Allan Hall

I’m not sure when the “entrepreneur” in me actually developed; personally, I think it has been a lifelong journey. While growing up on the family farm and alongside our logging business in northern Manitoba, I remember the evenings sitting with my father at the kitchen table going over the “numbers”.  Will buying on credit and operating one new larger combine, be more efficient than buying a second, smaller, used combine?  What about crop rotations?  How will switching to mechanized harvesting in our logging operation vs. hand falling, affect profit and efficiency? Those questions intrigued me!

I totally thrived growing up in this environment, which likely had something to do with starting my first business in my late teens.

Throughout my adult journey, I continued to startup and grow 5 unique and successful businesses, yet the one thing I always felt missing was an outside source for good advice, and a “second set of eyes”.  I thought I would find this from my accountant, but they seemed so wedded to tax and somewhat out of touch with the real day to day business world, that they too fell short of my expectations. So onward I continued….

In my most recent business, I transformed it from a start-up, into a thriving $10M/year enterprise. In doing so, I managed all aspects of operations, marketing, and sales, in addition to leading two complementary divisions, which were both successful in their own right.  After selling the company in 2012, I look back on four areas that I think differentiated the success of this business in comparison with my others. 

First, was the early adoption of technology with our website, in an industry that was a bit behind the times. The use of a CRM also allowed our sales and marketing efforts to be more effective than ever. 

Second, was streamlining our accounting processes so that information was up to date, allowing me to keep a pulse on cash flow and other critical indicators necessary to operate more profitably.

Thirdly, I adjusted the number of bank accounts we used and deposited a percentage of sales into various other accounts for taxes, profit, and operating expenses.  I know this doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is, and I’ll tell you why when we sit down for a coffee soon.  In fact, 6 years after we sold this business, I found a book, “Profit First” by author Mike Michalowicz that confirms I wasn’t crazy.  It’s a great read!

Finally, and I believe the one thing that perhaps made the biggest impact, was I connected with 2 older gentlemen who had each been in business for a very long time and were eager to help me succeed.  They were willing to offer great advice, plus they were great cheerleaders when I tried new ideas.  This is the reason why I feel mentoring can be such an important strategy for growth and profit.

Over the course of my career, I have demonstrated an aptitude for identifying and maximizing opportunities to increase efficiency, drive revenue, maximize profitability, and enhance business productivity. As a consultant, I work with both start-up and established businesses to help them establish strategic plans, implement improved systems and processes, and turnaround failing projects. In short, by leveraging my diverse skill set spanning operations management, business leadership, sales & marketing, and project management, I can help you attain your personal & business goals and objectives.

Let’s talk.