OK, so here’s the truth, straight up.

I didn’t go to Harvard, I didn’t go to Stanford, and you won’t find a bunch of letters after my name. I once went as far as having “MBA” on my business card, but you won’t find it there anymore.

Mine was a blue-collar family just outside the rust belt, where I learned that it’s not only what you know, but how you apply it. I learned a couple other important lessons back then that still serve me well today.

One is that teamwork is a critical component of success anywhere – whether you’re playing shortstop on a baseball field, working the assembly line at the local factory, or negotiating the challenges of a global economy in the boardroom. That’s why I only work with clients who are willing to listen, think and contribute to their own development and their company’s success. Success comes to teams, not individuals.

The second is that nothing beats experience. I’ve been mentored by some of the most prestigious business minds around – people like Brad Sugars, Verne Harnish, Larry Wilson, Jeffery Gitomer and Keith Cunningham – but I’ve also learned that the best teacher really is experience.

And I’ve had my share. Over my 30-plus-year career, some of my memorable experiences include:

• Leading the turnaround of a failing communications technology reseller, turning a $156,000 loss in year one to a profit of $453,000 in year three.
• Developing and launching two marketing programs that generated $16.2 million in new business for a financial services company in one year.
• Increasing a software company’s sales from $9.1 million to $24.1 million in two years.
• Launching and growing a business unit to $16 million in revenue over eight years and positioning it for sale, with its parent company, to a Fortune 100 company. I’ve also repositioned companies that were purchased in four and 18 months.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have been recognized in several ways, including:

• Recipient of the OwnershipCOACH ActionMan Award from a 300-plus peer group (2010) and the Early Stage Investment Conference Business Plan Award from the Chicago Software Association (2003).
• Two-time finalist for Most Improved Coach Award within 300-plus peer group (2008 and 2009).
• Chairperson of the National Business Alliance (2001).
• Given responsibility for leading company’s top sales region six of seven years (between 1985 and 1992).
• St. Charles Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (2009-2010).

Through it all, I’ve seen the good and the bad, and, frankly, learned more from the bad than the good. It’s a real-world perspective that guides my work with growing companies today.

If your business is successful but you’re struggling to take it to the next level, give me a call. I can work with you, hand in hand, to create the business successes you need to support the quality of life you desire.

And that’s the truth, too. Straight up.

Craig Lowder
President and CEO
Affinity Business Partners