Every CEO has a moment when everything has to change.
Been There Done That CEO
I personally know what it’s like to be on the precipice you’re facing right now. I stepped into company ownership, made the hard decisions, scaled the business, and achieved a rewarding exit. Every decision I made determined whether my business advanced or stalled.
That experience is what I bring to every coaching encounter and every speaking engagement. I know the thoughts running through your head and emotions quietly holding you back. I’ve moved through all the transformative moments, and I know you can, too. My job is to strip away the noise, ask the hard questions, and hold you to the answers.
Want to know Been Where Done What? I get it. Most people in your close circle can’t grasp the thoughts and questions going through your head. And those who do probably have an agenda anyway. How is working with me going to be any different? I’m not in your circle, and I don’t have an agenda, that’s how. What I do have is experience like yours and the leadership skills to push you into your own answers about what to do next.
The Highlights
- Became a fierce negotiator for my clients as an investment banker with CitiGroup
- Transitioned into my family’s Plumbing & HVAC business, taking it from $3 million in revenue to $6 million – and hitting that number during Covid
- Developed and executed a plan for the company that involved:
- Conserving resources by initiating difficult layoffs
- Establishing a vision, mission, philosophy, and values structure – and holding everyone accountable to it
- Hiring a General Manager and letting him lead so that I could be the CEO we needed
- Recognized industry consolidation and our need to strategically engage with it
- Valuated the business, courted Letters of Intent, and selected the offer that produced the best results for the company’s future
- Exited the business with an exceptional after-tax outcome
- Began mentoring fellow leaders to identify what they really want and deciding how they will get there
My Services
Executive Coaching
You’re ready to stop running the business and start leading it. The shift from owner to CEO, from tactics to strategy, from doing to leveraging, is one of the hardest transitions in business. I partner with founders, buyers, and second-generation owners to make that shift with clarity and confidence. I won’t tell you what to do. But I will make sure you figure it out.
Speaking
I don’t let a day go by without having valuable conversations. Speaking is how I scale that. Whether it’s a podcast, conference keynote, or executive retreat, I show up with real experience and a direct message: leaders in transition have the answers. They just need the right questions. If your audience is ready for that conversation, I’m available.
Facilitating
The right conversation in the right room changes everything. I facilitate leadership summits, executive retreats, peer advisory sessions, workshops, and high-stakes team meetings. I operate anywhere leaders need someone who can get the most out of every stakeholder. And when it’s not about a formal session, I help you get connected to the people and places where decisions are actually happening. If you need to break through, I can help you build your tool set.
Elevating Leadership & Impact
On the air: Featured mic moments on scaling businesses and empowering teams.
Trusted by Visionaries & Executives
I walked in thinking I’d be the dumbest team member in the room. The conversations were a mind-blowing experience — these are people running $50 million businesses. But Chris is like a business dad to me. He doesn’t hand you the answers. He asks the right questions and makes you think it through yourself. It’s absolutely changed the way I make decisions.
Co-Owner
Tech Construction & Infrastructure
Vistage Member
Chris had sold his own business. He understood what that actually felt like. That’s why I decided to work with him — I needed someone who could help me show up stronger for my staff and navigate a transition that most people around me couldn’t understand. He brought fresh perspective without preconceived notions, and spent far more time listening than advising.
Founder, OnPoint Nutrition
Chris walked me through an exercise — envisioning my life 20 years from now. Not just career goals, but family, lifestyle, the daily life I actually wanted. That process connected my professional ambitions to something real and personal. It gave me numbers to work toward instead of a vague idea of success. That’s the kind of coaching that goes deeper than any MBA program I’ve been through.