Let's Talk

So who is this guy Neil Gillespie, what does he do and why did he write a book?

Yes, that's what everybody is asking if they don't already know me. Except that people that know me are still wondering why I wrote a book.

I'm a strategy consultant. But most people draw a blank when I say that. So let's make it simple.

I can teach you the most unique and profitable growth formula you have probably ever encountered.

• I get you back in touch with your core value: what helps customers to succeed, accomplish their objectives, solve their problems, advance in their jobs, accumulate wealth as owners, make more money, get more enjoyment out of life and what they do for a living. A necessity to increase market share profitably.

• I get you keenly aware of how to be more productive: produce what you sell at a lower cost and a higher speed to make more money, while increasing gross profit per order!

• I help you think bigger in terms of growth opportunities: expand beyond the usual "sell more stuff and find more people to sell it to" strategies to a discipline that explores growth opportunities in six key growth categories.

• I put a development plan together with you and your team and help you to lead them to develop it further and implement it. I stay with you until it's well along the way, and keep it on track with checkups and adjustments thereafter.

• I help you MARKET your company's strengths by competitively positioning your value to core markets, enlisting supplier support and energizing your people to maximize your total sales and broaden the product & service mix with every customer and on every transaction.

• I help you navigate the sometimes difficult terrain of family business issues. Most independent companies are family owned. You might not think of yours that way, but if you have at least one other family member working in the business or a part owner, you are one and you have issues. Most issues can be solved by developing a sound set of values and principles.

• I help you plan for succession, either by choosing the right succession team, partial exit strategy or complete exit strategy.

Why did I write the book? I felt like it was time. I saw a lot of people lost in the wake of this historic recession. I wanted to do something to snap everybody out of it that I could.

Click on the image below for a short movie on my growth progression:

My Background

If you're a small or medium sized business from 10 to even 500 employees, and independently owned, Sam and I would would like to help you. Why? For two reasons. We think we have something valuable to offer. You can read Sam's background, but you're probably wondering what credentials I might have as well.

Early Experience

I grew up working part time and summers full time in a retail lumber and building supply business in which my Dad was a minority owner. I learned about the business inside and out, starting by piling and straightening lumber in the yard when I was thirteen. I worked the sales counter, in hardware, purchasing, as a driver, forklift operator, delivery scheduler and inventory manager. I had the good fortune to have a Dad, who as general manager, let me cut my teeth on many aspects of the business. He also accepted many of my ideas and observations when I went off to college and came back with some different views of how to advertise, merchandise and sell different products.

It was a good experience that would help me later on. While working in Marketing and Sales the lumber company, I discovered something important about a business and its mission. While it is important to know products and services and how to work with them,  it is more important to know the situations of the people that buy them and what they are trying to accomplish. I call that the "what" of strategy. "What" results are you trying to accomplish for the customer? Keep that in view and you will almost certainly succeed.

College

Ah, college. I punched my educational tickets at the University of Notre Dame, earning degrees in marketing and then an MBA concentrating in finance. While there, I also starred as the pianist in the jazz combo and big band orchestra for six years. Judging from the musical ventures, I guess there's a creative side to me, but don't expect me to draw any pictures. I cheat a lot by using software that makes me look better than I am.

Corporate Work Experience

I've done the corporate gigs, working for multiple divisions of General Electric Company and Eaton-Cutler-Hammer. I learned marketing, product planning and market development. I learned about distribution channels and corporate finance. I learned how technology helps a business become more productive and to make betters decisions with better information.

I learned how to be a consultant working at GE's corporate market development and consulting operation in Fairfield, CT, where we consulted to different GE divisions. I learned a lot about strategy, planning, marketing, business process and finance working in those companies. But something else happened that was even more important.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to "The Plan"

During the corporate gigs, I took a liking to helping our distributor-customers, many of which were independently owned wholesale distributors. Most of them were family owned and managed businesses. I enjoyed learning about them and helping to shape my employer's policies, services and marketing assistance to help our customers grow their businesses and operate them more profitably.

So after a while, I decided to do that in 1995 in my own consulting business, which I have been doing ever since, except for a two and a half year assignment working for my friend, former client at Roden Electrical Supply, and now partner, Sam McCamy, III. Upon growing Roden's business to the point where it was decided to exit in the spring of 2007, we both decided that we wanted to help other independently owned businesses grow with what we had learned, and would continue to learn. In 2008, we began Shamrock Growth Associates, LLC.

During my 13 year consulting career as principal of Infinity Strategic Consulting, Channel Marketing Group and now Shamrock Growth Associates, I wrote a lot of articles and gave a lot of presentations at conventions. I worked with some great clients, large and small. I'll be honest, I wasn't able to help all of them exactly the way I would have wished. I think I left something of value with all of them, though, either analytical techniques or strategies. From large companies like Siemens Energy and Automation, Thomas and Betts and Sonepar USA, to small wholesalers and technology companies, service associations and ebusiness technology providers like the Industry Data and Exchange Association, I always worked to help these organizations discover, articulate and execute something I think is very important: Strategy, what it is and how to discover it.

You can read about that here.

The Plan: What Could We do for You?

I can promise you that I will do my best to understand your family, your business, how it works today, your customers, and how their business works today. I will bring in whichever associates or specialists in operations, sales management, marketing communications, human resources management, estate planning or capital sourcing that I discover may be necessary to craft alternative strategies and implement the best choices.

If an exit strategy is warranted, we will be completely honest about that and provide excellent support to present the best prospectus for your company and achieve the highest value for your company.

Neil Gillespie

865.567.4095
 

Comments about Neil Gillespie:

“Neil is a unique “hands on” visionary who leads by example. He inspired his teams to be the best they could be and always insured credit was given to all. I consider Neil a valued lifetime mentor and advisor.”

- Brad Singer, Executive Vice President, PaymentOne, Inc

"I have known Neil since 1991 and have watched him repeatedly teach business owners and personnel at all levels the basic cash flow, cost and productivity tenets of the distribution industry to drive greater profitability. What separates Neil, however, from the numerous other "gurus" is his proven ability to teach local managers and their teams how to truly gain profitable market share. He illustrates how the analytics, strategies and tactics combine to form a game plan that upon execution, increases the value and also, the enjoyment of an owner's business."

- Richard Worthy, President and CEO, U.S. Electrical Services

 “Neil has a special way with strategy and creating step-by-step methods not just for distributors, but also for any business to grow on. His “Profit Triad” covers everything a distributor needs to do to accelerate productivity and for certain, every smart distributor should follow his Eight Steps to Breakthrough Growth. Neil really nailed it with “Discover Your Core and Go for More”.

- Dennis Sadlowski, President & CEO, Siemens Energy & Automation

 “As I got to know Neil over the last ten years, I saw a truly genuine nature. Neil takes in things and sees right to the core issues. Now he’s distilled how to do that in a book you’ll want every manager to devour. It opens up hearts and minds to do the right things for the business, customers and employees alike. When you read “Discover”, you’ll see things in a whole new light.”

- Barry Boyer, President & CEO, Van Meter Industrial, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

- Jim Lucy, Chief Editor, Electrical Wholesaling

“Neil’s book couldn’t come out at a better time for distributors as they claw their way out of this recession. Loaded with proven growth strate-gies that he helped launch at some of the fastest-growing distribution companies of this era, “Discover Your Core Then Go for More” is a must-read book for any distributors willing to take a tough look at themselves and employ common-sense business tools to capture more market share.”

 “Neil always had a special quality that incorporated spirit, strategy and solid technique. “Discover” is a landmark testament to that. If you’re looking to grow and compete in any economic environment, this book shows the way.”

- Rich Vurva, Vice President, Publishing, Direct Business Media LLC, Industrial Supply Magazine