allies4me

Principal Ally

Vistage Worldwide, Inc.

Vistage

Javelin Semiconductor, Inc.

V.P. of Marketing / V.P. of Applications

NXP Semiconductor

Managing wireless GPRS products including transceivers and power amplifier.
Doing new business proposals.

Marketing Manager

Silicon Laboratories

Manage GPRS tranceivers and power amplifiers.

Applications Manager

RF Micro Devices

Ericsson

Staff Engineer

United States Marine Corps

Member of Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2).

We painted strange and confusing images on enemy radars. 

I maintained and repaired the receivers and exciters that made the magic possible.

Sergeant

Close MORE deals FASTER at HIGHER PRICES.

No sales pitch can overcome a bad offer. But even the worst sales pitch is rescued by an irresistible offer.

I suck at sales, so I learned to create an environment where people want to buy. It transformed my business. Sales are now easy. And I work with better clients.

Now I help high-ticket service businesses do the same. That’s folks like consultants, coaches, and agencies. 
The biggest hurdle I see is the offer is bad. It looks like:

“Hi, I’m Craig. Pleased to meet you. Would you like to sign-up for my 5-figure or 6-figure program?”

That is not a good offer. It’s akin to walking up to a complete stranger in a bar and asking them to marry you. It’s missing at least a coffee date.

We help businesses design finely crafted “coffee dates” that we call irresistible First-Time Offers. The hallmarks of such offers are:
✅ Impulse purchase – nobody has to ask permission to spend the money.
✅ Disproportionate value-to-price – like 10X.
✅ Actually solves a problem – so, NOT an audit or assessment.
✅ Has 3-5 deliverables that represent 3-5 milestones in the direction of the customer’s goal.
✅ Designed to repel non-ideal clients.
✅ Irresistible to ideal clients. 

We also craft broader inbound marketing strategies. They are focused on rapid trust building and delivering value in advance. Properly executed, they generate the ideal sales conversation where the prospect “closes” themselves. The cornerstone of every strategy is an irresistible First-Time Offer which accelerates trust-building and shortens sales cycles. 

Here's a guide to building First-Time Offers:
https://hub.allies4me.com/lp/how-to-build-fto/

Sometimes life throws us curveballs. That’s when we learn the most important lessons in life. 

On August 22nd, 2021 I went into a 6-week coma. The doctors repeatedly told my wife that I would certainly die. On August 24th I went into kidney failure. A few days later, my right lung collapsed. 

A couple weeks after I woke up my wife started telling me how my team ran the business without me. Freelancers reached out to my team and offered to do whatever was necessary as long as I was in the hospital. I consider this my greatest accomplishment in business.

So, I started the Leaders & Legacies Podcast to highlight leaders that are making an impact beyond themselves. Do you know a leader that deserves to be celebrated?

https://podcast.allies4me.com/podcast-guest

Craig Andrews

Vistage NYC

Vistage is an invitation-only membership organization for CEO's, Business Owners, & Senior Executives who want to maximize results, take action, get challenged, see new perspectives, think differently, and become better leaders. Established in 1957, Vistage is the world’s leading chief executive organization. 

With Vistage, CEOs become better leaders, make better decisions and get better results. Members gain fresh perspective and find new solutions through a unique combination of peer group meetings, triadic coaching, expert speaker led workshops, access to “members only” conferences, online best practices and a global network of more than 45,000 executives. 

Vistage really works. Companies working with my organization grew their businesses at three times the rate of average U.S. companies over the last five years.

As a Master Vistage Chair based in Manhattan, I facilitate monthly meetings with people who run companies on the most difficult problems they face and help them become better leaders & deliver better results by refining their instincts, improving judgement, expanding perspectives and optimizing decision making. Vistage members have in-depth exchanges and candid discussions in a confidential environment that results in both company and personal growth.

NYC Master Chair & CEO Coach

As Vistage's Best Practice Chair for the New York City, Long Island, and Southern New Jersey area, my mission is to increase their effectiveness and enhance the lives of Vistage Chairs through mentoring, coaching and modeling of best practices. Vistage Best Practice Chairs support the "art and science" of chairing to deliver more value for members.

Best Practice Chair

As a certified speaker for Vistage International & TEC Canada, Mark’s experience, knowledge and expertise makes a real difference in the lives of CEOs and senior executives as he inspires and motivates them to implement meaningful change in their companies and personal lives.

Mark, a member of the National Speakers Association, has become part of an elite corps of sought-after content experts. Only the best speakers, trainers and consultants—those who can consistently deliver actionable ideas and real take-home value to diverse groups of chief executives—are invited to become Vistage speakers.

An essential component of the Vistage experience, Vistage speakers provide chief executives with practical content and actionable ideas to help them become better leaders, make better decisions and achieve better results. They combine first-class presentation skills with the ability to interact closely with executives and produce results in a dynamic, small-group setting. And by tailoring their material to the specific needs of each group, Vistage speakers create a lasting positive impact on our members’ businesses.

Vistage speakers are leading experts in all aspects of business and life balance who deliver fresh perspectives, new ideas and real-world learning in interactive workshops. They play a pivotal role in helping members achieve results by delivering expert insight on critical business issues, breakthrough ideas and time-tested tools that business leaders can immediately implement in their companies.

International Speaker, National Speakers Association Member

As a Vistage member, I am committed to elevating my company and my community. Vistage is the world’s largest CEO peer advisory and executive coaching organization and has been helping business leaders make better decisions that get better results since 1957.

Member

► As a facilitator for the Vistage Executive Leadership Program in Collaboration with Stanford Graduate School of Business, I work with 16 Vistage CEOs who want to up their game with Stanford World-Class thought leadership and monthly in-person workshops in NYC.

As Vistage members, we seek to develop our leadership virtuosity to be the best we can be in order to make a positive contribution to our organizations, community, and world. Becoming masterful involves making learning a practice and staying on the path. Every once in a while there is a rare opportunity to learn from others who are further down the path and accelerate our development exponentially. I am delighted that Vistage has partnered with Stanford University’s world-renowned executive education program. This is one of those opportunities for the few who want to go further and faster.

_____________

► The one-year certificate program includes three courses with Stanford Business School Professors: 

➊ Strategic Leadership by Professor William Barnett and Professor Jesper Sorensen, 
➋ The Innovation Playbook by Professor Jennifer Aaker
➌ Designing Organizations for Creativity and Innovation by Professor Sarah Soule.

Course Facilitator

CultureSync

Mark delivers workshops, training & retreats for companies that want to facilitate corporate change based on the models and processes of Tribal Leadership. He is a CultureSync™ Approved Tribal Leader and is a Senior Consultant and Trainer for the CultureSync Leadership Academy.

Senior Trainer & Consultant

PARCEL Magazine

Write the monthly column, "Mastering Management" as well as several feature stories a year about the shipping industry and management.

Writer

RedRoller, Inc.

Transformed a Concept into a Category-Defining Shipping Platform

In 2004, I was hired as a consultant to assess the viability of a web-based shipping solution modeled after e-travel platforms. What I saw was a major untapped opportunity: small businesses lacked easy access to competitive shipping options across carriers.

Recognizing the potential, I moved quickly to shape the vision, develop the product strategy, and build out the core functionality of what became RedRoller.com—a groundbreaking multi-carrier shipping platform. I led business development efforts, securing critical partnerships with the U.S. Postal Service, Endicia, DHL, FedEx, and regional carriers—relationships that were essential to bringing the technology to life.

In December 2005, I merged my firm, TAYLOR Systems Engineering Corporation, into RedRoller and became Chief Logistics Officer. I worked cross-functionally with IT and Marketing to deliver a first-of-its-kind online shipping solution, offering real-time rate comparisons, label printing, tracking, and seamless application integration for small businesses and consumers.

The venture attracted the attention of major VCs, in large part due to my domain expertise, industry relationships, and ability to execute. RedRoller helped redefine how small businesses manage logistics, leveling the playing field in a space traditionally dominated by large-scale shippers.

Co-founder, Board Member, Chief Logistics Officer

TAYLOR Systems Engineering Corporation

Founded company to provide computerized shipping systems for clients desiring to save money in their shipping & warehouse operations. Implemented over 2,000 projects for clients such as Ford Motor Company, Michelin Tire, Schering Labs, Standard Register & Unisys.

Recognized as one of the 100 fastest growing companies in Michigan.

Broad range of experience in manufacturing & distribution applications involving weighing, bar coding, labeling, small parcel & LTL rating, bills of lading, & reports. Specialized in PC/Host systems integration with virtually every available platform, database, ERP, and accounting system including SAP, BaaN, Oracle, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, SBT, Great Plains, MAS 90, Macola, Navision, Peachtree, FACTS, Profit 21, Real World, Epicor, Noble House, QuickBooks, Business Works.

Provided professional services including consulting, specification design, systems planning, project management, installation, training, service, & support.

Founder and CEO

EVCOR

Founded the Southeastern Michigan location of EVCOR, an INC 500 company.

Owner/Founder of Detroit Office

Pitney Bowes

● Responsible for training 9 sales managers & 58 sales reps 
● Launch Manager for the Computerized Parcel Shipping System
● Exceeded $5,000,000 quota
● Sales Leadership Club (top 10% in U.S.), 1986, 1987, 1988
 
Area Sales Manager

● Managed 2 sales managers and 24 sales representatives
● Exceeded  $2,000,000 quota
● Area Sales Manager of the Year, Great Lakes Region, 1982, 1983
● Pacemaker Leadership Club (top 5% of the US), 1982, 1983, 1984

Senior Area Sales Manager

TAYLOR Fire Protection Company

Founder/CEO

My first business failed miserably. I’ll never forget the day I locked the office door for the last time, tears in my eyes, wondering where it all went wrong. I went out and did what so many others do when they fail at business: I got a job.

After over a decade of navigating the culture of Corporate America, I decided to give running my own business another shot. This time failure was not an option. That’s when I discovered the CEO peer organization called Vistage. The world’s most trusted executive coaching company with more than 45,000 members. 

Every month I’d meet with my Vistage group of business owners and executives. Together, we’d help each other tackle problems, navigate obstacles and capture opportunities. 

Until you experience it for yourself, you’ll never realize how powerful a group of like-minded peers can be. How tapping into the experiences of others can quickly transform your business. 

My second business became the 58th-fastest growing company in the state. And it was profitable every year, thanks to the insight and wisdom of my Vistage peers. When I sold the company in 2005, I looked back and realized just how differently my businesses ended up. 

Today, as the Best Practice Chair for Vistage, responsible for over 20 NYC groups, I help CEOs, executives, and business owners perform at levels they never imagined possible. To get it done, I bring the collaborative power of Triads to my Vistage groups – a very interactive technique designed to help leaders gain deep insights and guidance from mini-groups who have already faced and overcome similar challenges.  

It’s my mission to grow leaders and pass on my philosophy of lifelong learning to my Vistage members. I firmly believe that a strong peer support group that provides unbiased feedback can help leaders make great decisions that benefit their organizations, families, and communities.


Specialties: Triads, Peer Group Facilitation, Keynote Speaker, Workshop Leader, Retreat Facilitator, NYC Executive Coaching

Mark Taylor

I just spent 12 weekends in a University of Michigan AI course.
3 hours Saturday. 3 hours Sunday. Plus homework.
At week 8, my wife asked: "Why are you doing this?"

Fair question.

Here's why → Every CEO in my Vistage Worldwide, Inc. groups is making decisions about AI without knowing what they don't know.

They're either:
▪️ Ignoring it completely (dangerous)
▪️ Letting their CTO decide everything (abdication)
▪️ Experimenting randomly with ChatGPT (waste)
None of those work at $3M-$150M.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁:

This isn't about coding. It's about strategic decisions CEOs should be making right now.
→ Which departments get automated first (spoiler: probably not the ones you think)
→ How to calculate actual ROI on AI tools (most founders are guessing)
→ Where the risk actually lives (it's not where consultants tell you)

We worked with 16+ tools. Built 12 real projects using actual company data. Learned the economics, the ethics, the implementation roadmap.

Here's what small business CEOs are missing:

You're not behind on AI because you don't understand the technology.
You're behind because you're treating it like IT instead of strategy.

The founders scaling right now aren't asking "Should we use AI?"
They're asking "Which decisions can AI help us make faster and better?"
Big difference.

Sales campaigns that used to take your team 2 weeks? AI does it in 2 hours.
Customer service that required 3 full-time people? AI handles 80% of it 24/7.
Data analysis that your team never had time for? AI surfaces insights you didn't know existed.

This isn't future stuff. This is happening right now in $10M-$150M companies across NYC.

The gap between leaders who understand AI strategy and leaders who don't?

That gap is widening every quarter.

I didn't spend 72 hours plus homework on this because I love weekends in online classes.

I did it because the CEOs I work with need someone who can help them navigate this without the BS.

Not hype. Not fear. Just practical application for leaders making real decisions.

If you're running a $3M-$150M company and you're not sure where AI fits in your strategy, you're not alone.

Most founders I talk to feel exactly the same way.

The difference is what you do about it.

#marktaylorNYC

Vistage NYC Chair | Coaching CEOs To Build Clarity, Confidence & AI Fluency To Drive Transformative Growth | Strategy Expert & Positive Intelligence Coach

The moment I realized I didn't understand my own business was when my CPA said "you owe the government $120,000."

I had $8,000 in my checking account.
"How can I pay them when I don't have the money?" I asked.

He stared at me like I'd asked if money grows on trees.
"It's all in your inventory and accounts receivable," he said.
I nodded like I understood.
I didn't.

I had revenue. I had customers. I had 13 employees.
But I didn't have cash. And I didn't know why.

I had built a million-dollar business without understanding how money actually moved through it.

I could sell. I could deliver. I could hire.
But I was flying blind on the only thing that actually mattered.

Here's what nobody tells you about scaling from $3M to $10M:
Your instincts stop working.

The cash flow that was obvious at $500K becomes invisible at $3M.
The financial decisions that could 10x you or bankrupt you start looking identical.

And if you don't know your numbers cold, you're making every decision in the dark.

So I did something I'm not sure I'd recommend: I went back to school for my MBA while running the business full-time.

Days: Running the company. Nights: Learning what the hell a balance sheet actually meant.

Two years in, something clicked.
I was reading my monthly financials and saw something that didn't make sense.
My controller had been categorizing expenses wrong for 18 months.
The numbers I'd been making decisions on? They were fiction.

I fired her the next week.
Not because I was angry.
Because I finally understood the numbers well enough to know she was guessing.

Here's what changed:

I learned why gross margin matters more than revenue growth.
I learned how to read my P&L and know exactly where we were bleeding.
And I learned that most CEOs at my stage were making the exact same mistake: Confusing revenue with cash.
The company went from "I don't know if I can make payroll" to the 58th fastest-growing company.

Not because I got smarter.
Because I stopped making decisions without understanding what I was actually looking at.
But here's the truth about the MBA:
It taught me WHAT to look at.

My Vistage Worldwide, Inc. group taught me what to DO about it.

Because knowing your cash conversion cycle is academic until another CEO says: "Here's what happened when my AR hit 75 days and how I fixed it in 30 days."

That's the difference between theory and survival.

If you're running a company between $3M-$12M and you're not 100% confident you could explain your cash position in 60 seconds, you're one bad month away from a moment like mine.

You don't need another course.
You need peers who've already made the mistakes you're about to make.

Drop a comment or DM if you want to talk.

Because the loneliest feeling in business isn't not having money.
It's not understanding why you don't have money when the revenue looks great.

#marktaylorNYC

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