Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Howard Shore, Founder, and CEO of Activate Group Inc., located in Pinecrest, FL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Activate Group Inc. helps CEOs and leadership teams grow their companies further and faster with less frustration in a way that makes the impossible possible!

We find a business should be run just like a high-performing sports team. No great team consistently produces championships without three things:

  1. A repeatable system.
  2. A coach is an expert in that repeatable system.
  3. A scoreboard that provides transparency and aligns the team.

CEOs work with us because they are committed to learning, growing, and changing. They have an urgency to address one of these areas:

• Trying to prepare their companies for an exit in the next three years
• Preparing the company for succession to the next generation.
• Experiencing frustration with their team or organization
• Need to break through a stall point
• Know they should have a lot more profit

Tell us about yourself

I am Howard M. Shore, Founder, and CEO of Activate Group Inc., is a bestselling author and serial entrepreneur specializing in liberating leadership teams from the barriers holding them back personally and professionally. During my 35+ year career, I  helped create over $1 Billion of value and authored two best-selling books, The Leader Launchpad, and Your Business is a Leaky Bucket.

I cut my teeth as the owner of several successful companies and executives for Fortune 500 companies like Ryder Systems, AutoNation, and KPMG. Howard has become a sought-after business mentor, executive coach, and keynote speaker. My clients work in family-owned, multi-national, public, and private companies ranging from $1 million to over $1 billion in annual revenue. With a 30-year track record of success, I guarantee any organization using my methods and systems will become more profitable, stable, and scalable.

I created Activate Group because my journey was much like other CEOs I met. While I always had good intentions, my style and approach toward interacting with others were not productive in business or life. It took me a long time to figure this out. I am still working on it. While outwardly, it appeared I was highly successful. I had fractured a lot of relationships along the way. When looking back, I cringe at how horrible a leader I was.

As a result, I was working three times harder than anyone else to compensate. This caused me to miss key moments with family, some of my relationships were starting to fray, and it was taking a toll on my mindset.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Rather than one accomplishment, I believe my career has shown a continuous pattern of making businesses perform at a higher level. I purchased my first business when I was 18 and sold it when I was 21. After that, every role I played led to significantly higher performance for my department, team, function, and company.

I always found ways to change the trajectory. I have always been able to challenge others to higher performance beyond what was anticipated. This is how I have been able to help create over $1 Billion of value as an owner, employee, and coach.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

There are two areas that I think are the most challenging for a business owner. Knowing when to say "No." Finding, keeping, and growing enough of the right people. And quickly getting rid of the wrong people.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Find something that you would want to do for free.
  2. Ensure you provide a unique and valuable experience for your customer.
  3. Don't try to serve everyone you think could use your product or service. Segment the market and cater your solution to the people that pay you a premium price and will refer you to others.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

There are many books that have changed my mindset and life.

Anatomy of Peace by the Arbinger Institute helped me understand the central cause of conflict and how to address it.

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz helped me understand the mindsets affecting inner peace and causing me to act in unproductive ways.

Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish helped me learn how to lead a company better properly and has led to my writing of two of my books, "The Leader Launchpad" and "Your Business is a Leaky Bucket."

In them, I share what I learned along the way.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://activategroupinc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ActivateGroupInc/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardshore/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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