I know what it’s like to build a business from the ground up — and what it feels like when that business starts to outgrow the way it’s being run.

I founded and led an engineering and manufacturing company for nearly 30 years. Over that time, we grew from a small operation into a multi-million-dollar business with dozens of employees, multiple product lines, and customers ranging from small operators to large corporations. I served as President throughout that journey and was directly involved in building every system the company relied on — sales, marketing, operations, finance, quality, and people.

That experience taught me something about growth most business owners discover the hard way: what got you here won’t carry you forward.

As a business grows, informal roles, assumptions, and heroic effort stop working. Leadership becomes the constraint. Structure matters. Accountability matters. And profitability depends on how well those pieces fit together.

Today, through CJN Consulting Inc., I work alongside business owners, including second generation owners, who have built real businesses and want them to work better — not just grow bigger. My role isn’t to tell you what you should do, but to help you think clearly, organize the business, and move forward with intention.