to talk to and quickly grasped the dynamics of our business, and that allowed us to dig into growth concepts that matched our exact situation. Michael pushed us to know our business better and use that understanding to establish a growth plan specific to our business model and define key indicators that truly mattered to us to help track the progress.
Daniel Hill
President, GeoStar Technologies
“We are pleased to have had Michael Synk present three webinars for the participants of our tuition-free, executive-education program, Inner City Capital Connections. Our participants are small business owners located across the country who are working to grow their businesses, and Michael has been able to bring a unique, and beneficial perspective with his Rock & Sand Model. Our participants have appreciated Michael’s focus on concrete actionable steps, and he has been consistently rated among our top webinar presenters. Regarding Michael’s webinar on Rock & Sand, one participant commented, “Michael did a great job with giving relevant examples to his concepts. It was an excellent presentation”. Michael’s many years of experience makes him an excellent presenter to CEOs and leadership teams across the country. He has taken the time to attend our events and personally mentor attendees. We appreciate him being a great supporter of our program”.
Maria Tata
Senior Program Director, Inner City Capital Connections
It was a pleasant collaborative experience working with Michael. We were able to make good, data driven decisions, following his good, sound process.
We achieved clarity on what we need to work on to improve. He helped us resolve an important question we needed to process to go forward. Furthermore, he allowed our senior leaders to arrive at these decisions together, giving us unity going forward. We’ll be more focused on growth, which should lead to more business
Michael knows what he’s doing, he uses a well-tested process that delivers results. No kumbaya with Mike, strictly business.
Alan Crone
Founder, The Crone Law Firm
It was a great experience having Michael lead us through our recent strategic planning sessions. It was fun and very productive. It’s going to help us stay aligned around the important priorities and the meeting rhythm we are going to implement is going to keep me out of the weeds. It’s going to help me empower others to move our company forward.
We are more focused, we’ll stay focused on the right things, and I will be able to work on the big picture items that I will lead our company towards, one of which is eliminating the silos.
As a result our customers will have a better customer experience and when that happens the money stuff will take care of itself.
When you engage Michael, you’ll be forced to think better and bigger and be able to organize your actions accordingly.
Brian Schaffler
President, Gorham Schaffler
Prior to working with Michael we talked a lot about items to improve our business, but taking time to implement them was a different story. Our organization has worked with Michael a little over two years now. In this time Michael’s approach has brought alignment, focus, and accountability to our team to move the “Rocks” that we know will improve our business. The results are apparent every day, and I look forward to working with Michael for many years to come!
Sam Constanza
Ruston Operations Manager, Hunt Guillot and Associates
Michael helped us think, and that’s a good thing. He got me to spend extended time with my senior management team and we dug deeper into our company than usual. We connected in some good group think that we are now aligned around.
We have game plans in place that we agree on and are actionable that will increase future revenue and profitability.
The time and money we spent with Michael was well spent. He kept us on track and he’ll do the same for you
John M Weiss
President and CEO , The Audit Group. EOSTL Member
Michael’s facilitation and coaching forced me to snap the ball on conversations with my leadership team that I knew we needed to have, but were just not getting to.
He kept us on track and wouldn’t let us “wuss out” on them.
As a result my team has a better understanding of the opportunities in front of us and are creating more of them. We’re setting timelines for executing on them.
There is no way I could have planned this out and done this without Michael’s help. He forced us to move forward. He’ll do the same for you.
Jennah Purk
Founding Shareholder, CEO, Purk & Associates. EOSTL Member
Working with Michael let’s me step back and get a broader picture of what I need to do to lead SRM.
Three things have made the biggest impact: The Baseline Growth Roadmap, TopGrading, and the on going Clarity he provides on the challenges I face.
We’re not making mistakes, we’re making better decisions that prevent them.
I would recommend Michael to anyone struggling with processes, hiring, and clarity. Mike brings us a range of ideas and concepts that help me solve problems.
Brad Downs
CEO, Strategic Resourse Management
With ease and effectiveness, Michael Synk helped us drill down within our company and helped us pull out Brand Promise that will help us grow. Michael was enlightening, and we learned alot about our ourselves and it wasn’t painful.
This is going ot help us be better at communicating the true and actual value we bring our clients. We’ll be much more effective and more on point.
We’ll be able to generate a lot more interest with new clients and land more profitable business for our company.
Michael is intelligent, professional, smart, knowledgeable, and fun. Our time with him was inspiring and it created clarity about going forward that we wouldn’t have been able to achieve on our own.
Walker Robbins
President , Jim Robbins and Associates
The three most important things Synk helped us with was teamwork, communication and meeting rhythm. We get along so much better as a team than before. We’re proactive and efficient and catch problems and opportunities sooner when they are easier to deal with and then we solve them.
As a result we experienced and real improvment in performance. People are willing to work harder and do more, helping us conduct more business and execute on it better, so we make more money. We also understand the sales cycle better.
What I would tell a peer or someone considering using Synk, is that he brought our team together and helped us gel, setting core values that created buy-in. And that made it easier for us to be accountable to each other. It made us a better company and better place to work.
Jack Witte
President , Corrective Ashphalt Materials
Michael gives us good information and insights that provide us with a better perspective on what is happening and what we need to do. We make connections between things we aren’t thinking about
He is a good dose of reality for us. Makes us see the need to take action, He has made me a better leader, Focused on bigger things and staying out of the weeds. I feel better about the leading I am doing, It’s easier to get the big things done.
He keeps us pointed in the right direction and opens up communication about it so we get it done.
We stick to our plan and stay the course.
The payoff has been good, getting the big rocks moved and getting growth
We delegating up and down to get things done
I would tell anyone that Mike has excellent follow through, delivers on what he says, his quarterly meetings facilitate alignment on what needs to be done to win, It encourages us to win and gives us confidence about taking action to do so
Shelly Smith
General Manager, jerrykelly.com HVAC Contractors
Michael created a “Judgement Free Zone” for us, that takes the tension out of tough topics and conversations. He’s a good sounding board. Handles people making judgmental comments well.
He gets thoughts out of people and keeps them coming. And in doing so gets people involved and engaged in solving problems and challenges. Contributing, not talking orders. We are no longer downward delegating our solutions to problems, not forming their ideas for them. We’re listening and solving things together.
This allows people to do their jobs and make a difference.
Saving us time on managing
Gets everyone to work on improving things instead of just getting things done
We’re moving forward
Michael doesn’t let people hide from themselves. He forced us to be on the same page on things. That really helped us.
Robert Caen
Vice President, Uniform Masters
Michael, you suggest good ideas for us to consider and implement, and you facilitate the discussion of the ideas and concepts well, without being prescriptive. You don’t force it on us. You help us figure out what to do and how to do it, the way it works for us.
It creates alignment as staff and as a leadership team. The alignment drives continous improvement. Communication is better.
We’re more efficient as a team. We produce a higher quatlity of work. We’re heading off bad quality before it happens.
I would tell someone considering Michael as a coach, he would get good ideas, much better communications, and performance improvement as a result.
This improvement on Communication really adds value, we keep getting better and better.
Trotter Hunt
Vice President, Hunt, Guillot & Associates
Working with Michael gets us out our rut, the day to day grind, and elevates us to thinking strategically. For example, our sales process is no longer reactive to the downstream activities of our business, it’s focused on the upstream opportunities. We are planning our work better and reaping the rewards of it. We are in the hunt and landing projects that we would have struggled landing before, projects that wouldn’t have existed for us before. With bigger margins. We have better relationships with our core customers than before, and we are in the drivers seat.
We’re also more accountable to each other to make sure we work these relationships effectively.
I would tell any once considering working with Michael the following:
He got us to step back and think bigger about our business, looking to do business in better ways
He increased our confidence.
He cut through the white noise
He’ll help you figure out how to do it better–we couldn’t do it ourselves.
He gets things on the agenda and we are more intentional about our future
Our suppliers are happy, Our marketshare has grown. We are getting shots at home runs, not just singles.
David George
Managing Partner, Mills Wilson George
You’re a good sounding board and confidante, it’s good to be able to talk to you about things I can’t talk about with my team.
You are transparent and direct and I appreciate that.
Our Management Team is much more focused. You’ve done a great job aligning our thoughts and ideas about where we want to go–and then get us to think about how to do it
Matt Patrick
CEO, Patrick Accounting
I’ve always been skeptical about strategic planning retreats (even though I’ve led and facilitated more than a few myself). Managing expectations and personalities across a wide range of both is hard for any facilitator to do. In a recent project we’ve worked on together, Michael did a flawless job of both in an against-all-odds scenario. His perceptions were spot-on. He kept the group moving and engaged. The end result was something everyone took pride of ownership in, and everyone had confidence in what would come next. I would enjoy working with Michael again.
Jennifer Balink
Executive Director , Kindred Place--Formerly Exchange Club Family Center
Guiding our team through several exercises, Michael helped us get in alignment and set appropriate goals in order to develop a comprehensive growth plan. He is particularly talented at helping a group find clarity in direction and actions necessary to drive sustainable growth and success. Michael’s personality and professionalism made the group comfortable and enabled us to focus on desired results. As soon as you meet him you can see his passion and desire to help his clients succeed. He is organized, efficient, competent, and enjoyable to work with. His communication skills are excellent. His “big picture” approach helps clients develop a clear roadmap to achieving goals
Myra deGersdorff
COO and General Manager, University Club of Memphis
Rock & Sand’s concepts and book were presented in their essence in less than 10 minutes and brought more clarity to our planning than we had achieved in the past day. There is universal love among the founders of our business for these concepts and the simplicity it creates.
Austin Baker
CFO, National Enrollment Partners
One of the challenges that any Executive Director faces is that board members frequently have varied understandings about the mission and the needs of the organization.
Our strategic planning session with Michael was invaluable because it helped to get all of us on the “same page” of understanding. He guided us, as a group, to explore our needs and focus our attention on how we will reach our goals. The session set us up to work better together for an exciting future.
Sr. Maureen Griner
Executive Director, Dorothy Day House
I’ve seen Synk facilitate both a 1 on 1 client session and group session. He does a great job of politely pushing and leading the group to a good conclusion. Synk’s a professional I admire and respect- and enjoy working with!
Brandon Dempsey
Partner , goBrandgo
Michael helped us develop our strategic plan and work it back to what are we doing right now to reach our goals and to race towards our vision. His ability to bring clarity to our team and to what we inherently knew but didnt always know how to express was outstanding and we are excited to have him be a part of our strategic vision. I would highly recommend any business wanting to unleash their growth and goals reach out to Michael and see if he would be good for you and your team.
Matt Patrick
CEO, Patrick Accounting, Patrick Payroll
Hi Michael,
Thanks for creating your video on the Rock & Sand Framework for strategic planning and execution. It provides a great visual reference for people to simplify the strategic growth process. I shared it with a team last week and saw some light bulb’s go off as we watch it!
Jon Iveson
Gravitas Impact Premium Coach
Strategy is good, and execution is good, but operating without putting the two together can be a disaster for your business. Michael has a very practical tool in his book Rock & Sand that ties the two together perfectly. Rock and Sand explains and illustrates the ideas and processes that will help your business identify top goals, set a strategy to achieve them, and execute on them successfully. I read Rock and Sand and immediately brought it back to our entire leadership team. We used that foundation to help us grow by 100% in 4 years. No matter what size company you have, Michael’s Rock & Sand can help you take it to the next level.
Kevin Hommel
Founder, https://yourexecbench.com
I would highly recommend Michael for his process and ability to break down strategic planning in a fun and easily digestible way. Even after 30 years in business, my team walked away from a 2 day session with many new tools for success and to fuel our growth. We look forward to our continued partnership with Michael!
Lindsey Graves
Chief Operating Officer, Sunset Transportation
Michael’s clear cut approach brought clarity to a whole host of issues that helped each of us to develop and start executing our own strategic plans.
Dan Conway
Moderator, Bootstrapper's EO Forum, St. Louis; President/Owner, Conway Contracting, Inc.
As a team we had spent the previous quarter objectively assessing what we truly excel at as a business. Michael was instrumental in taking that information and using it to lead our new leadership team through the process of developing our company’s core values, purpose, and brand promise. We now have a clear path forward and a strategy to drive continued growth and success!
Josh Smith
CEO, Metova, Inc
Michael has been a much needed source of support in coaching me and our team through a challenging transition. We developed our company’s core values, purpose, and promise as the necessary foundation for how we were going to move forward. He has helped me think through hiring needs and the need to “top grade” the open positions. His coaching helped our group define the top priorities for each quarter and for the year. We now have a clear path forward and a strategy to help us meet our goals. By execution of our strategic direction, we are on track to grow 100% in 2 years.
Thank you for all you have done for us Michael.
Jarrett Atkinson
Vice President and General Manager, Comfort Products
Michael has provided great results for our firm in helping develop, implement and measure our strategic plan and execution. I would highly recommend his services to help your firm grow. He also helped us with implementing the Top Grade form of talent acquisition and performance measurement.
Brad Downs
CEO, Strategic Resource Managment
We are very please with the strategic plan training you helped provide. You provided my team a way to identify and get done the “rocks” while doing the everyday “sand”. The plan worked well in that it allowed us to take where we are, organize it, refine it, and provide a structure to build on. I’m confident this is a plan my management team will be able to work with and continue to refine. This was one of our major goals so that we had a plan to live by and not one to sit on the shelf. Not only was it a success but also done in the time needed.
Dennis Bell
President, Steelville Manufacturing, Co.
I was first exposed to Michael via a link to his Rock & Sand video, which thankfully was on Prime Video, so I could download it on my phone to watch when I had time to really pay attention! This was shortly before a two day session with him and our leadership team at Metova. I’m very impressed with his style and approach – you can tell that Michael is passionate about what he does and he’s very good at it. We learned a little about ourselves, a lot about our organization and our customers and we came out feeling energized about our future. I recommend him highly if your business isn’t currently running perfectly and you think you could improve your focus and create a better strategy.
Jonathan Sasse
Chief Marketing Officer, Metova, Inc
Synk” did a great job of bringing our leadership team out of their shells to begin the journey of implementing our new strategic plan.
I believe that his trust building exercise demonstrated the principles behind understand how your team members view each other and recognizing ways to improve everyone’s ability to communicate, debate, and accept each other’s input.
Steve Miles – CEO -Jerry Kelly Heating and Air C onditioning, Inc.
Steven Miles
CEO, Jerry Kelly Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.
Thanks to Michael for recently facilitating a strategy session with our team. It was a great opportunity to revisit our basic core values and mission statement. Michael was able to guide us through a deep evaluation of our strategic priorities and plans over the next 3-10 years. We left with much better alignment as a team and focus moving forward. Thanks Michael!
Trotter Hunt
Vice President of Engineering Division, Hunt, Guillot & Associates
Thanks Michael, the Leadership Team Tune Up Session you conducted with our leadership team has lifted, by several notches, our ability to collaborate and work together. We’re a stronger team as a result.
George John
CEO, Engineering Design Source, Inc.
We’ve just completed the best company meeting we have ever had. Your coaching over the past year is transforming our company. We’re focused. We work together better and communicate better. We’re smarter, we’re more strategic, and we execute really well. The proof is in the pudding. We’re growing like never before and getting ready for more. Thanks. Synk.
Jack Witte
CEO, Corrective Asphalt Materials
We recently went through the Rockefeller Habits and Strategic Planning sessions with Michael. First and foremost, we were so glad that he worked with us and fit us in his schedule during the busy Holiday Season. Next, as co-founders of an early stage company (SOMAVAC Medical), we benefited greatly by his direct line of questions. This helped us to frame our vision and come up with a good plan to turn this a reality. I would highly suggest companies spend the time to go through this activity. Certainly, not just with anyone, but with Michael.
Esra Roan
Founder and CEO, SOMAVAC Medical Solutions
I do not have enough positive things to say about Michael, and the impact he has had on our bottom line. We reached financial milestones faster than I could have imagined. Without his coaching, we would still be spinning our wheels without movement forward. I find myself listing more accomplishments than challenges as I am prepping for our annual executive review this year. Going into 2018, I am less stressed than I was a couple of years ago looking at our list of challenges, because we know how to tackle them now. I am in awe of everything our team accomplished.
Michael is a catalyst. Energy churns around him, he constantly has innovative ideas, and inspires you to think the impossible is possible. He comes into a situation, seeing what is there, bringing some of his own thoughts in, but holding back enough to see all the different elements. It is inspiring watching his mind swirl in all of it, make something different or change direction, bring people along on that idea, and get them to move forward on that idea.
He can be a thorn in your side, always pushing to make things even better. He can scare you with his suggestions to change things, even the things you think are fine. Yet you recognize much of what is great around you exists because Michael dared to dream it, dared you to dream it with him, pushed you past what you feared were your limits and, even more, dared to take the risks to make it come to life.
There are six attributes that, when combined, are the telltale signs of a catalyst. Michael has them all.
1. Quickly Processing & Piecing Together Lots of Info, Systemically & Contextually.
2. Multitudes of Ideas and Constantly Seeing Possibilities
3. Intuitive and Perceived as Comfortable with Risk & Ambiguity
4. Drive for Action That TRANSFORMS
5. Create Visions
6. Learning and Experimentation Mindset
Thank you, Michael, for being the catalyst that got our team In-Synk!
Stephanie Hall
Operations and Marketing Manager at Comfort Products Inc., Comfort Products
Michael recently spent two days in Denver, CO with my Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Family Business Forum. Michael provided some great Gazelles coaching based on his “Rock & Sand” model, and led a special breakout session on cash flow. It was very valuable time and money spent for our forum of CEO’s of family businesses. Great job, Michael! We appreciate your time!
Trent Haston
President and CEO, YPO Member, Roby Family of Companies
As a business owner, I’ve always known what I needed to do to scale, but often lack the focus to get it done. After participating in one of Michael’s workshops, we implemented the daily huddles into our business. Doesn’t always work perfectly but works far better than our old method of quasi team communication. Imagine my surprise at one huddle when I told everyone that my goal was to hire some new folks to handle a lot of new business we had just brought on. One of my employees spoke up and said “Why? Why do we need to hire more people. We can handle it.” And handle it they did. Couldn’t be prouder of my team and I credit the daily huddles aided by Michael Synk.
Jeff Morris
Founder , Kyte Marketing, Helicx Customer Experience
It is with sincere appreciation that I am writing to recommend the services of In-Synk!
Our organization started working with MIchael, “Synk”, early 2017. We were struggling to outline a solid strategy for our team, a strategy with clear objectives and goals. We knew where we wanted to go, but needed help on the “how to get there” part.
With Synk’s guidance, our team has been able to not only get the train on the tracks, but get the train on the right tracks. Synk has been instrumental in helping us define our goals and develop the strategy that makes sense for us. His expertise in Strategic Thinking and Plan Execution has been a tremendous help to our organization.
I am happy to recommend the services of Michael Synk.
Chris Herrera
President, Arcom Systems
As a group of professionals in our industry came together to form a new team, we knew we would need some guidance toward long-term success upfront-both communicating with each other and developing a long-term plan. Synk had a great, easy way of helping us develop our own unique business strategy that has enabled us to start moving toward our common goal. His teambuilding and business sense were a great fit for us, and I would highly recommend his coaching to anyone who wants to start things on the right foot, or get their business process in line.
Charles "Matt" Matthews
CEO, Acuity Eyecare Group
I was talking to my partner just the other day, and asked him to tell me why we are $1 million ahead of the same point last year. Two words. When he couldn’t answer I told him. Michael Synk.
Mark Taillon
Partner and EO Member, Corrective Asphalt Materials
Everyone at Grass Roots believes investing in Synk’s coaching was one of the best business decisions we’ve ever made. We have seen dramatic improvements in employee engagement, execution, cash management, and strategic alignment. The ROI on the investment is through the roof. If you’re a small business that’s struggling to get your team alined and strategy in place, Synk is the guy for you.
Cody Hopkins
General Manager, Grass Roots Farmer's Cooperative
Infoplus is a better company today having enlisted the help of Michael and In-Synk. We brought Michael in to review our business development process and help us re-confirm our brand message and promise. After spending a day on site with us, Michael was able to guide us through the process of developing a message and process that has taken our business development to even greater heights. His continued guidance and ongoing communications are an asset as we consider Michael an extension of our team here at Infoplus. I have nothing but high praise for Michael and In-Synk.
James Maes
CEO and Co-Founder, EO St. Louis Member, Infoplus
Last year’s Scaling Up Workshop was an essential improvement over trying to implement what I learned in a book and trying to bring it to the company myself. Our team came back from the workshop all having heard the same things, held each other accountable to things done, and several of these valuable lessons have stuck — improving our business substantially.
JP Revel
CEO and EO St. Louis Member, Lelander
Our leadership team attended Michael’s workshop last year, which interested us so much we signed up for a full seminar. Michael’s ideas, advice, and expertise were great in helping us consider different approaches to increasing revenue, as well as improving our processes and culture. We’ve been using the Rock and Sand system for some months now and it helps us get some of those bigger projects completed while still doing the day-to-day tasks. My department uses the daily huddle idea and the staff agrees they like doing it, even if it is “another meeting.” As an overall approach to running the business, I found Michael’s presentation truly valuable.
Mary McGurk
Business Manager , The Brennan Group
My leadership team attended Michael Synk’s EO learning event with me last fall and we have benefited greatly from some of his simple insights into financial principles and managing top priorities. As entrepreneurs we are always focused on growing our business revenue by doing more deals. This workshop helped us realize how we can increase profits and manage our expenses much more effectively. The time we invested in this event has paid big dividends.
Michael G. Brennan
CEO and EO St. Louis Member , The Brennan Group
Michael Synk’s Rockefeller Habits and Strategic Planning sessions with CodeCrew were well worth the investment. In just a short period, CodeCrew has already been positively impacted and I believe we will not only stay focused on a solid strategy, but also soundly execute such that we can fulfill our mission and achieve our vision. I highly recommend companies of all stripes, including startups and nonprofits like us, to take advantage of the first-class insights gained from participating in these sessions.
Meka Egwuekwe
Executive Director, Founder , Code Crew
Michael is awesome! Really. The help Michael has given our third-generation, 70-year-old business has been inspiring to everyone on our team. “Team.” That is what Michael has helped us develop, a hungry, humble, smart group of individuals working together toward a common goal. Often we get stuck inside the walls of our day-to-day grind, and forget to look past our own desk to see how we are affecting each other within our own business, and question “How is this affecting our overall performance? Is my team engaged? Have things become stale? I feel like we are just pushing sand around? Are we planning for the future in a meaningful way?” Michael isn’t going to put you in a box or wave a magical wand to discover the answers to those issues. He’s going to help educate you and your people on finding ways to answer them yourself in a meaningful way that will encourage growth and focus with in your entire company. Since working with Michael in early 2015 our management team is more engaged, focused, and communicating at a higher level than ever before. This is all in thanks to the thoughtful attention, techniques, and knowledge Michael has brought to our team.
Robert Caen
Vice President , Uniform Masters
As the CEO and owner of Arcom Systems, I realized that our company needed help in the development but, more importantly, the execution of a strategic plan. Synk has done an outstanding job of helping us move our ideas and dreams to a reality. He is gifted in leading and training us through a process that will benefit our company for years to come. Please reach out to me if you would like to know more about Synk and the Scaling Up system — I wholeheartedly endorse Synk.
David Watson
CEO and Owner , Arcom Systems
Working with Michael has been a great experience. He is encouraging and quickly makes you feel comfortable while addressing gaps and opportunities for improvement. He is a great listener and has a unique ability to get to understand the complexities of any obstacles, impediments, challenges and inefficiencies and quickly find ways to make improvements. I would recommend Michael to anyone who is thinking about growth and realizes that status quo isn’t working. He has helped me get a better handle on how to grow my business.
Don Adams
Owner and CEO , Mid-South Casters
Michael Synk worked with our company for a day-and-a-half session. In a day-and-a-half we worked through personal and company traits that have derailed us for years. We also worked on strengths, weaknesses and core values. We made more progress in this time frame working with Michael than we have in years. All this has led us to move ahead and hire Michael to continue our progress. I could not be more happy with the entire teams commitment to want to work with Michael Synk.
Marc Taillion
Owner and EO St. Louis Member , Corrective Asphalt Materials
Michael presented to my EO forum group on the topic of leadership and it was great. He led an interactive workshop and made great use of the hour. We came away energized, more informed, and excited to implement some of the ideas Michael had shared with us. I would definitely recommend him.
Kelsey Meyer
Co-Founder and EO St. Louis Member , Influence & Co
Synk helped our team develop a clear direction and rhythm. We’ve tried setting goals before but lacked the execution strategy to achieve those goals. Synk’s coaching is helping our team develop the right habits and has put us on a much more focused and successful trajectory.
Cody Hopkins
General Manager , Grassroots Farmers' Cooperative
We engaged Michael over two years ago to help us reinvent ourselves. Our business, though profitable, lacked the focus and vision to get to the next level. We felt like we were spinning our wheels and just running in place. With Michael’s help, we came up with long- and short-term goals, we identified the tasks that would lead to our goals, and started holding ourselves accountable to perform those tasks. We are still a work in progress, but I feel that hiring Michael was the best decision that I have made in years.
David George
Partner , Mills Wilson George
Michael has been a much-needed source of support in coaching me and our team through a challenging transition. We developed our company’s core values, purpose, and promise as the necessary foundation for how we were going to move forward. He has helped me think through hiring needs and the need to “top grade” the open positions, His coaching helped our group define the top priorities for each quarter and for the year. We now have a clear path forward and a strategy of execution to help us meet our goals. Thank you for all you have done for us Michael.
Jarrett Atkinson
Vice President , Comfort Products
Michael has been incredibly helpful in guiding me through the daunting task of putting together a strategic business plan. He breaks it all down in a way that brings more clarity and ease to the process than I had ever imagined. I am grateful for his expertise and knowledge.
Joe Murphy
Owner , Music For Aardvarks
I have more takeaways here that any other session I ever attend, even full-day sessions.
Michael Drake
Master IT
As a consultant and business coach, Michael provides a critical service for business owners. He brings to the table a wealth of resources and creativity. In a thorough but diplomatic fashion, he holds his clients accountable to take steps necessary for growth and improvement.
Jonathan Frase
Frase Protection, Inc.
After being in business five years, Michael was able to show me in forty minutes about a thousand ways to improve my business. I’ve never seen a more effective speaker in such a short period of time show me so much to improve my business.
Matt Wilson
Swanky's Taco Shoppe