Greg Hickman

Helping agencies, consultants and freelancers take back control of their business , create wild profits, and grow with certainty without sacrificing time with family.

🕬 ATTN: Agency Owners, Freelancers & Service Providers

Do You Know the Reason You Cannot lift the ceiling on your client capacity while removing yourself from day-to-day fulfillment ...?

You have not yet had a true SYSTEM to take the best of what you have to offer and transform it into your unique solution, rather than being viewed as a commoditized service provider.

Here's a few things we do that nobody else does:

✅ Create (or makeover your existing service menu into) your productized service suite

✅ Create and build a systematic sales experience so you only sell to the right people while optimizing your time

✅ Structure and deploy a new client on-boarding experience and client fulfillment process that sets clients up for success without your 1:1 involvement

✅ Identify and build the right team of people and processes to free your time as the owner and escape the day-to-day

✅ Scale your team and your systems around each of the critical areas of your business: Sales, Marketing, Fulfillment and Operations

✅ Deliver an operating and communication cadence for you to continually meet the goals of your strategic plan.

If you meet the following criteria we need to talk:

-You're sick and tired of not knowing how to scale your client capacity without getting buried in fulfillment.

-Perhaps you know that you need mentoring to take it to the next level.

-Or maybe you've 'already bought a Guru’s course on scaling’...and it didn't work.

Time and time again, we speak with burnt-out agency owners who know they need to change things in order to scale...

They just need a proven system to do it.

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Now imagine if you had that system...

A systematized process that helped you to design your 100% unique service offering (so that your clients get great results and delivering it is easy and fun for you and your team) 

Imagine discovering how to deliver your service (and what format to deliver it in, so that you maximize profits and time without sacrificing client results)

What if you KNEW that you had a dream team that helps roll out the systems and process to run the business without you involved in the day-to-day.

And...

🎯 How would you like to scale the business up with the latest strategies and systems to build a business that runs without you? 🎯

You can.

That's what we help you do: ► https://altagency.com/mw-watch-li

✉ Email me directly with your questions ☛ hello@altagency.com


Owner and Founder AltAgency

We help agency owners, freelancers and service providers grow and scale without working nights and weekends. 

Less Done-For-You. More Leverage. Better Results. It's a Win-Win.

Total Negotiation Group

I'm delighted to have the opportunity to work with an organisation that is committed to making Bigger and Better commercial professionals.

TNG was created to deliver best in class Insights, Training & Development on Negotiation for FMCG professionals.

Since inception TNG has used the skillset of experienced FMCG professionals (doers from the 'coalface') to not only help individuals develop in Negotiation but also Selling, Category Development and Revenue Growth Management.

Products and services are much more than transactional, focus on embedding knowledge and nurturing a practical sense of partnership.

Associate (NZ) APAC Region

THE Business Bouncer

The title 'Business Bouncer' was gifted to me on the basis owners felt protected. It wasn't that they were in physical danger but they knew someone had their back and was 'riding shotgun' for them to ensure they, and those around them, succeeded.

Owners cite the following as to reasons why they partner with me:

$ I am Trusted
$ They know I am committed to seeing them succeed, Personally and Professionally
$ I have their back
$ I offer Robust and Pragmatic advice based on extensive experience
$ My career (employed and self employed) has a track record of continuous success
$ I get things done, I'm a 'hands dirty' guy
$ A reliable sounding board - a safe place
$ Extensive network of relatable contacts
$ Offer a wide skill/competency set
$ They are happy to hang out with me, outside of the work environment

This relationship is executed in 1 of 3 ways:

$ Owners commit to specific service. My popular products are 'Profit', 'Customer', and 'Staff'
$ Owners seek involvement/resolution on a particular project
$ Owners include me as part of their team, as such I'm a hybrid of Strategist, CFO, Commercial lead

If you'd like to understand what is possible for you and your business contact me on +64 21817547 or mail me at jonathan@icu-big.com

'Doorman' for SME Owners - Reconnecting them with why/how they own!

icu BIG!

There are a variety of reasons as to why clients engage the 'icu BIG!' offer. When I distill it down there are 3 key words - GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT (Professional & Personal) & RESULTS!

Engagement fundamentally means grappling with the status quo!!
Why GROWTH - Yet to meet anyone who wanted to stand still
Why STRATEGIST - A focus on planning Action/Policy as well as Execution

Any relationship I have, or have had, has been based on individuals and their businesses realising step changes in Revenue, Profitability, Customers and Scale.

Don't take my word for it, here is my testimonial page: http://www.icu-big.com/testimonials/

Lecturer: I'm currently enjoying teaching at UNITEC on Bachelor of Business and Graduate Diploma in Business:

- Strategic Thinking for Managers
- Integrated Marketing Communications

In 2018, as well as teaching, I'll also get involved in supporting students with professional development and workplace solutions.

This experience allows me the opportunity to craft and deliver content that gives the students the greatest opportunity to succeed both in education and the workplace.

Founder & Owner 

Immersion Group

After years of working with clients/partners, we are yet to meet anyone who was waiting for a stranger to turn up with a list of action points. 

We know that New Zealand SME's are not stupid or incompetent; many just seek an extra pair of ears, eyes and hands to move the business forward. The work we do is sometimes with those that are 'struggling', maybe not performing at quite where they wanted to be and we also work with those that want to accelerate their current position and realise greater levels of growth.

We work with businesses and individuals that cover all stages of the evolution curve. Some are nurturing ideas and, at the other end, seeking a plan to exit to do something else. Our experience and knowledge base ensures that either we can support you with the business fundamentals (Finance, Governance, Planning and Strategy, Sales & Marketing, People and Leadership) or we'll introduce you to like-minded people within our network

We would kick ourselves if what we delivered to our clients were just words. The roll out of Rhetoric and process. The one size fits all and a cookie cutter approach. We call this Blah.

We are owners, just like you and stare into/grapple with many of the same challenges. We have enjoyed success and also our fair share of where it didn’t work (yeah, it’s called failure). We did the ‘hard yards’ to tick the academic boxes as well but at the heart of it, what we do, is about transparent relationships and delivery.

Immersion Group was formed because we are like minded and singularly focused on understanding a business and creating a relationship where the conversations are beneficial and achievements are real. Not just words.

Want to talk non blah? Let's grab a coffee and see if we're a good fit.

Advisor & Director

Unitec Institute of Technology

For the 3 semesters, ending Nov '18, I taught (part time) at UNITEC on the BBUS and GDipBus focusing on 'Strategy for Managers' and 'Integrated Marketing Comms' - my courses consistently scored (by students) well above the Business School average.
My courses scored so well due to the fact I was grounded in the commercial world. I was, and still am, running a successful advisory/coaching entity working with NZ SME's. My clients would come to lectures and my students would work on real life situations/challenges.
I was regularly told that my lectures/courses were the best that students had attended because they understood my focus was to teach them how to survive and thrive post education.
To this day students use me as a network/reference source and where I can I have placed students into work, through my network.
My peer group complimented me on the fact that I use to focus on teaching resilience born out of watching a lot of Simon Sinek and embracing the invitation to teach when it came in 2017.

Strategy & Marketing Lecturer

Progressive Enterprises Limited

A great experience and exposure that saw me 'grapple' with the challenges of 4 distinct stakeholder communities within a $420m portfolio ('You'll never keep everyone Happy') - Consumers, Suppliers, TEAM, Internal functions and Succeed.

What I’m most proud of:

➢	Managing many ‘challenging’ stakeholder groups while still realising growth within the business. 

Very proud of many achievements but just as Tom Peters had 'spurred' me on in 2012, this year watching Pat Solomon's film 'Finding Joe' has created a burning platform to 'Find my Bliss!' and be the best Jonathan Sweeney the world has ever known.

Merchandise Manager (Health/Beauty, Laundry & Cleaning)

Countdown's move into Pharmacy is a natural progression for a business that has been at the forefront of developing a credible, and successful, Health & Beauty offer within mainstream grocery in recent years.

- Terms agreed with a number of non Countdown vendors
- Established new supply chain model via DC
- Loaded as many new lines in weeks as broader team load in a year
- Opened 5 new stores in 6 months
- Defined pricing and promotion program

Pharmacy Implementation & Roll Out

L'Oreal (NZ) Consumer Products Division

In 2012 the work of Tom Peters (the desire to effect positive change) and the classic line from The Shawshank Redemption...'Get Busy Living or get Busy Dying' 'taunted' me such that it was time to make a change. Here is a summary of the outstanding results achieved by my team and I in the last 4 years:

* Grocery share of total business sat at almost 72% vs. 44% end '07.
* In 2011 CPD sold 1.3m more units than in 2008 and unit evolution was +11% YTD August 2012
* For the 3 periods to August '12 (based on Aztec data) L'Oreal CPD was the largest value manufacturer within Beauty within the market.
* For the 4 periods to August '12 (based on Aztec data) L'Oreal CPD was the #1 Beauty manufacturer within Countdown.
* Within The Warehouse and Farmers sell out evolution was ahead of the market.
* August 2012 was the largest ever net sales ($0.5m higher than previous largest) month in the last 4 years of L'Oreal CPD.
* Year to date result, as at end August, CPD was +7% in a market that was trending flat/marginally negative.

I had an awesome team (they had self belief and were hungry for us to be the best we could be), our biggest pre-occupation - speed to realise opportunity and continual improvement.

I was most proud to see the levels of distribution, presence and visbility that L'Oreal product achieved . Over and above that there was a credibility, for the team and the brand, that had not existed before in the market.

Head of Sales

'Muscle in for MotorNeurone'

I devised a program to raise funds and awareness for MotorNeurone disease.

I acted as project coach and sponsor, in my spare time, that culminated in members of Health and Sports gym in Auckland covering over 2 million meters in 1 week, the equivalent distance between Cape Reinga and Bluff.

The weeks events were supported and covered extensively and contributors included a number of NZ celebrities. 

MIFM raised over $20k donated to local Motorneurone charity.

Project Coach and Sponsor (Voluntary)

''Memorabilia Buys Memories'

During my period of self employment I devised and actioned a fundraiser for Make-A-Wish NZ entitled 'Memorabilia Buys Memories'. 

Members of the public donated items of sporting memorabilia that were later auctioned on Trade Me. Items included a signed All Blacks shirt, signed Ronaldo Man Utd shirt, amongst over 40 items.

The Radio Network sponsored this event with $100k worth of airtime and through the generosity of Air New Zealand, Hyatt International Hotels and The All Blacks I was able to offer a full expensed trip to Cardiff to watch the AB's play Wales as an incentive to donate.

MBM was supported with a strong viral campaign, got visibility in The New Zealand Herald as well as being featured on 'The Crowd Goes Wild' TV program.

Step out of your comfort zone and be left me with some brilliant memories and awesome experiences. Bottom line enough money was raised to grant the wishes of 3 kids with life threatening illness!

Event creator and champion (Voluntary)

Reckitt Benckiser

RB has 'form'/reputation and is not for the 'feint hearted' but it's a good place to learn and few are able to match it's desire to succeed consistently.

* Part of a new mgt team that delivered 3 years of above industry average growth (2005 -2007).
* Built a Category Mgt function from nothing to industry best practice team.
* Personally launched 43 skus in less than 1 year with an annualised value in excess of $10m.
* Managed BHI integration, further to global acquisition, for NZ as well as sitting on ANZ team.
* Developed succesive teams for internal promotion, locally and globally.
* Managed a number of business critical projects.

Head of Trade Marketing

The HERO's Journey to now............

As a child I was fascinated with people having new opportunities. Talent shows, Game shows, Documentaries…. seeing the course of someone’s life change captivated me! 

To this day I’m most excited to work with people (owners) where the results can be touched and experienced rather than lost in some ‘corporate web’, and individuals see possibility realised…. Or even dreams.

I recently sat in a discussion on AI (nervous if you’re from the Terminator generation, like me). I get it, as long as definition/framework is defined on what the outcomes will be. That said much of my work, over almost 10 years, always goes back to definition and execution of the business basics. Let’s go back to AI… my conclusion, it had value but the business (10 years young) still had work to do on the foundations to put itself in best position to succeed. 

My focus and effort, across 50+ businesses, always comes down:

✅ Plan clarity
✅ How a business gets work
✅ How a business executes that work
✅ Ensuring the business is financially robust

Talk to me now about how you gain more confidence and clarity in the areas of Profitability, Customer and Staff.

taplio

The Battle

Greg Hickman

Jonathan Sweeney

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