About Us ...
Natural Path Management was formed because of a growing awareness that most, if not all businesses need a little help from time to time. Over the past many years, I have witnessed and experienced both failure and success from a front-row seat. I have observed little difference between the highly-successful business owner and the business owner that is barely getting by. That difference lies in the competency of the team that surrounds them. As a matter of fact, the Small Business Administration, cites a 'lack of experience' as the number one reasons a business fails (Read the Article).
This lack of experience lies in the fact that most business owners are extremely talented in one area of the business. However, they lack the specific knowledge they need in other areas and they believe their cannot afford to bring in the expertise they really need. The reality is, the cost of not getting appropriate advise and direction is far more expensive that paying someone to help educate, coach and guide them in the right direction.
In the past, I have ridden the peaks and valleys of entrepreneurship. Additionally, I have worked in a Fortune 100 environment where I had access to multiple levels of support. Before we could spend any significant amount on a project we had to get input from every segment of our business that could be affected. This involvement included leadership from the finance, operations, technology, marketing and development group. When we did merger and acquisition due diligence studies we would bring representative from these same areas of the business to formulate the recommendation to senior management. When we planned a project that went outside the expertise of our employee base we would hire consultants, such as the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to supplement our staff.
However, as an entrepreneur, I seldom reached out to those with special expertise before embarking on a new strategy. I can track my success in each of these peaks and valleys by the amount of expertise I sought in the planning process. While the small business can not hire the BCG to supplement their staff, they can avail themselves of sources to help educate them on approaches, guide them in the process, and coach them in the implementation of the plan.
Our approach is quite simple, we sit down over a cup of coffee, get a snapshot of the issues we are facing, and then map out a gameplan to move the business forward to the next step in the growth of the business. There are no majic bullets. There are no secret strategies. The goal is to implement proven strategies with a measured gameplan. It is not easy ... but it is simple
If your business is ready to take that next step, give me a call. We'll sit down over a cup of coffee, and see if there is a way we can come to a win-win strategy to move your business forward.
Gary LaRoy