Brian Venis: Helping Organizations Succeed by Offering Extraordinary Executive Leadership at a Reasonable Price

The Osborne Group has been helping organizations succeed by offering extraordinary executive leadership at a reasonable price.  We provide a wide range of professional interim management, consulting, planning, custom advisory, and project management services in the private, public, and not for profit sectors.

Our principals each have extensive senior management experience and bring practical, transferable skills to every assignment.  They grasp situations quickly; develop customized solutions in collaboration with the client and, provide strategically crafted solutions and implementation plans that produce results.

What is your background? What made you get into this line of work?

I am the former owner and president of a successful manufacturing business where I had direct involvement in all facets of the business including finance, sales, manufacturing, engineering, & admin. 

After selling the company I started writing about my experience and the lessons learned during my career.  It was a cathartic experience, but I realized that I had attained a great deal of knowledge.  I realized the things I did well at, but most importantly what I failed at.  It was from this lens I thought I would like to help other entrepreneurs overcome their struggles.

If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

Being a CEO can be a very lonely position.  Often, we don’t have anyone to really talk with, and we have an overwhelming sense that we have to do it alone. 

In hindsight, I wish I had sought out good advisors who I could confide in, but also hold me accountable to my goals, which so often get derailed by the day-to-day distractions.

What problem does your business solve?

Along with providing interim executive management and project specific work, we are now offering the implementation of an Advisory Board that is tailored to each particular company’s and CEO’s needs and requirements.

Our roster of principals could be assembled into a Board with M&A experience, if that is part of a company’s plan.  Or, manufacturing, sales & marketing, HR, Operations, etc.  We can make up a Board that fits exactly what is needed by the CEO, and with the experience to ensure implementation and accountability.

What is the inspiration behind your business?

We are all products of our own experience.  In my case, I thought I had to figure it out alone, or was too fearful to ask for help.  I am certain that my company would have been far more successful had I overcome my fear and asked for help from trusted advisors.

Although all company’s have a trusted accountant and lawyer, their experience is to see the world as “the glass half empty”, whereas an entrepreneur sees the world as “glass half full.

Although it is important to know where the risks are, an entrepreneur is looking for growth and moving forward.  Having a group of advisors who have lived the entrepreneurs life can provide invaluable direction and oversight.

What is your magic sauce?

Our roster of Principals is what really sets us apart.  Their experience in so many different industries and in varying size of companies really makes the biggest difference.  So for an entrepreneur, regardless of their business, there is someone who has lived that life.

Whether you’re a start-up software company, a digital media company, in the service industry, or manufacturing, our Principals can help you with sage advice and ensure things get done.

What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?

We are planning a 50% growth with an eye to creating focused Advisory Boards our clients.  As well, we hope to increase our exposure to young entrepreneurs, who we believe could really benefit from our experience.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

As in most businesses, getting your name out to the right people is always a challenge.  The service of advice is not one you can just advertise.  Trust, confidence, and comfort are the things we are selling to an entrepreneur, and that is something earned with time and through referrals.

How do people get involved/buy into your vision?

All our Principals are active on LinkedIn and other social media.  We are also enhancing our website to include interviews with each of our Principals so people can get to know them a little better than just from a piece of paper.  We hope that entrepreneurs will learn of us and reach out to better understand how we can help them as CEO’s, and their company’s.