Strategic Business Solutions

Professional Catalyst

A catalyst is an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. A professional catalyst can help you jump-start important projects, analyze your current situation, identify your most promising opportunities, and deliver solutions that achieve significant results.

Do you neglect critical long-term projects because you are so busy fighting urgent fires every day? What effect would successfully completing such a project have on your life and business?

For more than 20 years, Strategic Business Solutions founder Steve Mortensen has helped initiate and manage positive change for many individuals and organizations. His hands-on experience in front-line, management, executive, and entrepreneurial problem solving is coupled with a lengthy background in training and coaching. He is a realist who shares insights gained from personal experience with both success and failure, while maintaining an energetic and positive outlook on the future.

Steve has worked for five companies in the capacities of CEO, Vice President, Sales Manager, Product Manager, entrepreneur, troubleshooter, salesman, clerk, teacher, and coach (Thermal Source, Keith Company, Harper International, Xerox, Edison Brothers). His experience includes 4 years in retail (consumer products), 14 years in manufacturing (custom-engineered capital equipment), and 5 years in information technology (hardware systems, software development, and Internet services), interspersed with many teaching and training assignments since 1983.

He attended Mt. San Antonio College, Xerox Northstar (electro-mechanical troubleshooting and repair), Los Angeles Broadcasters (radio on-air and production training, maintains an FCC radio station operators permit), and has spent more than 24 months on international assignments throughout Asia, Latin America, and Europe. He has also been an active member of The Executive Committee (TEC), and is an Eagle Scout.

In addition to his personal experience, Steve's affiliation with experts in key disciplines provides a broad range of problem solving and creative capabilities, all focused on helping you or your company discover and achieve your unique potential for greatness.

A sampling of results . . .

Created and led a training and mentoring program for 5 sales personnel that enabled a company to grow by 43% from $2,100,000 to $3,000,000 in a 2 year period while the industry was declining by 78%.

Created and implemented a sales plan that resulted in international sales growth from $82,000 to $1,410,000 per year in 3 years, an increase of 1619%.

Developed a sales proposal and customer qualification methodology that reduced the time required to quote projects by about 75%, and increased the firm proposal closing ratio from 12% to 38% within a 12 month period.

Led a product development team that sold a $340,000 prototype machine, managed the project to within 2% of budget, and won 3 additional orders for duplicate equipment based on the success of the prototype.

Developed standard procedures for field service personnel and provided training that within a 90-day period increased gross profitability of service jobs from 29% to 42%.

Analyzed five competitive manufacturing businesses for sale, and played a key role in determining which one was the right acquisition. Within 9 months, this acquisition was producing more than 70% of the sales of the entire company.

Developed a comprehensive financial model that showed a young and highly successful real estate investment and property management company that it was on a course of self destruction, and identified the right solution.

Founded an online engineering and technology portal, and raised nearly half a million dollars in cash and contributed services from angel investors and small investment groups.

Wrote more than 50 business plans and investment packages for start-up companies and small businesses seeking to raise seed and growth capital. While some companies raised little or no funding, others used these business plans to raise tens of millions of dollars.

Provided capital raising consulting services for dozens of companies in a wide range of industries, contributing to their success in raising tens of millions of dollars from angel investors.

. . . and much more.

Are you ready to explore and seize your opportunites?

Call 951.765.7664 to make it happen.