Lodi, California, United States
Mike was raised in a six-generation family wine business locally in the Central Valley of California. He graduated from Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon with a major in Speech Communication and Biblical Studies. After personally experiencing the challenges with family organizations and the implications of proper planning, he pursued building a business to help families like his own. Mike then started his own agency as a financial and insurance advisor with a focus on tax strategies, business succession and estate planning. He earned his designation as Life Underwriting Training Council Fellow (LUTCF) through The American College. Mike also served his industry as as one of a past President of the National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (NAIFA). For the last 2 decades, he has served in the business community as a sought after consultant for scaling start ups and businesses who have hit inflection points needing to turn their companies around. After working for a large publicly traded PEO on their management team, Mike has consulted hundreds of companies and coached these business owners in organizational development, leadership, brand development, business continuation and exit strategies, risk mitigation, conflict management, roadmapping business plans and strategic whiteboard sessions that been the catalyst for exponential growth. His relationship-first approach has earned his reputation in the business community as not just a consultant, but a trusted advisor that is deeply engaged in the well being of his clients. In 2021, he was the founder of Blue Dream HR with his business partner Jenny Nguyen-Jennings. Mike’s areas of expertise include strategic planning, organizational development, leadership coaching, communication, business continuation planning, market and margin improvement, brand restructuring, negotiations and quarterbacking tax and legal teams. His diverse background in business, insurance, finance and strategic planning has positioned his role as a key advisor for his clients. "You don't get paid by the hour .... you get paid for the value you bring to the hour" -- Jim Rohn
Serving in administration and leadership development for a local church in the role of an executive director. Making a difference one life at a time.
As the founder of Blue Dream HR, we are hyper-focused on the growth trajectory of companies, helping owners navigate the business economy - whether they are in massive scaled growth mode, or hitting an inflection point and need to desperately turn things around. Our real passion isn’t just "compliance", nor is it HR "outsourcing' – we're driven to help you with ideas, solutions and in-person support. This ensures success by partnering with you to implement practices that overcome challenges, and growing a company culture that promotes continued strategic success and sustainability. By understanding your business, and your own “why”, we will build a blueprint and walk alongside you. Our “why” is the fulfillment in helping passionate business owners obtain the dream for why they started their companies. With almost 35 years combined industry experience, our founders have worked with Fortune 500 companies and consulted as experts in wage and hour law, performance coaching, leadership development, financial and estate planning. We have successfully represented companies in responses to various agencies, including discrimination claims from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, wage and hour issues from the Department of Industrial Relations, sexual harassment claims from the Department of Fair and Equal Housing, and unemployment claims from the Employee Development Department. What sets us apart from our competitors is the strategic alliance that is built on relationships, as our clients are more than just a transaction. We can provide our services in-person as a primary way of being an extension of your company, without being a paid employee on staff. It gives your company the leverage of utilizing experts as part of their team, - which, in turn, provides the freedom that allows the business owner to focus on the results and growth of their own company.
I led a strategic business advisory group (Human Resource Consultant, Risk Management Consultant, Payroll Specialist, Work Comp) that partners with business owners and stakeholders to help deepen their bench, engage team members, widen their influence, and strengthen their value proposition. We accomplish this by providing executive coaching, business advisory services, human resources consulting, risk/safety/process consulting, payroll services, and workers compensation coverage in a unique high touch, relationship driven, all-inclusive program that helps to ensure cash flow management, grow consistency, and elevate excellence. We help improve the possibility and probability of success for small to medium size business owners.
*Consulting in Business Development & Freelance Marketing *Strategic Business Planning & Coaching *Social Media *Internet based sales & online traffic funnels * Opened new sales territory for Northern California for an International Wellness Brand by recruiting a sales team & developing brand awareness. *Oversight for marketing initiatives, direct to consumer sales, and consumer retention by generating increased referrals & customer satisfaction. *Train all new sales team on products, process and implementation. *Itinerate speaker keynote speaker for corporate events *Developed new brand positioning to drive sales revenue and achieve greater market share.
*Developed best-in-class consumer experiences to best exemplify the Michael David standards of excellence in hospitality and match wine quality for top 30 U.S. Winery producing 500,000+ cases *Responsible for managing all retail and online sales *Managed DTC wine club of approximately 5,000 households nationwide *Co-creator and director of the DTC retail marketing platform to include identity, the customer experience, selling proposition and driving ideas *Partnered with each arm of the business to understand long-term growth plans and work to develop an annual marketing plan, focused on hospitality and experiential marketing of sensory branding initiatives that support overall business goals of Retail Sales. *Overseer of operations of daily retail sales and tasting room operations, staff scheduling and key decisions *Collaborated with marketing department on media, trade and consumer communications, including Public Relations efforts, content development to include copy for events and newsletters, promotional calendars, website updates and online marketing initiatives to include social media, event listings etc. as well as search engine marketing and other online marketing opportunities to promote business growth *Collaborated with Marketing team to ensure Brand consistency, and direct (Tasting Room and Club) positioning. Worked to create collateral materials that deliver excellence in consumer engagement and brand identity *P&L responsibility for hospitality marketing spend; budget creation, managing total spend and providing ROI *Conducted ongoing market research, including business and category key drivers, overall competitive framework and dynamics to guide strategic positioning *Effectively managed and mentored the hospitality and administrative staff by driving professional development goals, education & projects that support both the company and industry growth and success *Provided educational & sales training tours for sales team & accounts