An interview with Guident Business Consultant, Gary Vaughan.

When was your business established?
I established Guident Business Solutions, LLC in February of 2009.

How did your business get started?
I saw an unmet need in the market and took the leap of faith that most small business owners do, hung my shingle and now 10+ years later I’m still assisting business owners navigate through their challenges.

What is your organization’s mission statement? And in what ways do you fulfill your mission?
“Guident Business Solutions, LLC is a management development firm dedicated to guiding the successful growth of organizations through the sharing of knowledge and teaching of key business practices.”

Teaching is our main competitive advantage.  Business owners today cannot go back to school to get that business degree or MBA degree.  I am dedicated to teaching the competencies the business owner would receive in corporate finance and /or strategic management courses.

What specific need does your business fill?
In order to fulfill the owner’s dreams, they have to be much sharper business operators than ever before.  We help the business to sharpen their operations by introducing financial and strategic tools to measure and forecast their business needs.

Who are your target customers/clients?
We specialize in small to medium businesses with revenues under $20 million and less than 100 employees.  We bring the financial tools and the business owner brings his or her knowledge of the business as “subject matter experts” in their fields.

In what unique ways is your organization involved in the Fox Cities community?
I moved to the Fox Cities in 1982, so I have been doing business in the Fox Cities for 30 plus years and understand the culture and dynamics of the region.  I have worked with clients from Milwaukee to Green Bay all along the I-41 corridor.

What is the best part of having a business in the Fox Cities?
The Fox Cities are dynamic, and the challenges and opportunities are never-ending for business owners. Helping businesses overcome these challenges or take advantage of the opportunities found in the Fox Cities and beyond is exciting and has been very rewarding.

What news or future plans would you like our readers to know about?
I have been writing a monthly newsletter for years and have been asked to collect them into a book. Today I am in the final stages of that book which highlights the top 60 newsletters from the past 10 years.  Find more information on our website.

Anything else to add?
One of the things I am most proud of is the relationships I have with my clients.  I enter the relationship thinking as an equity partner in the business. Of course, I am not, but often the owner is the sole person thinking “on the business” and the owner finds they cannot talk about the sensitive issues of running a business with their employees or their spouse.  They can talk with me because of my background as a business owner myself.

What adjustments is your business making for the safety and wellbeing of customers and staff during COVID-19 or as you reopen?
I have used Zoom, FaceTime, SKYPE, and GoToMeeting software over the past several weeks, replacing the face-to-face interaction I would usually use. I visit each client weekly, spending at least 90 minutes working with the owner “on” the business.  Strategizing on financials, creating cash flow projections, writing annual operating budgets, discussing employee challenges, and working as a “generalist” with the owner and his or her key employees to grow the business.