Self-employed | Contract work

Empowering hospitality leaders with targeted, actionable strategies that drive immediate results. My focus is on accelerating career growth through practical tools in leadership mastery, team engagement, and strategic thinking.

Key Achievements:

✧ Fast-Tracked Career Development: Designed a career advancement framework that helped 50+ clients secure higher roles within 6 months.

✧ Leadership Mastery: Enabled managers to enhance confidence and effectiveness with a 25% increase in team productivity.

✧ Interview Success: Guided professionals in executive role preparation, achieving a 90% interview success rate.

✧ Team Engagement Strategies: Introduced team-building frameworks that increased employee retention by 20% across client teams.

Career Development Specialist

The Barrett Group

As an Executive Resume Writer at The Barrett Group, I crafted high-impact career documents that led to career advancements for hundreds of clients. 

My approach focused on capturing core strengths, aligning with client goals, and enhancing market relevance.

Key Achievements:

✧ Produced strategic resumes that directly led to increased interview rates for clients.

✧ Recognized for delivering high-quality, tailored career documents that positioned clients for leadership roles.

✧ Collaborated with consultants to integrate personal branding techniques, boosting clients' visibility on LinkedIn.

Executive Resume Writer

Goodwin Recruiting

Leveraged extensive hospitality expertise to navigate the complexities of talent acquisition during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on aligning top-tier talent with leadership roles to support client growth and team cohesion.

Key Achievements: 

✧ Adapted recruiting strategies to overcome pandemic-related challenges, resulting in successful placements that supported critical leadership needs. 

✧ Implemented targeted industry insights to maintain streamlined hiring practices, reducing the average hiring cycle despite widespread disruptions. 

✧ Enhanced client partnerships through transparent communication and creative candidate sourcing methods, fostering trust and long-term collaboration.

Recruiter- Hospitality Division | Remote

SUNY Adirondack

Partnering with a state university’s continuing education department, I helped create an interactive class designed to help staff improve the customer experience for the Lake George region of New York!

Curriculum Development- Contract Training

Without a master’s degree, but years of real-life leadership experience, I found it difficult to teach at the university level.

So, I did the next best thing and condensed what I had learned over the years of coaching, mentoring, and developing teams and managers, and created two courses.  

My love of teaching flourished as I helped other professionals improve their own leadership skills and increase internal and external customer engagement.

Continuing Education Instructor

Richbell Capital

Led the transition from hospitality to multifamily property management, successfully overseeing the growth of a Class A portfolio from one to five communities (800+ apartments) while improving resident experience.

Key Achievements:

✧ Established SOPs and management practices, increasing operational efficiency by 30%.

✧ Enhanced resident retention by 13% through quality service initiatives.

✧ Achieved 90% occupancy consistently, with a strong focus on resident satisfaction.

Director of Property Management | Partial Remote

Led the strategic direction and operations of a high-volume hotel, focusing on revenue growth and guest experience.

Key Achievements:

✧ Increased F&B revenue by 25% through unique menu expansions and event-driven promotions.

✧ Partnered with local businesses for cross-promotional opportunities, boosting occupancy during off-peak times.

✧ Achieved top ratings in guest satisfaction surveys by enhancing service quality and personalized experiences.

Hotel General Manager

✧ Developed and delivered curriculum for a non-credit hospitality field class

Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Oversaw comprehensive F&B operations, implementing strategies that led to measurable improvements in service scores and customer satisfaction.

Key Achievements:

✧ Raised F&B customer service scores by 15% through targeted staff training and SOP enhancements.

✧ Introduced themed F&B events that drove an 18% increase in guest satisfaction during key revenue periods.

✧ Maintained the highest LRA score in the division, establishing a benchmark for quality and consistency.

Food and Beverage Director

Having opened the property as part of the Corporate F & B Opening team training the staff on hotel directives and SOPs, I was thrilled at the opportunity of joining the team as an assistant director.

Working for a director that celebrated new ideas, we found creative ways to drive revenues:

✧A bloody Mary bar on New Year’s Day with Dr. Hangover.

✧Cocktails, chocolate beers, and desserts for Valentine’s Day.

✧Beer Pairings- after all, we were in Denver.

✧Dessert happy hours

✧ Incentive contests for managers to recognize their efforts in driving revenues, reducing costs, and improving the guest experience.

Assistant Food and Beverage Director

o   Assisted in the management of all food and beverage departments including five (5) outlets, retail coffee store, and banquet department - exceeding $18 million in annual revenue
o   Developed strategic hiring strategies to accommodate seasonal business demands
o   Implemented innovative training programs to improve customer satisfaction scores

o   Achieved an annual food revenue of $12 million
o   Maintained payroll and overtime costs based on revenues
o   Achieved a yearly customer satisfaction score of a 4.6 out of 5 for banquet service
o   Coordinated incentive contests designed to increase customer service scores and improve morale
o   Responsible for weekly schedules of 50-100 associates

Banquet Manager

o   Oversaw beverage operations for four (4) hotel restaurants, lobby bar, and all banquet functions
o   Achieved and maintained beverage cost of 19.1% in the hotel’s second year of operation
o   Marketed a unique customer experience while adhering to all division directives
o   Directly responsible for ordering all beverage related items for the resort

Beverage Manager

o   Managed a 47-seat restaurant and two (2) beverage carts at 18-hole golf clubhouse
o   Assisted in other aspects of food and beverage during peak times
o   Developed and marketed incentive contests to increase revenue

Restaurant Manager

o   Assisted in managing banquet functions, corporate meetings, and social events
o   Assisted in the supervision of room setups, coordinated services, and details of all banquet events
o   Demonstrated leadership ability maintaining department scheduling and payroll

Assistant Director of Banquets

o   Coordinated training solutions for union employees
o   Successfully organized and directed catered guest room events to ensure guest satisfaction
o   Developed strategies to maximize potential, new and current client base accounts
o   Exceeded food and beverage forecasts - revenue of $2.5 million

Director of Room Service

o   Successfully illustrated and implemented a children's menu
o   Assisted with planning for holiday brunch events
o   Motivated staff by strengthening the working relationship with the culinary team

Assistant Restaurant Manager

Empowering Professionals to Stand Out, Secure Leadership Roles, and Transform Teams

With over two decades in hospitality leadership, operations consulting, and executive career coaching, I bring practical experience to professionals ready to take the next step in their careers. I combine real-world leadership insights with a proven track record in resume writing and career development to deliver results that matter.

I’ve held roles ranging from Director of Food & Beverage at Hyatt Hotels to Hotel Operations Consultant, overseeing large teams and million-dollar operations. I know what hiring managers look for because I’ve been one—and I help my clients tell their stories to stand out!

What I Offer:

✔ Executive Resume Writing: As a former recruiter and consultant, I write resumes that highlight achievements, leadership impact, and unique strengths to position you as the ideal candidate.

✔ Career Coaching: From interview preparation to navigating career pivots, I help leaders step into their next role with confidence.

✔ Leadership Development: I guide managers and professionals in building high-performing teams through empathy, structure, and clear strategy.

✔ Hospitality Consulting: Practical solutions for leadership challenges, operational efficiency, and guest experience optimization.

Whether you’re a professional looking to rebrand, secure a leadership role, or grow as a leader, I’m here to provide the tools, strategies, and clarity you need.

Ready to elevate your career or leadership impact? Let’s connect and start the conversation.

Luke Duggan

I once worked with a manager whose resume said:
“Oversaw daily operations for a 200-room property.”

Accurate and dull.

We rewrote it to show the impact made:

“Led a cross-functional team through a full renovation while maintaining 94 % guest satisfaction.”

Same role. 
Different story.

Sometimes it’s not that your resume lacks experience; it just lacks emotion. 

The results, decisions, and pressure you carried tell the real story.

📍 What’s one resume line of yours that deserves a story behind it?

Luke Duggan 

Executive Resume Writer | Led Multimillion $ Teams, Now I Help You Land High-Visibility Roles

At some point, you stop learning from your job and start maintaining it.
That’s usually the moment you’re being prepared for what’s next.

The danger? 
Staying too long because it’s comfortable or convincing yourself you’re not ready.

Every promotion, pivot, or reinvention starts with a decision to tell a new story about yourself.
 
Your resume and profile should reflect where you’re going, not where you’ve been.

📍 Are you still describing yourself for the role you already mastered?

“Managed a team of ten.”

“Responsible for client satisfaction.”

“Oversaw daily operations.”

None of these are accomplishments; they’re job descriptions.

Accomplishments show change. Not what’s expected of you in your current role.

What got better because you were there?
What problem did you solve that others missed?

📍 If your resume lists what you did instead of what changed, you’re not showing impact. 

You’re listing only duties, and it makes you no different from every other applicant.

What’s one bullet you could rewrite to highlight the difference you made?

She’d led major projects, mentored teams, and delivered results quarter after quarter.

However, the silence that followed each application was deafening.

When we reviewed her resume, it read like a job description. 
 
No context. No leadership voice. No “why it mattered.”

We rebuilt her story around outcomes and ownership.

Within three weeks, she had multiple interviews, and more importantly, her confidence was back.

A resume isn’t a list of what you did; it’s evidence of how you think.

🧭 If your results aren’t getting noticed, the problem isn’t your work; it’s how it’s being told.
 
📍 Have you ever felt that your resume was accurate but not effective?

The job search doesn’t drain you because of rejection.
It drains you because of ambiguity.

Endless scrolling. 
Silence after applications. 
The feeling that you’re doing everything right but still invisible. 

The fix isn’t more effort. It’s clarity.

Clarity about your story, your strengths, and your target.

When every move aligns with where you’re headed, momentum returns.

📍 What’s one change that helped you make your job search less exhausting?

Too many great leaders stay invisible until it costs them opportunities.
 
I’ve worked with leaders who built strong cultures, solved problems quietly, and led teams with heart, only to get passed over because their impact wasn’t visible.
 
Visibility isn’t bragging. 

It’s about ensuring the right people understand your impact.

Your resume should reflect how you lead, not just what you did.
 
📍 What’s one way you make sure your leadership is seen?

It was one of those weekends every hotel leader remembers-

All outlets packed, the ballroom hosting a high-profile reception, and the kind of pace that makes the hours blur.

By Sunday night, everything had run flawlessly. 

Sure, we had hiccups, but guests were happy, service never broke stride, and the team pulled together beautifully. 

The old me would have assumed everyone saw the impact because results alone don’t speak for themselves. 

But I took no chances and spent additional time crafting an email that showcased the team's successes. That short email, which probably took an hour to write, recapped the weekend’s numbers, the challenges overcome, and the wins worth celebrating, and made sure senior leadership knew. 

Not to boast, but to make the invisible visible.

That lesson never left me. Visibility is leadership.
 
If you don’t tell the story, someone else will, and they might not tell it right.

It’s the same principle I bring to my work today: helping leaders articulate their impact clearly, so their results and their character don’t go unnoticed.

📍 Have you ever had your work overlooked because it wasn’t visible?

Not every leadership moment gets applause, but that doesn’t make it less meaningful.
 
Some of the most important work happens when no one’s watching:
 
✅ Backing up a struggling team member

✅ Fixing the prep line before guests arrive
 
✅ Rewriting a resume bullet at midnight so it lands the right way
 
Visibility doesn’t mean chasing credit. It means understanding which moments quietly define your story.
 
📍 What’s one “quiet win” from your week?

Some turning points arrive with fanfare. Others sneak in quietly.

Mine came in a moment that didn’t look important at all, a small project that forced me to rethink my leadership approach.
 
It wasn’t glamorous, but it exposed a gap I hadn’t noticed: I was leading for efficiency, not clarity.

That project changed how I approached group work, from how I communicated with teams to how I helped clients tell their own career stories.

Turning points rarely announce themselves, and they show up when you least expect them to. Disguised as another day’s work, and looking back, you realize those moments honed your style.

📍 What moment in your career seemed small at the time but ended up changing your direction?

Every success story has a moment where it almost fell apart.
The missed deadline.
The unexpected setback.
The voice in your head saying, “Maybe this isn’t going to work.”

But something pushes you through, a decision, a person, or plain stubbornness.

The wins that almost didn’t happen are the ones that teach you the most about what you’re made of.

📍 What’s one success you nearly gave up on, and what kept you going?

This year taught me a humbling lesson: 
doing more isn’t progress if it’s in the wrong direction.

I’m letting go of content that fills time but not purpose.
 
Of chasing ideas that look good but don’t move the business.
 
Of assuming consistency alone equals momentum.

Sometimes clarity starts with subtraction.

📍 What’s one thing you’re releasing before the new year to make space for what matters?

We often discuss what we’ve taught others.
However, growth often hides in what surprises us.

Maybe a conversation shifted your perspective.

Maybe a problem you thought was simple had layers.

Maybe someone on your team showed you a new angle.

Surprise has a way of revealing blind spots and sparking growth, if you take a moment to notice it.

📍 Anything surprise you this week?

Every meeting, decision, and shift contributes to your professional story. The only question is: are you shaping it, or letting others write it for you?
 
 
Leaders often think branding starts when they decide to update their resume.
 
Your reputation is built daily, in how you handle conflict, give feedback, show up under pressure, and lead when no one’s watching.
 
The resume merely captures what you’ve already made visible.

📍 What story is your daily leadership writing for you?

Keep it simple, human, and authentic.
 
This week, visibility was on my mind.

The moments that stuck weren’t flashy; they were the times someone showed up, set the tone, or made their impact felt without saying a word.

 📍 What stood out to you this week about how leadership shows up before it speaks?

“What impact did you make that no one asked you to make?”

Because the best leaders don’t wait for permission to improve things.

They notice what’s broken and fix it. 
They raise standards others stopped seeing.
They take initiative.

You can tell a lot about someone’s leadership by how they answer, not the words, but the reflection behind them.

📍 How would you answer that question?

Growth doesn’t always come from new ideas.

Sometimes it comes from small course corrections.

The way you open a conversation.
The pause before you reply.
The moment you decide to handle something better than last time.

Leadership is about awareness, not being perfect.

📍 What’s one thing you’re doing differently next week?

Working with clients, the best resume line isn’t always about the biggest metric.
It’s the one that reveals leadership character.

One client wrote:
“Led 12 direct reports.”

We changed it to:
“Built a team trusted to run operations in my absence.”

Same role. Different weight.

The second line shows ownership, trust, and leadership maturity, the qualities hiring managers value.

When you learn to write results through the lens of impact, not inventory, your resume stops blending in.

📍 What’s one quiet accomplishment that deserves more credit in your story?

Years ago, I worked under a GM who refused to lower standards, even on nights when everything went wrong.

The lobby was packed, the phones wouldn’t stop ringing, and the bar was short-staffed.

He did more than protect the service that night. He protected the trust our guests and staff came to expect.

Now, when I help leaders shape their resumes, I think about that lesson.
 
You’re not just listing what you did.
 
You’re defending what mattered and demonstrating you stood firm when it counted.

📍 Who taught you to protect the standard when it would’ve been easier to let it slide?

The moments I’m most thankful for weren’t the easiest ones.
 
They were the ones that shaped clarity:

The rejection that made me sharpen my story.
The client who pushed for a better version.
The leader who told me the truth, not what I wanted to hear.

Gratitude is more than reflection because every setback I’ve had became a blueprint for helping others position their worth.

📍 What moment challenged you most and later proved to be a gift?

Early this year, I almost said no to a client because the project seemed small.
It turned into one of my most fulfilling partnerships,  and a reminder that impact isn’t always visible upfront.

That “small” project ended with a client landing their dream role.
 
What I thought was routine became a story I still reference when coaching others.

The wins that matter most often start quietly,  when you choose to stay committed, even when the payoff isn’t obvious yet.

📍 What’s one quiet win that reminded you why you do what you do?

🔢I Coach Sales Teams to achieve consistent results by prioritizing accountability, strategic coaching, ICP focus and performance metrics | 1 on 1 and Group Coaching | LI Live and Podcast Host

When I first got into sales, I had a similar path as most. I was trying to figure out how to sell, and once I did that had my eye on being the top performer on my team, so I would be thought of as a leader and have a chance to be promoted into management.

A short year and a half later, I did all of that and was promoted. I was going to change everyone's life and get to teach the low performers how to be successful and sell. About a month and a half later, I was wondering what happened. Nobody seemed to be listening to me or at least improving like I thought they should. I was really good at chasing and closing deals because that is all I knew how to do. My boss kept telling me you are trying to be a hero "You can't save everyone."

My problem was I was subjective and emotional about everything. I had no management process. It wasn't until I figured out that I had to take the emotion out of it and make everything objective that I started to see results. 

Fast Forward 10 years later, with many successes and failures I created a 6 step process that helps takes the complication out of managing salespeople with a heavy focus on your team's Structure vs Pipeline:

1. ATM Approach- Where am I at with my team today
2. Interview Process- How do I hire more awesome Reps
3. Onboarding- How do I get new reps to revenue faster
4. Expectations- Set clear expectations so people know if they are good at their job or not
5. Coaching- How do I develop people using data
6. Ideal Customer Profile- Who are your target accounts

If interested in learning more you can visit my website to book a call or download my e-book on the ATM Approach.

mattdferguson.com

Matt Ferguson

82% of buyers think this about sellers.
And this stat doesn't make sellers look good.

However, Jen Allen-Knuth thinks it's a great way for you to be in the 18% and get ahead of everyone else.

What is it?
Being prepared.

82% of buyers think sellers are unprepared.

She gives some great tips on how to get ahead of everyone else, along with:

- Realizing that the status quo is your biggest competitor and the 3 key    strategies to overcome it.
- Understanding your buyers paralyzing decision-making process
- Why sales leaders cause sellers to sound identical.

Jen offers a wealth of valuable advice in this episode.

To hear the entire thing, podcast links are available in the comments.

Thanks again for coming on and sharing so much valuable information on how to overcome what we are all facing.

The Status QUO and our buyers doing nothing.

If you knew who sent the text below and you’re in sales, you’d DM him today.

Why?
Because he always finds a way to beat his comp plan.

And as you can see, he just broke another one.
The company noticed. Now they have to fix it.

I hear this all the time:
“I can’t get my team to do what I want them to do.”

My first question back:
“How are they paid?”

Most of the time, the comp plan rewards something completely different than what leadership wants.

That’s why I always go back to two simple words:

Roles and Goals
- What is their job?
- What do you actually want them to do?
- What should they produce?

When you get that part clear, the comp plan becomes obvious.

Align pay with the behavior you want.
Remove the noise.
Don’t overcomplicate it.

Last week, I received a great comment on a post.

It was regarding a stat about how 82% of sellers think buyers are unprepared for meetings.

Here was my favorite part from The Sales Rebellion:

"The 82% aren't just tactically unprepared. They're showing up with "what can I get FROM this person energy instead of how can I serve this human energy."

A day later, when discussing with Kristie K. Jones K Jones the topics she wanted to discuss on our LI Live this week I read:

"2026 will be the year of the Buyer - Are You Ready?"

I couldn't be more excited to discuss with Kristie who is a Founder, Speaker and Author!

We will also discuss:
- The shift to Buyer-led Growth
- The growing importance and dependence on Marketing to support sales
- What you can do now to prepare

We will go live, Thursday at 10:00PT/ 1:00 ET. 
Click attend and we will see you there!

Daniel Vega, Stephen Clifton and 87 other attendees

2026 Will Be the Year of the Buyer: Are You Ready

It's not that hard to turn a bad sales call into a good one.

Yesterday, a client told me how good a call with a rep was.

When we got on the call, I could tell they weren't very interested.

We had sent them a gift, and it felt like they had to take the call with us.

But we got them to go from:
- Annoyed
- Uninterested
- Closed minded

To
- Engaged
- Interested
- Open to sharing

I had a feeling I jnew the answer but asked, "What changed?"

We found something he was stressed about, and dug into it.
Then, we explained how we could help with it.

It couldn't have ended any better.

A simple lesson.

It's not about how great you are.
It's about how you can help.

Sales isn’t about being impressive.
It’s about being relevant.

Find real pain - earn real engagement.

Fantasy Football, Candyland, and Leadership. 

I beat my brother in Fantasy Football last week.

As I rubbed it in.

He used the famous line from Doc Holiday:
"Forgive me if I don't shake hands."

I immediately laughed, because the week before, after a heated game of Candyland.

My wife made my daughter and I shake hands because of:
-Cheating acquisitions
-Sore losing 
-Bad winning

Thankfully, my wife knows both of us and jumped in before it lasted the rest of the night.

We all laughed and then watched a show as if nothing had happened.

As leaders, we deal with so many personalities.

The more you know them.
The more you can stay ahead of problems.

Sense tension early.
Diffuse it fast.

Great leaders prevent fires.
Average leaders clean up the damage.

Chris Beam- Thanks for the content idea!

What do you sound like on calls?
Do you know what your team sounds like?

You might be surprised what you hear or see.

Yesterday I solved a problem I have been having for weeks.

Every weekend, I take my kids to McDonald's for breakfast.

We always split a Big Breakfast.

As I cut the pancakes up, the fork breaks.
Everytime

It doesn't matter how careful I am.

Yesterday, instead of doing the same thing that had failed too many times to count.

I put some thought into it and tried something different.

I held the fork lower.
It didn't break.
I pumped my fist and handed it over to Murphy.

Problem solved.

We all have problems everywhere.
Home
Work
Eating out

You can either get mad and blame others.
Or figure out a better way.

The first one is easy, I do it all the time.
The second one takes some thought.

But when you figure out where to hold the fork.
It makes you feel a lot better.

If you have an employee underperforming, or you are underperforming. Ask yourself these 3 questions.

1. Are they in the right role.
2. Are proper expectations set.
3. Does the comp plan fit what you want them to do.

My bet is the answer to 1 or all of those is no.

When the answer is yes to all 3 questions, life is easier for everyone.

Great advice from CEO to CEO on hiring top performers in their industry.

A client of mine is thinking about hiring a top performer.

I am always a bit skeptical; it never seems to work out like you think.

He said something to me that made me feel better, based on advice he had received from another CEO.

"He told me when you are hiring these top guys, you can't just put them out there on their own, you have to make sure you guide and support them."

I loved that advice, as I have seen myself make that mistake before.

Hire and expect them to produce.

2 more things to think about:

1. Will they fit your culture?

2. Is the role you are hiring them for the same as what they were doing as a top performer elsewhere?

Example- They are managing accounts that they have closed years ago, and you want them to come in and hunt for new businesses.

I understand wanting to do it, but it's not the easy button.

As someone told me a couple of months back, after their company closed Target, and I asked them how.

"I hired a top performer from our industry."

"Wow, surprised that worked out."

"Well I am now 1 for 7 in doing that."

Make sure everyone is set up for success.

Don’t expect past results unless you can match the environment that created them.

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The Battle

Luke Duggan

Matt Ferguson

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The Battle

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