Umbrex is pleased to welcome Susanne Michelle Gruda with SMG Ventures. Susie has spent the last several years in venture capital and family offices helping to scale portfolio companies and advise on ventures investment decisions. She has also led fundraising ($100M+) for an investment fund and 6 portfolio combines. She has a deep understanding in all things sales, marketing, go-to-market, strategy, fundraising and venture capital. Prior to that, she was Google’s Global Head of ROI, helping Google’s largest clients ($500M+)…

In this article, Geoff Wilson shares how the secret to success lies under your feet. If you have spent more than a few minutes with me, then you likely have heard me chatter on about my passion for the game of golf dating back to when I started playing seriously twenty years ago. In my experience in the professional world, I am often struck by how many of the lessons I’ve learned playing golf apply to the work I do…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Kirstie Gust with Conintento Consulting. Kirstie has more than ten years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies in process and program design, implementation, improvement, management, monitoring, and auditing. With previous employers including KPMG and McKinsey & Company, Kirstie has built her career as a trusted partner for organizations across industries. Kirstie specializes in Operational Risk Management, Third Party Risk Management, Fraud Prevention, Finance and Accounting Processes, and Strategic Alignment….

Geoff Wilson shares an evergreen article and a sharp reminder on the problem of rolling out an uninspiring strategic plan and what you can do about it.  The possibilities are endless.  Some might say that the sole purpose is to “enhance shareholder value.”  I’d argue that this old trope is no longer the gold standard.  Some adhere to the stakeholder model…which might be closer.  Regardless of the “concept,” a given business strategy has to appeal to a lot of people….

Geoff Wilson shares an evergreen post that explains the issue of an uninspiring strategy. What’s the purpose of your strategic plan? The possibilities are endless.  Some might say that the sole purpose is to “enhance shareholder value.”  I’d argue that this old trope is no longer the gold standard.  Some adhere to the stakeholder model…which might be closer.  Regardless of the “concept,” a given business strategy has to appeal to a lot of people. Strategy, inasmuch as it deals with…

Geoff Wilson shares an article that identifies the key components of success when planning and executing business strategies. Relying on unidentified heroics is great for movies, but bad for business strategy. This article contains a spoiler for the 1977 movie “Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope”. If you’ve never seen it, you’ve missed an important and largely wholesome artifact of modern popular culture, so please don’t read on until you watch it. Picture it. It’s a long time ago,…

Geoff Wilson compares the pros and cons of framing success as a goal or as a system.  Much is said about whether success is better framed as a goal or as a system…I think it’s both, but at different times. Have you ever had a question posed to you that made you think more than it should have? A team member recently asked me if I was a goal-oriented person.  My response was that I was far more interested in…

Geoff Wilson provides an article on change management strategies and why they are fundamental to strategy implementation. Quick, think of a time that you made a really fundamental change in your life.  What did it take to do it? Maybe you changed jobs or started a workout regiment.  Maybe you did something more drastic like ending a business or personal relationship. Chances are, you made the change after thinking through the why, the what, and the how.  Chances are you…

Geoff Wilson explains why microeconomists were mostly right and what a business can do about it.  We are in a world of opportunity and hurt.  Demand is high, spirits (and prices) are up, and supply is constrained.  What’s a leader to do? When I was a young man I learned microeconomics on the back of a simple diagram with two lines…one for demand (always downward sloping) and one for supply (this one goes up). Turns out, the microeconomists were right. …

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Rob Mann with MilestonCVC. Having worked across the globe, Rob has over 20 years of consulting and industry experience focused on growth and innovation, product development and related operations. He previously worked at McKinsey as a Senior Expert in Product Development & Design. He led North Highland‘s Growth & Innovation Practice which became an ALM Top 10 practice under his leadership. While working at PwC (PRTM), SapientRazorfish and Kearney, his work entailed growth and innovation,…

  As we move towards the end of the pandemic and a surge in business, Geoff Wilson provides a post for leaders to help navigate the next economic journey. We are in a world of opportunity and hurt.  Demand is high, spirits (and prices) are up, and supply is constrained.  What’s a leader to do? When I was a young man I learned microeconomics on the back of a simple diagram with two lines…one for demand (always downward sloping) and…

  As we move towards the end of the pandemic and a surge in business, Geoff Wilson provides a post for leaders to help navigate the next economic journey. We are in a world of opportunity and hurt.  Demand is high, spirits (and prices) are up, and supply is constrained.  What’s a leader to do? When I was a young man I learned microeconomics on the back of a simple diagram with two lines…one for demand (always downward sloping) and…