Ric Franzi

As a Business Partner with Renaissance Executive Forums, we help Orange County's leading technology, healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and professional services executives align their vision, strategy, and execution through collective intelligence, just like we did for a recent member.
 
This business founder wanted to exit the business. However, he and his key executive did not have a management team capable of making decisions or running the business.
 
They recognized the company depended on them for all decision-making. They needed to know how to change that culture despite previous failed attempts.
 
Through insights and advice from the group, they came to realizations that led to significant breakthroughs, including:
 
・Enrolling the founder and his partner in separate peer groups
・Developing a strategic planning process
・Identifying manager interdependencies and leadership capabilities
・Developing models for hiring, marketing, finances, managing inventory, and developing employees
・Mapping out an effective exit plan with post-exit responsibilities
・Selling the business to the employees through an ESOP
・Creating a company board of directors
・Preparing the partner to become the president
・Recruiting two additional outside directors for the board
 
As a result, the founder could:
 
・Fully cash out six years after starting the sale process
・Give the new president a growth plan to double revenue within five years
・Leave behind a profitable and growing business capable of exploring new geographic markets
 
If you're ready to:
 
・Improve company profitability, sales, and productivity
・Develop more precise performance benchmarks, and
・Obtain new knowledge you can't get anywhere else
 
Let's talk and see if you're a good fit for our Executive Forum.
 
https://richardfranzi.as.me/ExecForumsintroductions

CASE STUDY: How To Execute A Successful Exit Strategy Despite A Pandemic

As a Business Partner with Renaissance Executive Forums, we help Orange County's leading technology, construction, manufacturing, and professional services executives align their vision, strategy, and execution through collective peer intelligence, as we did for our recent member.
 
As the founder of her growing company, she worked 16-hour days, 6-7 days a week, and became a slave to the business.
 
She rarely had time for her children, and the toll of responsibilities prevented her from growing further.
 
Through our group's insights, advice, and accountability, she came to realizations that led to significant breakthroughs, including:
 
・How her behavior contributed to the situation
・The need to fire her #2 employee
・Buffering herself from her operational business needs
・Identifying the qualities necessary for new direct reports
・Building a new management team
・Letting go of being the "firefighter"
・Setting concrete 3-5 year goals
・Mapping out the evolution to allow desired growth
・Financially modeling the financial requirements to support desired growth
 
By prioritizing her essential strategic goals, implementing those ideas, and setting deadlines, within less than two years, she was able to:
 
・Double her clients
・Limit her work days to 8 hours with free weekends
・Take a 2-week work-free vacation with her family for the first time
・Buy a vacation home and plan to spend regular family time there.
・Significantly lower her stress levels and improve her health.
 
If you're ready to:
 
・Improve company profitability, sales, and productivity
・Develop more precise performance benchmarks, and
・Obtain new knowledge you can't get anywhere else
 
Let's talk and see if you're a good fit for our Executive Forum.
 
https://richardfranzi.as.me/ExecForumsintroductions

CASE STUDY:  How To Go From 16-Hour Days To 2-Week Vacations 

Since 2007 I have dedicated my career to creating a safe place for business executives to work on their businesses. 

"Experience is the best teacher, but some business lessons are best learned vicariously through the experiences of your peer business owners."  

I am the Orange County Business Partner for Renaissance Executive Forums, an international CEO organization with over 2,500 members.

I know that it is lonely at the top, having served as President and for a global, 700-person engineering and manufacturing firm for five years.

For business owners and executives who are leading companies with 5 to 250 employees, I stimulate original thinking to support their critical decisions. I chair CEO Peer Groups for Orange County-based firms.

The peer groups I chair provide a safe place where members can learn from each other, share their experiences, and ultimately improve the performance of their firms over the long term.

My members create a unique environment where they trust each other to provide honest and unbiased feedback for their most pressing issues and opportunities. 

Many times the process simply ensures my members are moving in the right direction eliminating the trial and error approach so common in today's ever-changing business world.

The peer group helps to illuminate and magnify possible new ideas and approaches to the business challenges CEOs and business owners face every day.

Finally, over time membership in a Renaissance Executive Forums CEO Peer Group guides members to develop a deeper self-awareness enabling them to release the true potential of their firm and live impactful lives.

Business Partner-Orange County

I am the author of 3 books written for executives of small companies. My original book was the first ever written on the sustainable value of CEO Peer Groups®.  My second book explores the importance of a CEO's mindset. My latest book looks at how unintended consequences can damage a leader's effectiveness and a firm's performance.

Business Author

A nationally recognized keynote speaker and workshop facilitator.   

Here is what clients say about him:
"Richard was a keynote speaker at our industry's 2017 CEO Retreat. He also facilitated a peer-learning workshop for this group of 200+ CEOs. He fostered a safe environment for the participants to share their experiences and to learn from each other. Richard's keynote was his “Killing Cats Leads to Rats” presentation, based on his 3rd book. He was well-received, and the participants appreciated his humor and approach to facilitating peer learning."-David Jennings, Vice President of Education, Community Associations Institute.

I speak to audiences of CEOs and business executives who are leading middle market firms on concepts relating to peer learning for business executives.

I bring ideas and concepts to executive and management teams that will improve their performance.  I present my concepts in a fast-paced, fun manner to engage the audience to learn the concepts and retain them.

Keynote Speaker ∙ Workshop Facilitator

Critical Mass Business Talk Show

Critical Mass Business Talk Show has a deep and rich catalog of interviews in our archives. To listen to past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews, visit podcast.criticalmassforbusiness.com or youtube.com/richardfranzi

Business Talk Show Host

Dekra-Lite Industries, Inc.

Located in the heart of Orange County, Dekra-Lite has been a leader in commercial Christmas Decorating since 1987. Bringing a fresh and innovative approach to holiday decorating, we are the premier decorator for hundreds of commercial properties, amusement parks and cities across the country. As experts in commercial Christmas decorating, our staff is able to assist in every aspect of transforming your property for the holidays, from design to installation. In addition to carrying a wide array of dazzling products to choose from, we also fabricate custom decor pieces. This enables us to fulfill every one of our clients’ specific needs, making their vision come to life. Years of experience paired with extensive industry knowledge makes Dekra-Lite the ideal choice for your property, no matter how large or small.

Chairman Board Of Directors-ESOP

Cal Pac Sheet Metal, Inc.

OC Metals is committed to being a single source for specialty contractors and the building industry for Custom and Standard Architectural Metals, Metal Roofing, Rain Gutter Carrying, Waterproofing and products and accessories associated. We offer and stock a comprehensive line of products in addition to custom fabricating to project specifications. Tools, fasteners, and sealants are required for every job and we don't want our customers driving around spending time and money looking for these specific accessories. OC Metals has listened to what our customers consider the best manufacturers who deliver the best products and we stock our shelves with these accessory lines and pass the savings on to our customers. When it comes to custom fabrication we strive for accuracy with a quick turnaround. Our promise is Value and Service. We want to be part of your team, offering you that competitive advantage needed in today's market place.

Member Of The Board Of Advisors

The Value Builder System™

I lead CEO Peer Groups made up of business owners who are running companies with 5 to 250 employees who are focused on improving the value of their business by applying the concepts within the The Value Builder System.  

This system is a scientific methodology proven to increase the value of a business.

After analyzing over 40,000 businesses, the average Value Builder Score is 59 out of 100. If you look at the acquisition offers these businesses have received, the average offer is 3.5 times pretax profit.

The Value Builder users who have improved their score to 90 or greater-by following the system- are receiving offers of 7.1 times pretax profit on average.

Advisor

Forbes Coaches Council

As a former member of the council, I submitted thought leadership articles and short tips on industry related topics for publication on Forbes.com

My focus was on understanding how unintended consequences arise from strategic business decisions made by CEOs and executive teams.  I also be explored how best to avoid, reduce or mitigate the negative effects of unintended consequences on business performance and employee morale.

Columnist

Aptiv (Formerly Delphi Connection Systems)

Grew top line revenue by $20 million (40%) while implementing process improvements through Lean Initiative, Six Sigma on other tools, redesigned our business model by converting to a Business Line Profit and Loss Structure with 4 Business Units, led the creation, adoption and execution of a 5-year vision that drove our entry into new markets while expanding our global customer base and market penetration.
 
Each of these steps were required to unleash the firm's true potential for growth and financial performance. 

Full P&L responsibility.  Led a global team of 15 direct reports and 700 employees.

Top executive with oversight of all engineering, finance, manufacturing/operations, quality, sales, marketing, human resources and IT functions.

President

Hired to build new sales channels and revitalize the company's position in existing markets.  Expanded markets to encompass: medical devices, military, industrial controls, computer products and automotive interconnects.

Executive Vice President for Global Sales

Clearview Networks

Early stage, VC funded start-up internet video technology firm.  Senior Sales and Marketing Executive responsible for building the marketing and sales strategy for leading-edge Internet video/audio monitoring technology to attract clients, investors, media and prepare the firm for a future IPO.

Executive Vice President Sales Marketing

Lantronix, Inc.

Senior Sales Executive responsible for developing systems and procedures to enable this privately owned firm to conduct an IPO.  

Recruited to fill the position from existing employer specifically for my demonstrated skills in building professional sales teams and my experience working for publicly traded corporations.

Vice President of Global Sales

☎ TEXT Me: 949-887-4104 | ✉ rfranzi@ref.global | 🌐ricfranzi.com | Complete my Executive Empowerment Quiz and receive a FREE copy of my book "Critical Mass: The 10 Explosive Powers of CEO Peer Groups". The book shows you how to unlock your company's true potential and value, overcome common threats in today's business climate, and propel you and your organization to the next level! 🎁 

https://bit.ly/3NWGthw

ʜᴀʀɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ -- ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱᴜᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱꜰᴜʟ ᴄᴇᴏ’ꜱ, ᴘʀᴇꜱɪᴅᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴜꜱɪɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴏᴡɴᴇʀꜱ

You probably already know that your whole company is greater than the sum of its departments.

As your organization's leader, it's your job to ensure that every department performs as well as possible.

However, your organization will face challenging events and decisions as it develops and moves forward. You will need to know more regarding the following: 

⚠️ Emerging technologies,
⚠️ Rapidly evolving regulations and social responsibilities,
⚠️ Agile competitors continually test your adaptation ability.

Most of us must improve our ability to identify gaps in our knowledge and sometimes feel isolated or unsure regarding new tasks and challenges. 

My name is Ric Franzi. I'm a happy husband, father, international keynote speaker, Amazon best-selling author, and the host of Orange County's longest-running business talk show.

As the president of a global manufacturing firm, I know that being a CEO can be stressful, and there is a need to understand that the decisions you make are optimal. 

Nobody is an island. We all need others to help us with decision-making. 
I have found a group of people who understand that situation and help with valuable insights and advice when making informed decisions. They have enabled me to grow my company's revenue by 40%.  

In 2007 I left my corporate job to lead local private peer groups and help others use this compelling process.

I am now a nationally recognized thought leader on the power of collective intelligence and a Business Partner with Renaissance Executive Forums. I help OC business leaders discover their ability to make lasting positive changes in their lives and organizations.

Through this process, I want to help you and make you feel like a leader. 

👉 Please be my guest and discover how collective intelligence helps solve problems to keep your company ahead of the curve and allows you to get a good night's sleep.

Angelo Ponzi

Craft 

We use our experience and competencies in research to gather the necessary insights from your customers, prospects, competition, and the market to develop fact-based approaches to building effective and efficient blueprint plans for growth.

President/Founder/Fractional CMO

PayNation™

A Southern California-based FinTech company that provides payment processing, proprietary technology, and omni-channel payment acceptance solutions for companies of all shapes and sizes. Our core focus is helping B2B companies accept payments in a simple, secure and efficient environment.

Fractional CMO

Alloy Products Distribution

Alloy Products Distribution, Inc. (APD) is a proven industry leader and pioneer of customized, engineered parts for Natural Gas Utilities and OEM manufactured products for various vertical industries, including automotive, transportation, construction, lighting, marine, and consumer products, to name a few.

Dekra-Lite Industries Inc.

Member Board Of Directors

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer

Business Growth Cafe

The decision to grow your business is easy.  Making it happen, now that’s the challenge.
While we tend to think of sales and marketing as the drivers of growth, the reality is, there are multiple factors that can impact the growth of a business. Internal factors such as operations, finances, HR, along with external pressures from competition, the economy, technology, politics and the environment can all take their toll on growth strategies.

Each week at the Business Growth Café, we select from a menu of topics that can impact business growth. We explore influences, barriers, challenges and opportunities with experts from a wide variety of disciplines that can directly and indirectly impact your growth strategies and offer insights and actionable steps you can incorporate into your business.

Podcast Host - Business Growth Cafe

Strategic Market Intelligence

Note: These services have been moved and are now offered through Craft.

Developing insights, brand, marketing and competitive strategies utilizing qualitative and quantitative research are my primary responsibilities at SMI.  This also includes business development, client management and business operations. 

In this position, I utilize my expertise in strategic integrated marketing and positioning; digital, social and email marketing; market trends and competitive analysis; brand demand and equity building; marketing and communication plans and go-to-market strategies; Profit & Loss management; new market development; business expansion; year-over-year revenue growth strategies; marketing and advertising leadership.

Industries served include: Payments Processing; Healthcare; Senior Living; Peer-To-Peer Business Group; Action Sports – Hardware, Apparel and Publishing; Recreation; and Digital and Traditional Marketing Agencies.

Fractional VP, Sales and Marketing Strategies

Center for Business Growth

The Center for Business Growth’s mission is to create a community of C-Level executives and owners of entrepreneurial mid-size companies in Southern California that will provide these business leaders with the opportunity to engage in interactive educational forums in a non-sales environment to learn best practices from each other and a faculty of professionals from disciplines from the legal, accounting, marketing, branding, sales, research and executive peer learning disciplines.

Co-Founder

UrthPact

UrthPact is a contract manufacturer that specializes in the molding and assembly of compostable products made from renewable, nature-based bioplastics.

Quest International Inc.

Oversaw marketing planning and strategy, as well as the marketing team.  Working closely with sales and management, created a revenue growth plan, and worked with the team on execution. Quest partners with Healthcare & Life science Original Equipment Manufacturers globally to provide world-class ISO-accredited aftermarket technical services such as field services, depot repair, warehousing & logistics, and customer care solutions on their behalf on a fractional basis so our OEM clients can focus on what matters most.

Bob's Watches

Bob's Watches is the World's First and only Pre-Owned Rolex Exchange where consumers can buy, sell, and trade vintage and used Rolex watches at true fair market value.

Craft, a division of The Craft Group, specializes in consulting, interim, fractional marketing, leadership, and coaching services, prioritizing strategic and analytical marketing approaches to foster sustainable business growth. Our clientele typically comprises small to medium-sized enterprises with revenue ranging from $5 million to $75 million and spanning both B2B, B2C, and DTC sectors.

In crafting a client’s roadmap for growth, we leverage thorough research to glean insights from their audience, competitors, and the market landscape. This data-driven approach informs the development of actionable plans tailored to effectively and efficiently meet their business objectives.

Once strategies are formulated, we collaborate with internal teams or handpicked professionals and organizations to diligently execute them. Our role extends to providing supervision and management oversight, ensuring alignment with your brand identity throughout the process.

About Me: Fractional and Interim CMO, CRO, CSO, Marketing and Brand Strategist, B2B/B2C/DTC; Keynote Speaker; Author; Podcast Host with extensive hands-on experience across marketing, branding, advertising, research, and sales, I have operated within diverse industry verticals and brand niches. My portfolio includes engagements with notable brands such as AT&T (formerly SBC Global), Ericsson, Kendall-Jackson, and Disney, among numerous others.

Over the years, I've led teams of varying sizes for global, national, regional, and startup companies, navigating budgets ranging from substantial to modest. My expertise spans the entire product lifecycle spectrum, from inception to market launch and beyond.

I advocate for an integrated marketing approach encompassing a spectrum of channels and mediums tailored to engage consumers at every stage of their purchasing journey. Staying attuned to market dynamics and leveraging analytics are central to my strategy, always with the primary goal of driving revenue growth while mitigating risk.

Craft is the rebrand of The Ponzi Group.
We use our experience and competencies in research to gather the necessary insights from your customers, prospects, competition, and the market to develop fact-based approaches to building effective and efficient blueprint plans for growth.

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Ric Franzi

Angelo Ponzi

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